After Ryan Raposo shifted the ball back onto his right foot and lost possession, it looked like one of Syracuse’s best chances of the game had been wasted. With 10 minutes remaining in a scoreless game, the Orange were desperate for a breakthrough in a game they dominated. 

As the home crowd sighed, Raposo dashed toward the ball, won it back and fired a shot directly at Louisville goalkeeper Jake Gelnovatch. The parried save bounced back to Raposo, who, in a cluster of orange and white, flicked it to freshman Luther Archimede. From point-blank range, Archimede’s strike was miraculously tipped wide by Gelnovatch to preserve the goalless scoreline.

Archimede laid on his back and covered his face while Raposo sat on his knees and stared at the ground. The Syracuse attackers couldn’t believe they weren’t a goal ahead against the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champions.

“I was pretty upset that those didn’t fall for us,” Raposo said. “Those were probably two of our biggest chances, they just happened to be one right after the other.”

Syracuse (1-1-3, 0-0-1 Atlantic Coast) failed to capitalize on its opportunities as it drew No. 20 Louisville (2-1-3, 0-0-1), 0-0, on a windy Friday night at SU Soccer Stadium. The contest marked the Orange’s third-straight double-overtime game, its longest streak since Sept. 2010.

All night, Syracuse peppered shots at the Louisville net, tallying 14 (seven on target) in total to the Cardinals’ six (four on target). Despite the array of shots, the Orange were held scoreless for the first time in 2019.

“It’s a game of moments,” forward Massimo Ferrin said. “You can’t expect to be tapping the ball in two yards away for every goal. It’s the little moments of magic. We came close, but you have to put the ball in the net.”

Syracuse’s first chance of the night came after just five minutes through Simon Triantafillou, the first of SU’s six shots in a dominant opening 45 minutes. The front three of Ferrin, Raposo and Archimede put constant pressure on Louisville’s backline and midfield as they tried to keep possession, often helping the Orange win the ball back.

With 25 minutes left in the first half, Sondre Norheim launched the ball up the field, allowing Archimede and two Cardinals defenders to chase after it. The freshman was quicker than both Louisville backs and oncoming Gelnovatch but couldn’t squeeze the ball into the goal from a tight angle.

Eight minutes later, Raposo nearly opened the scoring with a spectacular strike. Hilli Goldhar zipped in a cross from the left side to Raposo, who, from 15 yards out, backheeled the ball on the fly towards the top right corner of the frame. The ball floated in the air before colliding with the crossbar, denying the sophomore his fifth and most brilliant goal of the season.

“It would have [been the best goal I’ve ever scored],” Raposo said. “I pictured it in my head as it was coming to me.”

The Orange continued to put pressure on the visitors as the first half wound down. In a one-on-one with Louisville’s Louka Masset, Archimede drove past the Cardinals’ defender and dragged the shot just wide of the left post.

Despite having the majority of possession and more shots in the first half, Syracuse posted fewer shots on target (two) than the Cardinals (three). All three of Lousiville’s first-half attempts tested SU goalkeeper Christian Miesch. With five minutes until halftime, Leonard Getz’s corner kick almost snuck in thanks to the windy conditions, but Miesch reacted quickly and avoided a costly error.

The start of the second period had none of the fluidity or quality both teams put on display in the first half. Rather, the sides, particularly Syracuse, tried to impose their will physically. Fouls from Ferrin, Amferny Sinclair and Julio Fulcar in the first 12 minutes of the second half led to three yellow cards. The teams combined for a whopping 46 fouls and 10 yellow cards on the night.

“The takeaway at halftime was that we’re in a good position and we can play at this level,” McIntyre said. “We lacked a little bit of quality in the seconds half. It took us to the last 20 minutes of the game to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.”

Archimede found himself in another one-on-one with a Cardinals defender after intercepting an errant pass from Getz, but the freshman lost control of the ball before he could fire a shot. After a 20-minute spell of defending and no shots, the Orange had two chances in quick succession — headers from Raposo and Ferrin that looped over the crossbar.

Syracuse registered five more shots, including the two from Raposo and Archimede, before the end of regulation. After the horn sounded signaling the end of regulation, Archimede was issued a second yellow for tripping a Louisville defender, meaning the Orange had to brace overtime with 10 men.

“It’s definitely a challenge to keep it fresh and to try and stay as close to 100 percent as possible. You have to be able to give it your all, especially in big games like this,” Ferrin said about SU’s third-straight double-overtime game. “It’s difficult, but everybody has to deal with it.”

Just as it did against then-No. 22 New Hampshire on Sunday, Syracuse sat back and absorbed pressure during the overtime periods. The home team failed to tally a shot in the 20 minutes of extra time while Louisville recorded two shots and four corner kicks.

McIntyre’s big takeaway was not SU’s missed opportunities, its fatigue after three-straight double-overtime games or the physicality of the game. Rather, it was that the Orange’s players, several of which were making their ACC debuts, were able to hang with the defending conference champions.

“My initial emotion is of tremendous pride,” McIntyre said. “We really limited their opportunities and we were good value for at least a point tonight.”

Published on September 13, 2019 at 10:12 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu