The entire second half, Syracuse’s lead was in peril, its goal under siege. Two early SU goals had been the reward of high-energy, high-pressing first half play, but the Orange had clearly slowed. They dropped back. They defended and hoped that their two-goal lead would hold. 

Syracuse’s heavy legs and newly assembled backline, playing their second game in less than 48 hours, couldn’t withstand New Hampshire’s relentless search for an equalizer. As Donnett Sackie’s header flew in between the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Jake Leahy and into the goal, SU’s 2-0 lead had evaporated. 

One goal came from a set piece as a free kick was headed down and eventually tapped in off the rebound. The second goal tied the game at two with just five minutes to go in regulation and sucked the life out of SU Soccer Stadium.

Syracuse entered the 2019 season with more questions than answers on its backline. Its first half performance — two goals and lockdown defense — appeared to leave the Orange safely en route to a statement win. But SU (1-1-2) couldn’t hold on as No. 22 New Hampshire (2-0-2) scored two goals to claim a 2-2 draw after double overtime.

“When you play Friday (and) Sunday, both games go to overtime, I’m very proud of the way the guys hung in,” head coach Ian McIntyre said. “When you concede that late in the game, it would have been very easy to concede again.”

The collapse leaves the Orange with the same questions at the back they had entering Sunday night. Nyal Higgins, Sondre Norheim, and Noah Singelmann haven’t yet developed the necessary chemistry in the back. Plus, the Orange haven’t decided on a starting goalie through four games, and are replacing two-thirds of their defense from last year. Still, Massimo Ferrin, Simon Triantafillou and Ryan Raposo have brought their goals and attacking creativity.

Four minutes into Sunday’s match, an early UNH turnover set Raposo free and running at the Wildcats’ backline.

Raposo played a pass out to winger Hilli Goldhar, who dribbled toward the endline before firing a ground cross into the box. The ball leaked out to Triantafillou, whose shot deflected off the keeper on its way into the bottom left corner of the net.

Not only was the goal the earliest SU had scored in a game of the young season, but it helped SU push forward and keep the Wildcats on their heels. UNH registered just one shot in the opening half and never came close to threatening Leahy in goal. 

Later in the first half, Raposo drifted to the left edge of the penalty area and stopped to curl a cross into the box. The ball glided past the leaping heads of Ferrin and Triantafillou, and as the keeper stood frozen just off his goal line, the ball spun into the bottom corner of the goal. 

No one had touched it. Raposo’s intention — what would’ve been his second assist of the night — was instead his fourth goal of the season. 

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“I thought I put it in the right place, and it ended up in the back of the net,” Raposo said. “I thought we should have put them away in the first half.”

Either way, the Orange were rewarded for their high-intensity pressure and earned a two-goal lead. 

Syracuse had a chance to make it a three-goal lead in the opening frame, but Goldhar skied his 1-on-1 chance all alone with the keeper. Both Leahy and McIntyre put their hands on their heads.

“If we score a third goal, the game’s over,” McIntyre said. “But we didn’t and we stopped playing second half. We didn’t have enough quality on the ball tonight.”

UNH slowly began to take control of the game and pin Syracuse deep in its own half. The corners and scrums inside SU’s box became more numerous and eventually, the Wildcats broke through. A free kick from just outside the 18-yard box was whipped to the far post and headed down. Leahy made the initial save but Bilal Kamal scored the rebound.

Kamal’s goal left SU in preservation mode for the final 20 minutes of regulation. SU’s lone source of offense was long clearing balls to Severin Soerlie, who was unable to hold up the ball.

“We gave balls away in our half, we invited pressure, we invited long throws,” McIntyre said. 

The pressure mounted, the groans from the SU crowd increased — including shouts of “play better.” Finally, the Orange broke. New Hampshire then had multiple chances to win the game, but sailed one kick and one header just over the bar in double overtime. 

On one hand, the Orange tied a top-tier collegiate team and played some of their best soccer of the year in the first half. But SU also squandered its chance to have an early season-defining win. 

“It could have gone worse,” Norheim said. “We stayed the course and managed to get the tie. It sucks.”

Published on September 8, 2019 at 9:50 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo