When the Big East released its preseason poll on Aug. 6, Syracuse was picked to finish last in the Red Division.

The voters’ decision wasn’t much of a surprise, as the Orange finished 3-12-1 in 2011 and gave the panel little reason to believe a turnaround was imminent.

SU wasn’t under the same impression, though, and through September, the Orange (8-3, 1-1) has the most total wins in the division and has already picked up a Big East win over Seton Hall. The one conference win matches the team’s total in the past two seasons combined. Syracuse will have a chance to pick up its second Big East victory against Rutgers at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the SU Soccer Stadium.

Following a strong start to the season against nonconference foes, head coach Ian McIntyre is pleased with his team’s effort thus far, but said the team still has a long way to go to make the season a success.

“When we set our goals as a team, the measuring stick is the Big East,” McIntyre said. “As a program, we’ve perhaps underperformed in the Big East in recent memory. We’ve had a fantastic start, and no one can take that away from us, but ultimately we’ll be measured over the remaining games.”

So far in conference play, the Orange has played well against Seton Hall and Cincinnati. Syracuse outshot its opponent in both games, and both contests were decided by one goal.

Midfielder Juuso Pasanen said SU was focused and prepared heading into its game against Seton Hall. He said that win is a blueprint for the team’s future success when matching up against high-caliber Big East teams.

“The tempo is way faster than in other games we’ve played,” Pasanen said. “We have to prepare the same way we did against Seton Hall. It was spot on.”

Forward Louis Clark said getting a second Big East and ninth overall win would be a great accomplishment for the Orange. A win over Rutgers would mark the first time Syracuse reached the nine-win plateau since 1999.

“It would be unbelievable,” Clark said. “It would be great to go down in history. It would be the fifth time in 25 years that we would have a winning record. That would be great to be a part of my senior year.”

On the verge of school history, the Orange has to maneuver its way through one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA. The Big East currently has six teams in the Top 25, which is more than any other conference, including the Atlantic Coast Conference.

McIntyre said the Big East is extremely deep and talented top to bottom this year, and is arguably the strongest conference in the nation.

“I’m sure the guys in the ACC would query that, but we know it’s a quality conference,” McIntyre said. “It’s a great measuring stick for us as a young team to see how we match up.”

In the first round of last year’s Major League Soccer SuperDraft, seven of the 19 players came from the Big East, which is more than any other conference. Clark said the skill level of players and overall quality of teams is a lot higher in the Big East than in nonconference games.

“Most of the players who got drafted come from the Big East, so you’re playing with the best kids in the nation,” Clark said. “It’s a real test week in and week out playing against them sort of teams and them sort of guys.”

After weeks of preparation, that test is in full swing for SU. The Orange has two home games in the span of four days against Rutgers and Louisville.

Despite the strong start, McIntyre said his team will not get complacent and will keep pushing to make this season as special as possible. He said finishing with a winning record would be a great accomplishment for the program, but the Orange has bigger aspirations.

McIntyre said Syracuse will look back and reflect on its final record at the end of the season. But for now its sole focus is on beating Rutgers and making its mark in the Big East.

“This group is intrinsically motivated because they want to be a part of something special,” he said. “It’s competition. This is why we do it.”

Published on October 1, 2012 at 11:42 pm

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass