Winless after its first two Atlantic Coast Conference matchups, Syracuse seemed to be heading to a third straight loss Friday night.

But just when the first ACC victory in program history appeared to be slipping away, a kick of energy from SU’s young core propelled the Orange to a momentous second-half comeback.

“I’m happy for them,” head coach Ian McIntyre said. “To go into a place like this and execute our first conference win made for a special night.”

Syracuse (5-2-0, 1-2-0 ACC) wouldn’t be denied its 2-1 win over Duke (3-2-2, 0-2-1 ACC) at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C., on Friday night. A strong all-around performance punctuated by goals by freshmen Emil Ekblom and Chris Nanco led the Orange to victory.

“For us to win games, our new guys have to step up,” McIntyre said, “and they definitely did that tonight.”

When forward Brody Huitema put Duke ahead 1-0 just 14 seconds into the second half, the odds were heavily stacked against the Orange. Syracuse hadn’t come back from a second-half deficit since it beat Cincinnati 3-1 on Oct. 31, 2009.

For a team that has sputtered in conference play so far this season, a reversal of fortune couldn’t have come at a better time.

After a first half of tight-knit soccer, Syracuse kept pressing. The Orange had a share of good opportunities before the break but didn’t break through until the 61st minute.

“Once we got the equalizer I think we were able to manage the game,” McIntyre said. “Getting our own offensive pressure was a good way to minimize Duke’s late-game chances.”

Ekblom slotted the game’s tying goal from 15 yards out, then Nanco followed suit 14 minutes to later give the Orange a lead it would never relinquish. Nanco had a few chances that he missed out on early in the game, but beat Blue Devils goalie Alex Long one-on-one when it mattered the most.

McIntyre said that Nanco’s late-game goal after his lack of success early in the game showed a lot of “calmness and creativity.”

The Orange’s next test will come against Massachusetts on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at SU Soccer Stadium. After that, the team will dive back into conference play next Saturday at home against Virginia.

For now, a young group has a chance to relish in a crowning achievement. It may just be one win, but for an inexperienced team playing on a whole new landscape, it’s something to hold onto.

Said McIntyre: “When it comes down to it, it was a well-deserved and hard-fought victory tonight.”

Published on September 20, 2013 at 10:27 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse