Jahiem Wickham’s net presence steadies No. 18 Syracuse past Colgate
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Goalkeeper Jason Smith’s mistakes plagued Syracuse in its 5-3 loss to then-No. 21 Duke on Friday. He let in 5-of-6 shots faced, including one open-net goal. As the Orange headed into a bounce-back opportunity against Colgate, head coach Ian McIntyre opted to start Jahiem Wickham in net. The difference was apparent.
Down 1-0 in the 29th minute, Colgate pressed high, leading Buster Sjoberg to feed Wickham inside the 18-yard box. Adam Fam and Timmy Donovan converged on Wickham from opposite sides and closed all passing lanes. Wickham made a slight dribble to his right and then shifted his weight, driving himself between the two defenders and passing the ball out to Gabriel Mikina, avoiding disaster.
“Jahiem was very solid,” McIntyre said after the game. “It’s been a while since we secured a shutout.”
After swapping goalkeepers, No. 18 Syracuse (5-2-3, 1-1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) displayed cleaner build-up play en route to a 1-0 shutout victory over Colgate (3-7-1, 1-2-1 Patriot League). Wickham made his second start and third appearance of the season, tallying a shutout and two crucial saves. He was also a calm distributor while SU built up its attack, steering clear of committing errors within the 18. Although McIntyre didn’t state that Smith was being benched for his previous performance, or if he’d still be the goalkeeper going forward, Wickham made the most of his chance.
“It was an opportunity to give (Smith) a little breather, and Jahiem’s been training well,” McIntyre said.
The Raiders took only five shots in a relatively light day for Wickham. Through the game’s first 23 minutes, the Orange attempted seven shots to the Raiders’ zero. But Wickham’s two saves helped pay dividends for Syracuse to keep its narrow lead down the stretch.
A long, unsuccessful possession for Syracuse in the 31st minute led to a quick Colgate attack. Connor Cates received a clean look at net from the left edge inside the 18. Cates fired a low, scorching shot that Wickham stuffed by diving to his right.
Then, in the 58th minute, Alejandro Coury whipped a free-kick inside the box. His ball found Liam Winograd, who’s header bounced toward the far post. Ahead of defensive midfielder Josh Belluz, Donovan chased after the ball. At the same time, Wickham ran forward.
Donovan shot, but Wickham slid feet first, extending his right arm to deflect the shot away. Yet, he had little to say postgame about his goal-saving effort.
“We kept a clean sheet. So, that’s all that matters at the end of the day,” Wickham said.
Supported by a three-man starting backline of Mikina, Sjoberg and Pablo Pedregosa, Wickham helped dictate and generate Syracuse’s build up play. He was cautious with the ball within SU’s defensive third and never failed to make the safe play, often rolling a pass to a wide-open defender instead of attempting a reckless downfield heave.
“(The shutout) was amazing. I have to thank the people in front of me that helped me get it,” Wickham said.
On the other end, Syracuse’s attack easily developed during the early stages of the game. Nicholas Kaloukian netted SU’s breakthrough, and only, goal in the 13th minute. He finished off of a feed from Michael Suski to give the Orange a permanent 1-0 lead. Kaloukian credited Wickham and the backline for holding strong to give him and the attack chances to score.
“It’s a confidence builder,” Kaloukian said of SU’s defensive play. “When I know my team is not going to concede (a goal), it gives me confidence to go score and win the game for the team.”
Near the end of the opening half, Colgate’s Jacob Blackwin curled a long shot from about 15 yards past midfield that twisted to the right. Wickham tracked it the whole way and made the save. On the ensuing play, Wickham faced a press from Donovan again but acted quickly to find an open Pedregosa to his left before Donovan reached him.
To end the half, Wickham controlled another ball in the box as Hughes bolted toward him. With only 15 seconds left, Wickham made the easy play — booting it out of bounds and leaving the Raiders without a last-second chance.
Outside of his sliding second save of the evening, Wickham didn’t face much of an attack from Colgate in the second half. In the final minutes of the contest, Wickham made sure to secure loose balls within the box to avoid costly errors.
During the 83rd minute, Wickham gained control of a loose ball within the Syracuse defensive third. He leaked out to the right side but couldn’t find a passing lane. Cates creeped behind Wickham, trying to cause a turnover, but Wickham grasped it and laid on the ground to snuff out any remaining danger.
Wickham made a similar play two minutes later, methodically baiting Colgate’s Colin Hughes to attack him and then falling on the ball. He slowly walked along the right edge of the 18, buying time as the clock winded down. He then sent a punt to the other end, clearing another Colgate possession.
The Orange have registered four clean sheets in 2023. Despite starting just twice thus far, Wickham has secured half of them.
“I think the group in front of him gave (Wickham) an easier night but even so, if you get shutouts, you get a chance to win soccer matches,” McIntyre said.
