When Syracuse travels to Virginia Tech for Sunday’s game, it only needs to be reminded of one fact — the Hokies’ 2-0 victory over SU last season.

That win catapulted Virginia Tech into the eighth and final spot in the Big East men’s soccer tournament. An SU win would’ve swapped each team’s spot in the standings, putting Syracuse into the postseason and leaving the Hokies at home.

One year later, the game again has high postseason implications. Virginia Tech (9-5-1, 4-3 Big East) is sixth in the Big East with 12 points. Syracuse (7-6-2, 3-4-1) is tied with Rutgers for seventh place with 10 points.

“If you do the math, the winner Sunday will more than likely be a part of the playoffs,” Virginia Tech head coach Oliver Weiss said. “We’re very concerned with SU. They’re a very dangerous team that wants to go to the postseason.”

Lately, dangerous could describe Virginia Tech, too. The Hokies have won five of six games and have scored 11 goals in their last four.

Weiss attributes much of the recent success to forward Ken Jonmaire. The sophomore has seven points in Tech’s last four games and sits second in the Big East with 22 for the season.

“When (Jonmaire) started to blossom and put goals away consistently, the team started to benefit,” said Weiss, in his first season at Virginia Tech. “Kenny doesn’t have any fear, that’s his greatest asset. He approaches every game with the idea of creating as many chances for himself and for his teammates as possible.”

Jonmaire — who scored the game-winner against Syracuse last season — could keep the Orangemen from reaching the Big East tournament for the second consecutive year.

The battle for the final playoff spot is so tight that Syracuse can’t even look over its shoulder without staring someone in the face.

Georgetown — a point back in ninth place — and Rutgers each have painless remaining schedules compared to Syracuse. RU and GU each face West Virginia — winless in the Big East this season — in November. Assuming the Scarlet Knights and Hoyas win the WVU game, SU would need victories against either Virginia Tech or Connecticut (No. 5 in this week’s national poll) to remain in the top eight of the league.

In other words, the Orangemen need a win this weekend if they realistically hope to make the tournament.

“Virginia Tech is huge,” defender Chris Aloisi said. “We need to pick up three points (with a win) this weekend. We need to make the conference tournament.”

“We try to put the same level of effort into each game we play,” Syracuse assistant coach Jaro Zawislan said. “At the same time, we know we only have two games in the Big East left, and with one of those being UConn, we certainly need this one.”

Zawislan also said he expects Jarett Park to play extensive minutes this weekend and that he will be “as close to 100-percent as can be.” Park was taken out for a 30-minute block with a bruised quadriceps in Wednesday night’s 3-1 loss to Boston College.

“You know it has to be something serious when he leaves the game,” forward Guido Cristofori said.

The Hokies are 4-1 at Moseley Field this year, and the Orangemen are 2-4-1 on the road.

“They could lose to some lower teams, but they could also beat anybody,” Weiss said of Syracuse. “So I don’t know how they’re going to play, which makes it very difficult to prepare for them.”

Published on October 24, 2002 at 12:00 pm