Syracuse drops to No. 7 in United Soccer Coaches poll
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Syracuse (3-0-2, 0-0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell three spots to No. 7 in the weekly United Soccer Coaches poll on Tuesday. No. 1 Stanford kept its top ranking, while SU in-conference foe Louisville moved up to No. 5.
The Orange’s dip in the poll comes after they tallied a 2-2 draw against then-No. 7 Louisville at home last Friday. SU held a 2-1 lead in the match from the 33rd minute until the 89th minute. It held the Cardinals to just two shots in the first half and five total shots on goal. Then, as time ticked away late, Gage Guerra poked home an equalizer in the 89th minute to earn the draw with Syracuse.
“I think over the 90 minutes…We deserved (the win),” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said postgame. “We made it very difficult for (Louisville).”
Syracuse has tied in both of its ranked matchups thus far. The first draw came on Sept. 1 versus then-No. 20 Penn State. Outside of Lorenzo Boselli’s team-high four goals — which ranks third in the ACC — offensive production has been sparse. Only Mateo Leveque and Gabriel Mikina have half as many points as Boselli, with four apiece. And while the Orange have taken 83 shots, 30 them have been on target for a 36.1% shot on goal percentage that ranks 169th in the NCAA.
McIntyre highlighted the strong performance of his midfielders during a media session on Monday. He said that he and the coaching staff have asked Leveque to play higher up the field to “advance the position” against Louisville, which resulted in him tallying three shots and his first goal. McIntyre also credited Josh Belluz and Jeorgio Kocevski for holding their own versus a top-10 opponent.
“(The midfield) is where all the hard work is done, and the way that we want to play,” McIntyre said. “Where you’re really physically asking a lot from your guys and as well as having the quality when we have the ball.”
The Orange have two games before the next poll is announced. On Tuesday, they face Siena at SU Soccer Stadium. On Friday, Syracuse goes on the road for a ranked-opponent clash with No. 20 Wake Forest.
