MSOC : Syracuse needs to ‘take care of business’ to secure tourney bid
Syracuse may not be in an enviable position in the Big East standings, but it’s an improvement from the past two years.
Those seasons, the Orange found itself buried in the standings, spending the last few weekends of the season not just worrying about winning its own games, but the teams ahead of it in the standings.
Not exactly the best scenario for a team that struggled to win games. In both cases, the Orange failed to make the Big East Tournament.
This year, Syracuse is in a more favorable situation – win and you’re in. Heading into the last three games of its season, Syracuse sits in the driver’s seat, knowing if it wins its last three games it automatically qualifies for the tournament. The first game of the road trip begins 7 p.m. Saturday when Syracuse visits last-place Cincinnati.
‘It’s nice to know,’ senior forward Kyle Hall said. ‘In the years past there were must-win games, buts it’s been like you have to hope this team loses against this, this team does this, and finally it’s like we’re kind of in the driver’s seats. We still have to take care of business like everyone else does.’
Syracuse sits in sixth place in the Big East Red Division, two points ahead of Rutgers and three ahead of Cincinnati (5-7-2, 2-5-1 Big East). The Big East is split in men’s soccer into two divisions (Red and Blue), and the top six teams from each division make the tournament. If the season ended today, the Orange (7-4-3, 3-4-1 Big East) would tangle with Georgetown (third place in the Blue Division) in an opening round game. The Orange finished last in the Red Division last year.
Being in sixth with three games to go means three SU victories secures a Big East Tournament spot. While other combinations can result in a berth, the best and easiest way is to win the games.
After Cincinnati, Syracuse travels to fifth-place Villanova Wednesday before the season finale Nov. 1 at home against No. 13 Louisville. SU went 1-2 against these teams last season, with the lone win coming at home against Cincinnati.
‘It’s definitely a good feeling (knowing the team controls its destiny),’ senior forward Spencer Schomaker said. ‘In previous years, we were kind of reliant on other teams and what their outcomes are and our fate is pretty much in our hands right now.’
While the finish line is in sight, SU head coach Dean Foti is incredulous in his belief that the team needs to stick to the familiar mantra, one game at a time. Foti has preached this philosophy all through the season and isn’t changing now – especially after the team lost to seventh-place Rutgers on Oct. 11 in what Foti called a ‘trap game.’
Sticking to one game at a time means taking care of business against the lowly Bearcats. The Bearcats may be last in the Big East, but they have won two of their last four games and took Louisville to overtime before falling, 2-1. Add in the unfamiliar Astroturf field at Cincinnati’s Gettler Stadium – a surface which the Orange hasn’t played on this year – and SU cannot afford to overlook Saturday night’s contest.
‘We’re just putting all our attention into this game we have on Saturday,’ Foti said. ‘Once we get past the next thing, we’ll worry about what happens. We’ve kind of drawn the line in the sand with everybody on the team and we’ve kind of decided we’re putting everything on hold and all we worry about is the next game.’
Syracuse is on the right track as the season winds down, having won its last two games after failing to record a victory in the four previous games. The team won its first game in which the squad allowed two goals Wednesday night against Adelphi, showing resiliency in miserable, rainy conditions.
Streaking or not, the Orange’s chance of playing in its first Big East Tournament in three years will increase with a strong showing Saturday. The Orange knows what it needs to do – take care of business.
‘This is a pivotal moment in my career,’ Hall said. ‘In the last year, there are only three games left. This is a huge opportunity to finally make the Big East Tournament and hopefully the NCAAs. We’re just trying to take in one game at a time and just go after this.’
Published on October 23, 2008 at 12:00 pm
