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Syracuse nearly did all the right things defensively despite drawing with Louisville in its last contest. A 90th-minute goal on a free kick by the Cardinals was the only goal allowed and it was the equalizer.

Four days later, the Orange were minutes away from posting a blank sheet again. Though, a late collapse transpired again.

In the 85th minute, Cornell hurried the ball up the pitch and got it to Danny Lokko. With SU caught up high, Lokko was one-on-one with Sam Layton and made a move to get past before dishing to Connor Miller for a one-timer goal.

After battling through a stalemate up to that point, Syracuse (3-3-3, 0-1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) had its back to the wall late and fell 1-0 to Cornell (5-0-2, 0-0-0 Ivy League). The Orange pushed up the field for a counter attack but came away empty. It marked the second straight season SU has fallen to Cornell.

“It looked like we kind of hit a bit of a wall that last 10 minutes,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said.

Early in the game, the Big Red were the aggressors, holding much of the possession. In the second minute, Cornell created a chance on a corner kick, but the SU defense was well-prepared.

“(Corners are) something that we aren’t too phased about, and something we take very personal to not concede there,” Andre Cutler-DeJesus said.

SU goalkeeper Tomas Hut left his goal line to punch the ball out of the box and quiet the attack. Though, two minutes later, Syracuse allowed Cornell to create a second chance after Ben Rosenblatt was called for a foul just outside the box.

But the Orange avoided the pressure again, as Hut corralled a lofting ball by Westin Carnevale.

While both teams looked to create pressure, possession pinballed throughout the middle third. In the 12th minute, Cornell returned on the attack.

The Big Red worked the ball to the corner of SU’s box and crossed in to Alioune Ka. He got a foot on the ball for a shot, but missed just right of the goal post.

In the 23rd minute, Syracuse’s backline forced another short-range miss by Alex Harris. A few minutes later, Cutler-DeJesus jumped in front of a shot by Lokko. The Orange brought in substitutions late in the half, and for about 15 minutes, SU held Cornell from taking a shot.

“We really limited (Cornell’s) opportunities, and as the game wore on … midway through the first half, I thought we got back in it,” McIntyre said.

In the final five minutes before halftime, the Orange forced the Big Red to miss twice, and also defended a corner without allowing Cornell to get to the ball. The teams entered halftime scoreless.

“Overall, we defended well, the only times (Cornell) had real chances was individual times when we got beat one-on-one,” Cutler-DeJesus said.

Out of the break, SU limited Cornell well and created the first scoring chance of the half in the 48th minute. Nathan Scott sent a ball into the box off a corner kick and it connected with Chimere Omeze, who headed the ball on net, but Ryan Friedberg handled it.

SU struggled to find its rhythm on offense, as Nicholas Kaloukain and Gabe Threadgold collided minutes later on a run up the left sideline. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s defense continued to stand pat. Sam Latona fired a strong shot on goal, but Hut leapt up to deny it.

Around the 70th minute, the Big Red created two corners in a quick sequence, but continued with nothing to show for it. Scott jumped in front of a shot on the first corner and Kaloukian cleared the ball from the near post on the second.

Forward Michael Acquah contributed to SU’s defensive stronghold, stealing away the ball just outside the box in the 80th minute. Cornell tried to create a chance in the 82nd minute too, but Threadgold was in lockstep with the Big Red’s striker to deny the pressure.

SU kept Cornell off the board, but its lapse in the 85th minute proved to be the difference. The Orange forced the ball into the Big Red’s third in the final five minutes, but each time they came close, they had the ball cleared away.

Syracuse’s defense could only do so much.

“We made a good adjustment in the second half, and I thought (Hut) made a few good saves, but (we) didn’t really have any clear cut chances,” Cutler-DeJesus said.

Published on September 24, 2024 at 11:59 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32