Heading into Friday night’s game against Virginia Tech, Syracuse had yet to allow a goal in two games.

The Hokies had no intentions of keeping the Orange’s slate clean.

Just when it seemed that Nick Perea’s 17th minute goal would be enough for SU to escape with a win, Robert Alberti tied the game with five minutes left in regulation. Then Kai Marshall sealed a Virginia Tech win with a golden goal eight minutes into overtime.

Just like that, the Orange’s enchanting Atlantic Coast Conference debut lost its zest in no more than 30 minutes.

No. 17 Syracuse (2-1, 0-1 ACC) fell to Virginia Tech (2-1, 1-0 ACC) 2-1 at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Va., on Friday night. After leading by one goal for 85 minutes, the Orange’s overtime loss can be defined by missed opportunities.

“It was a good college soccer match,” head coach Ian McIntyre said. “But it is one that we let get away from us, up with five minutes to go. If we get that second goal the game is a lot different.”

The Orange’s only score came on Perea’s penalty kick early in the first half. After that, SU created only a small handful of chances.  Virginia Tech goalkeeper Kyle Renfro earned the win with only three saves.

The Hokies outshot the Orange 14-10. SU goalie Alex Bono finished with seven saves.

“In the first half, both teams were getting their chances,” McIntyre said. “But we didn’t do a good enough job of creating chances in the second half. Then in overtime things could have went either way and they just beat us on the counterattack.”

Speeding up play has been the Orange’s most effective scoring recipe so far this season. Friday, it was spoon fed a taste of its own tactics. After VT midfielder Brandon Eaton carried the ball into the open field, Marshall was able to put away the game’s decisive goal.

Still, for a team just starting out in one of the nation’s premier soccer conferences, there are positives to walk away with.

For 85 minutes, the Orange held the upper hand in its first test in unchartered waters. Perea, one of the team’s most experienced players, tallied a point in his third straight game. And SU’s young, impressionable lineup gained the experience of playing in a gritty conference contest.

“We were pretty good tonight,” McIntyre said, “but big picture a lot of young players gained incredible experience playing in the environment we played in tonight.”

For Bono, who watched the game’s clinching goal fall into the net behind him, the loss represents a feeling that the Orange will strive to never feel again, which he encapsulated in a tweet after the game.

This is what it feels like. We’ll never feel like this again, I promise that #CuseSoccer #TomorrowIsANewDay

— Alexander Bono (@Alex25Bono) September 7, 2013

 

Published on September 7, 2013 at 12:04 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse