Despite facing 13 shots, SU’s defense shines to force tie with Penn State
Syracuse’s defense and goalie Tomas Hut came up big to force a 1-1 tie with Penn State on Thursday, eliminating 13 shots and eight corners. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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After Syracuse’s 90-minute battle with Penn State on Thursday, head coach Ian McIntyre emphasized a few key points.
SU needed to be more consistent. The Orange improved in the second half. And he had high praise for goalie Tomas Hut.
“That’s probably his best performance in a Syracuse shirt,” McIntyre said of the fifth-year netminder.
Hut’s numbers weren’t gaudy — he made just four saves — but his sprawling stops, including three in the second half, warranted McIntyre’s words.
Hut’s efforts were part of a stellar defensive effort from Syracuse (1-1-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast), leading to its 1-1 tie with Penn State (1-1-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten) on Thursday. Despite 13 shots and eight corners from PSU, a backline headed by Ernest Mensah Jr., Chimere Omeze and Garrett Holman alongside Hut held the Nittany Lions to one score, salvaging a game that seemed destined for an Orange loss.
“I think sometimes we’re looking for a little bit of personality during tough times. We showed that at the end,” McIntyre said. “I felt that we bent, but we didn’t break. And that’s a good sign with a young team.”
Entering the season, one of Syracuse’s biggest questions was on defense. After losing veteran Andre Cutler-DeJesus, SU was left with a much different group.
In came Mensah and Tim Brdaric. Alongside them were sophomores Omeze and Holman. Omeze, serving in more of an offensive role as a freshman, captured ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Holman possessed much less experience, appearing in just six matches last season. The unit hadn’t spent much time together outside of its first two matches.
Despite only allowing one goal in those contests, it was a mixed bag. In its season opener against UConn, Syracuse allowed just five shots. Yet it lost 1-0 due to offensive struggles. Then, in a 1-0 win over Loyola, the Greyhounds pounded the net with nine second-half shots, forcing SU to sweat out the victory.
Syracuse needed a more consistent effort on Thursday. Other than one slip-up, it got just that.
The Orange locked down PSU for the first 43 minutes. When Penn State found early scoring opportunities, SU was there to stall the burst.
PSU got its first chance in the eighth minute. With space on the right side, Morgan Marshall sent a cross in front of the net. Hut jumped to knock it away. The ball spiraled into the air, but SU’s backline cleared it to quell the threat.
The effort allowed SU to jump ahead 1-0 in the 13th minute with Kelvin Da Costa’s first career score.
To keep Penn State in check, Syracuse needed its backline to hold. Mensah stepped up to do so.
The Xavier transfer entered SU with a bevy of experience. He helped the Musketeers capture the 2023 Big East Championship and snagged All-Big East Third Team honors last season. He’s displayed that prowess to start 2025.
He started his torrid stretch Thursday by heading away a Penn State free kick in the 22nd minute. Five minutes later, as Marshall raced down the right side, Mensah stayed on his hip, forcing him out of bounds and maintaining Syracuse’s defensive mastery.
“We had a good group in front, they put on a great game,” Hut said. “I’ve trusted the guys in front of me, and ultimately, just kept it out of the net as much as I could.”
Despite Mensah and Hut’s efforts, Syracuse still never pulled away on offense. And that allowed PSU to finally break through — the Orange’s only blip of the night.
In the 43rd minute, Kai Phillip carved through SU’s backline, speeding past Landon Darko, which forced Brdaric to fall to the ground. Phillip passed the ball off to Freddie Bell, who rifled a shot past a diving Hut, knotting the game at one.
It was certainly a poor showing from Syracuse. It let Phillip completely dissect its backline and left Hut on an island with Bell.
SU needed to put its iron fortress back on lock. And McIntyre said his team did just that to start the second half.
PSU started the back 45 with its fifth corner of the game, but Bright Nutornutsi came up big to knock it away. The Orange ensured the chance didn’t turn into an avalanche. PSU served the ball into the box midway through the second, but SU knocked it out before it could be redirected Hut’s way.
And even when he was forced to make a play, Hut was on the case. Late in the second, the Nittany Lions created multiple open looks on goal, part of their eight second-half shots.
First, Davy Leavey sent a screamer from 20 yards out. Hut knocked it over the net. A few minutes later, Malick Daouda ripped a ball toward the bottom right corner, which Hut got a hand on to force another corner.
And even though the Nittany Lions had copious corners, Syracuse cleared the ball every time.
That was the story of the night. Shot. Clear. Shot. Clear. The rhythm was only broken once in the first. And it was never broken again, as the Orange closed out their 1-1 tie.
Besides one slip-up, the unit held strong. Whether it was Hut, Mensah, Holman or Omeze, someone was always there to make a play. And despite an underwhelming result, the Orange will take that in just their third game of the season.
“I wish I kept the first one out of the net. But you can’t complain with a big result like that against the big name of Penn State,” Hut said.
