No. 7 SU utilizes 4 defenders in 2-1 loss to Cornell
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ITHACA, N.Y. — Prior to Tuesday’s matchup, Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said Cornell would pressure his team all night long. He stressed the importance of getting past the Big Red’s 4-4-2 formation, which he called “direct and powerful.”
McIntyre adjusted by shifting away from SU’s traditional three at the back, by playing four instead. SU lined up in a 4-3-3, trying to get the ball wide. But after Cornell’s Alex Harris netted the game-winning goal in the 77th minute, Syracuse was forced to revert back into the 3-5-2.
“We thought we matched up (well),” McIntyre said postgame. “But we looked a little bit blunt up front today.”
Syracuse (3-1-3, 0-0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) started with a four-man backline for the first time in 2023 against Cornell (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League). The Orange lacked execution while playing using four in the back, as the Big Red handed them their first loss since Oct. 4, 2022, which was also to Cornell. In the defeat, Syracuse mustered just one shot on goal and let up two second-half goals to the Big Red.
McIntyre’s tactics initially paid off. The starting backline consisted of Olu Oyegunle at left back, Gabriel Mikina manning the right with Buster Sjoberg and Gavin Wigg as the two center backs. Josh Belluz played at the base of midfield in front of the backline.
In the 18th minute, Cornell’s Balazs Feher and Matthew Hutchison attempted a give-and-go along the left flank. Wigg and Belluz converged on the two from opposite sides and broke up Hutchinson’s second touch.
A few minutes later, Matthew Goncalves streaked down the middle of the pitch after Syracuse turned it over. But Wigg stayed tight to Goncalves, catching up to the attacker. When Goncalves reached the ball, Wigg muscled in front of him to boot the ball away.
Cornell still got a chance out of its trip into the attacking third. Kisa Kiingi ended up with the ball on the left side of the 18-yard box after Wigg’s effort. He passed behind to Connor Drought, who had a clean look at net, but was forced to fire a low shot which Mikina got in front of, deflecting the ball into SU’s goalie Jason Smith’s hands.
“I thought at moments, we played some good (soccer) today,” McIntyre said. “In that first half, and for long parts, when you come (to Cornell), you know you’re going to be under the gun and I thought overall, we did a pretty good job.”
Despite playing three up top, the Orange tried playing through Nicholas Kaloukian. Lorenzo Boselli drifted wider than he typically does, which made Kaloukian the focal point up front.
But Syracuse had trouble finding clean looks for its striker. Midway into the first half, Mikina threw-in to Kaloukian wide on the right side. Kaloukian controlled the feed and fought his way into the box, muscling by Drought and Cam Maquat. The Cornell duo recovered, forcing a goal kick.
Then, in the 27th minute, Nate Edwards dribbled along the right flank. He saw Kaloukian attempting to get by Cornell’s Andrew Johnson and sent a feed his way. Once the ball got within the 18, Johnson got out in front of Kaloukian and booted the ball out of bounds.
Once Cornell regained possession, SU pressed high, and Mikina forced a misplaced pass in Cornell’s defensive third. Belluz came up with it and sent a through ball back to Mikina on the right edge of the box. Mikina looked for an opening, floating a ball his way towards Kaloukian at the far post, but his pass went too deep.
“We wanted to create even more chances for ourselves (with three forwards),” midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski said. “I thought we did create some chances but the (result speaks for itself).”
SU got on the board in the 39th minute. Felipe D’Agostini finished a feed from Kaloukian to give the Orange a 1-0 lead. They backed it up defensively as the first half closed. In the 41st minute, SU’s backline fended off a transition opportunity from Harris and Hutchison to clinch a halftime lead for SU.
In the second half, Syracuse’s four-man backline failed. It gave up a game-tying and go-ahead goal within a 25-minute span.
In the 52nd minute, Wilson Eisner dribbled around D’Agostini once Cornell got into SU’s defensive third. Eisner found space in the middle of the 18 and took a shot that Smith got his hands on.
The ball leaked out to the right side of the box and was picked up by Kiingi, who centered the ball to Harris. Harris beat out Noah Singelmann and Sjoberg to the near post, firing it past Smith to tie the game 1-1.
Cornell put the Orange away in the 77th minute. The Big Red sent a dangerous bouncing ball inside the 18 where Ezra Widman and Wigg seemed to be in good position. But Wigg missed an attempt to head the ball away from the box, causing Harris to raise his right leg up and swipe at it toward goal.
Harris’ effort got past Smith and a sliding Pablo Pedregosa, trickling into the back of the net and giving Cornell a 2-1 advantage in the game’s waning moments.
“That’s a schoolboy error, as we call it,” McIntyre said of SU allowing the game-winner. “You can’t let the ball bounce multiple times.”
