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The Orange’s lack of execution finally caught up to them.

Wake Forest had possession within SU’s defensive third in the 75th minute. Sidney Paris took a feed from Jahlane Forbes and started a give-and-go with Hosei Kijimi amidst a crowded 18-yard box. Paris and Kijimi timed their passes up perfectly, as Paris broke through and had a wide-open shot opportunity.

In a moment of desperation, Gabriel Mikina made contact with Paris from behind and sent him to the ground. The play warranted a penalty kick. Wake Forest head coach Bobby Muuss chose Paris to take the shot, and he sent it past Jason Smith to tie the game at 1-1 late in the second half.

No. 7 Syracuse (3-0-3, 0-0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) nearly survived an unabating attack from No. 20 Wake Forest (3-1-3, 0-1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), but ultimately left Winston-Salem, NC with a 1-1 draw. The Orange scored the opening goal of the match in the second minute of play. After that, they didn’t test the Demon Deacons’ defense much more, only totaling five shots as opposed to Wake’s 16. Although the Demon Deacons applied pressure all night long, they, too, struggled to capitalize.

Syracuse started off hot early on. Just 51 seconds in, Buster Sjoberg was awarded a yellow card for stepping on the foot of Wake Forest’s Roald Mitchell. The Demon Deacons couldn’t capitalize on the free kick, as Smith corralled it and threw a long pass downfield to Gavin Wigg.

On the ensuing play, Wigg passed to Noah Singelmann who streaked down the right flank just across midfield. He cut inside and sent a through ball that found Nicholas Kaloukian within the 18-yard box. With no hesitation, Kaloukian galloped forward and unleashed a screaming shot toward the far post. The ball richochted off the post and trickled into the back of the net to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead. It was Kaloukian’s first goal of the season, and first with the Orange.

But that would be the first, and only, shot on goal by Syracuse. For the remainder of the contest, its offense struggled to find itself and often played catch-up to Wake Forest’s aggressive performance in the attacking third.

As a result, SU was stuck playing a more conservative playstyle. Head coach Ian McIntyre even switched to a 4-5-1 set prior to Paris’ penalty kick goal, selling out to fend off the Demon Deacons, who controlled the game in stretches.

Syracuse maintained its high-press throughout the contest, but Wake Forest consistently broke it. In the ninth minute, a through ball from Roald Mitchell found a wide-open Colin Thomas along the right flank. Nate Edwards trailed behind Thomas, who roped a shot toward the far post that sailed high and wide.

Later on in the 23rd minute, Forbes controlled a through ball along the right side of the 18. Forbes cut inside and manuevered by Sjoberg, allowing for a clean look at the net. He drove a low ball toward the far post that hit square off the pipe. Olu Oyegunle booted it to midfield, ending a prime Wake Forest chance.

A minute later, a foul by Josh Belluz led to a Wake Forest free kick. Cooper Flax whipped it inside and his ball was headed by Garrison Tubbs near the left post. His touch went by Smith and the SU back line, finding an uncovered Prince Amponsah right along the goal line.

Amponsah tapped it in but officials ruled no goal, as Tubbs got called offside. He was caught out in front of the entire Syracuse defense when he made impact on the header.

SU and Wake Forest traded missed opportunities throughout the first half. During the 15th minute, Demon Deacons goalie Trace Alphin looked to pass out of the box to Bo Cummings in their own defensive third. Alphin’s pass went awry, as Lorenzo Boselli intercepted it and positioned himself for an incoming shot. Boselli dribbled along the top edge of the 18, and booted one wide of the right post and out of play.

Edwards had the ball outside the 18 just a few possessions later. With Kaloukian and Boselli positioned deep in the attacking third, Edwards floated a pass for his two teammates up high. Though, Kaloukian nor Boselli could muscle their way past the Wake Forest back line and the ball was sent out of bounds.

As the Orange continued to have attacking issues during the second half, Boselli stayed on the bench. He returned to the field in the 78th minute, but SU opted to play a defensive-heavy strategy while holding a narrow lead down the stretch. Syracuse took a total of two shots throughout the second half, which proved costly after Paris’ equalizer.

For much of the final 45 minutes, Kaloukian was the lone striker. Mateo Leveque took a corner kick in the 70th minute. His feed from the left side found Kaloukian near the far post. On the header attempt, Kaloukian’s feet weren’t set and the ball flew straight up in the air.

Two minutes later, a through ball from Kijima found an open Flax inside the 18. Flax felt Sjoberg and Mikina converging in on him and fired a rushed shot. His ball wasn’t carefully placed, as Smith only had to slightly fall over to his right to secure the ball.

As the clock waned to under three minutes remaining, Wake Forest received a slew of open looks. In the 88th minute, Kijima sent a long ball into the 18. It hit off Mikina and ended up right in front of WF’s Liam O’Gara. He controlled the ball with his left foot and moved it to his right, though, his shot went directly into the arms of Smith.

Then in the 90th minute, Forbes delivered a cross from the left side to a cutting Vlad Walent near the far post. Walent’s header went off target and spun out of play, putting an end to Wake Forest’s late chances to take the lead.

Published on September 16, 2023 at 11:28 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews