Felipe D’Agostini’s 2 goals in 2 minutes help No. 22 Syracuse defeat Yale 2-0
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Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre benched top goal scorer Lorenzo Boselli Wednesday.
Boselli leads Syracuse with five goals and has started all 13 of the Orange’s games. But, the striker has been in a dry spell the past few weeks. His last goal came on a penalty kick in a 2-2 draw with Louisville on Sept. 8. His last goal from open play was against Binghamton on Aug. 28.
Syracuse’s offensive struggles still go beyond Boselli as it’s scored just four goals in the past four games. But McIntyre decided to change things up by taking him out of the starting lineup against Yale.
“Lorenzo’s been a huge part of our season, I just had a hunch playing against their 4-4-2, trying something a little bit different tonight,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre’s decision paid off. Felipe D’Agostini scored two goals in two minutes during the first half, giving Syracuse (7-3-4, 2-1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) a comfortable 2-0 win over Yale (6-5-2, 2-1-3 Ivy League) in its final nonconference game of the season. The Orange scored multiple goals for the first time since a 5-3 loss against Duke on Sept. 29.
“Sometimes as a coach you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong, but Felipe took his chance and he scored some big goals for us tonight,” McIntyre said.
SU’s lack of fire power had been evident, especially in midweek games, culminating in a 2-1 loss to Temple last Tuesday. Against Clemson, Syracuse didn’t create much, with center back Buster Sjoberg scoring its only goal off a free kick in the 78th minute.
McIntyre said his team started “really well” and the ball movement was crisp, which had been lacking in recent games. On free kicks, the Orange did well to play short instead of opting for long balls down the field. Through the opening 15 minutes, SU didn’t create any clear-cut chances but kept Yale on the back foot with its pressure.
In the 16th minute, Syracuse broke the deadlock. Off of a set piece, Gabriel Mikina played a quick one-two with Gavin Wigg around midfield before spreading the ball out wide to Nate Edwards. Picking up possession, Edwards fired a low cross toward Nicholas Kaloukian.
Though Edwards’ delivery was mistimed, D’Agositni lay unmarked at the top of the 6-yard box. He was there to clean up, firing a shot into the roof of the net to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead.
“It was pretty important to get the first goal in the first 20 minutes or 30 minutes and start strong,” D’Agostini said. “The other games we kind of took too long to score and then it complicated the game for ourselves.”
With Boselli out of the lineup, Pablo Pedregosa played left wing back for the first time this season instead of his normal center back role. Mikina stepped into midfield, while Josh Belluz dropped into the defense as a center back. With Mikina as the holding midfielder, Mateo Leveque and Jeorgio Kocevski entered more advanced positions, which helped with Syracuse’s passing in the final third.
As Kocevski pushed higher up the field, he fed Edwards constantly down the right side. Edwards and Kocevski worked together throughout the first half, combining for Syracuse’s second goal.
Kocevski found Edwards out wide after Wigg recovered the ball for Syracuse at midfield. Edwards fired the ball to Kaloukian, who had a defender on his hip. Kaloukian flicked the ball around the corner to D’Agostini, who made a run around him. D’Agostini let the ball run across his body, taking a touch to settle before firing home a left-footed effort to put Syracuse up 2-0.
“He’s got goals in him,” McIntyre said. “For him to provide that quality tonight was very important for us.”
The Orange nearly made it three a few minutes before halftime. Off of a throw-in, Boselli passed to Daniel Diaz-Bonilla on the wing. Diaz-Bonilla lofted a cross aimed at Noah Singelmann in the box. Singelmann poked the ball with his left foot but his shot was saved by Yale goalkeeper Chris Edwards.
The volume of shots weren’t high for Syracuse, with just three in the first half, but all were on target.
“I’m a stat man myself, but I like our group and we don’t get too caught up in the stats part,” McIntyre said during media availability on Tuesday. “If we keep creating chances, I do think goals will come.”
Syracuse sat on its two-goal cushion for the rest of the game, recording its fifth shutout of the season. McIntyre said he felt his team deserved a third goal and it would’ve provided them with more breathing room. Still, he was pleased with his team’s defensive effort.
Yale never threatened much, registering just three shots. None of them were on target. The Bulldogs’ most dangerous moment came off a Syracuse mistake. Belluz and goalkeeper Jahiem Whickam played a one-two, but Belluz underhit his pass back to Whickham. Yale forward Kai Moos almost intercepted, attempting to knock the ball around Whickam, but the goalie slid and did just enough to force Moos wide.
Yale’s attack eventually fizzled out as the Orange averted danger. On the sideline, Syracuse assistant coach Juka Massalin screamed at this defense to clear the ball away next time.
Syracuse continued to control the pace of play in the second half. Matters only worsened for Yale in the 78th minute when Jake Shaffer was sent off after pushing Boselli in the back to draw a second yellow card.
In the final minute, Boselli earned a penalty kick after getting clipped from behind in the box. And though Boselli later missed the opportunity, Syracuse returned to winning ways.
“You win a midweek game in a pretty comfortable manner, we kept a clean sheet,” McIntyre said. “That’s a tough Yale team… we were all concerned coming off the Clemson game short on a short turnaround. This was a big game for us.”
