The mood was somber after Syracuse men’s soccer’s last practice of the season.

Twenty hours earlier, SU’s postseason hopes ended with a 3-1 loss to St. John’s at home, in front of its biggest crowd of the season and the program’s first-ever national television appearance on ESPNU.

On Thursday, it finished up one last practice before heading to Chicago to take on DePaul on Saturday at 2 p.m.

‘Pretty much worst-case scenario right now, that we’ve lost,’ forward Spencer Schomaker said. ‘I mean, we’re still going to go out there and get a win.’

Player interviews after Thursday’s practice were cut short after about a minute, as Syracuse head coach Dean Foti rushed his players off to a team meeting. Foti did not address the media.

After Wednesday’s game, SU midfielder Luis Martinez emphasized that just because the season ends Saturday, the Orange will still treat the game as it would any other.

‘Saturday is the last game of the season,’ Martinez said. ‘It’s one more game, so we’ve got to leave everything on the field. It doesn’t matter if it counts or it doesn’t count.’

Even though DePaul has earned a spot in the Big East Tournament – compiling a 6-4 record in conference play – it still has something to play for on Saturday. A win would jump the team into one of the top two spots in the red division, earning it a coveted first round bye.

The Orange may have reason to be optimistic, as it has played its best soccer of the year in games without bearing on the postseason. SU went unbeaten in its non-conference schedule, with a 3-0-4 record. It was the second year in a row the Orange has accomplished the feat and is the only team in the Big East to do so.

But for Schomaker, that fact is no consolation going into Saturday.

‘I’d much rather have us actually playing for something,’ Schomaker said.

Syracuse will miss the tournament for the second straight year. The Orange has only qualified to play in the tournament one time in the past seven years. Wednesday’s loss also gave SU its seventh loss of the season, ensuring that the Orange will not finish with a record above .500 for the seventh consecutive year.

Despite the record, Foti found the positives for his team

‘We’ve got a lot of kids that are gaining some pretty valuable experience in big games, and that’s going to pay dividends for us,’ Foti said Wednesday.

Foti also indicated the strength of the conference as a factor for his team. In the latest NSCAA/adidas poll, released Tuesday, the Big East had three teams in the top 25, including Connecticut in the top spot, where it has been for three of the last four weeks. Three other teams, including St. John’s, also received votes in the poll.

As the season comes to a close Saturday, Foti makes it clear that his team still has motivation to play.

‘We play for pride, we play for ourselves and our university,’ Foti said Wednesday. ‘This is still a huge game, and it still has implications on the Big East Tournament for other teams. There’s a lot to play for.’

Published on November 1, 2007 at 12:00 pm