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Most Syracuse men’s soccer fans would rather forget Sept. 2, 2024. The seventh-ranked Orange took on cross-town foe Le Moyne in an early-season matchup prior to Atlantic Coast Conference play.

It had been less than two years since SU captured its first national title. The Orange had been ranked every week since August 2022.

In that same timeframe, Le Moyne began transitioning to Division I athletics after spending nearly 60 years in lower divisions. The schools’ first-ever meeting was meant to be a tune-up game for Syracuse, one it’d surely win by several scores. At the end of 90 minutes, it was anything but.

Holding plenty of expectations, SU lost 1-0 in one of the program’s greatest upsets.

Here are some of the most critical storylines from the programs’ first matchup a year ago today.

Turning point: Jack Goodrich’s penalty

The first fifteen minutes of the match were all Syracuse. The Orange dominated possession from the opening kickoff, registering four corner kicks, three shots and a shot on goal early in the first half. In an instant, though, SU’s momentum vanished.

On the counterattack, Le Moyne redshirt freshman attacker Justin Pham received the ball 35 yards out. Pham drove toward the byline and took on SU defender Chimere Omeze along the left side of the 18-yard box.

Pham tried to shield off Omeze, but the freshman defender took him out while trying to win the ball. Assistant referee Kyle O’Grady immediately signaled to the penalty spot, and his decision was confirmed after a brief review.

Redshirt senior defender Jack Goodrich took the penalty, firing a left-footed shot toward the bottom right corner. SU goalkeeper Tomas Hut guessed correctly and got two hands to the ball, but it ricocheted off his gloves into the side netting. On a shot Hut surely felt he should’ve saved, the Dolphins stole a 1-0 lead.

The early goal allowed Le Moyne to completely park the bus. The Dolphins began the game in a 5-3-2 formation, with three center backs anchoring the backline. After it scored, Le Moyne continued to sit in a low block, barely attempting to generate chances aside from an occasional counterattack.

The Dolphins had just two shots on target the entire game, but their defensive system worked to perfection. Syracuse had 28 shots — eight on target — but the Dolphins held on. Goodrich’s penalty was the difference.

Syracuse midfielder Gabe Threadgold fires a pass in SU’s historic loss to Le Moyne. One year since, the Orange have replaced leaders like Threadgold with a fresh wave of talent. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

The game was won when: Bawa’s free kick sails high

Though Le Moyne held the advantage for over 70 minutes, it seemed Syracuse was bound to score as it peppered the Dolphins’ defense with shots. It wasn’t until SU’s final attempt — a 19-yard free-kick from midfielder Ernest Bawa — that the reality of the upset dawned on the Orange.

With 36 seconds remaining, Le Moyne forward Cameron Stuart took down Elton Chifamba on the edge of the box. Bawa stood over the free kick for SU and struck it well, but his shot soared just over the crossbar.

The miss awarded Le Moyne a goal kick, and the whistle blew as soon as goalkeeper Wyatt Dupell bombed it away. Bawa’s last-minute miss was Syracuse’s last gasp on a night it spoiled far too many chances, including five dangerous set-piece opportunities.

Player of the game: Wyatt Dupell

In a match Le Moyne spent over 70 minutes holding on for dear life, it needed a rock-solid goalkeeper. Dupell — the Dolphins’ sophomore netminder — was exactly that, making eight saves and fending off 10 SU corners.

Dupell’s first big stop came 18 minutes into the match, not long after Le Moyne had snagged its 1-0 lead. Chifamba won the ball at midfield and charged down the right wing. Dolphins defender Victor Boje Henriksen forced Chifamba into a shot from a difficult angle, but the midfielder placed it well. Dupell leapt to his right and narrowly denied an immediate equalizer.

He made key saves on a left-footed try by Ezra Widman and a close shot from Omeze late in the first half, but most of his dirty work came in the game’s final 45 minutes. He made a double-save off an Orange corner early in the second half, followed by a leaping stop moments later.

The best of Dupell’s eight saves came with two minutes left in the match. As SU’s comeback chances faded, Nathan Scott’s corner kick found the head of Syracuse attacker Nicholas Kaloukian at the front post. Kaloukian’s header looked bound for the bottom left corner, but Dupell got his body in front of the shot to dispatch one of SU’s best looks of the game.

Where SU has gone since

The 2024 season as a whole indicated Syracuse’s regression. But it doesn’t feel like the Orange needed a rebuild. The more apt term would be reload.

SU finished the 2024 season 7-7-3 but ended the regular season on a high note with an upset win over then-No. 3 Pitt before suffering a first-round exit in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Orange lost three of their top five scorers from last season, including leading scorer Gabe Threadgold.

Through four games, newcomers have accounted for two of Syracuse’s three goals. SU has reinforced its attack with Grand Canyon transfer Bright Nutornutsi and freshman Landon Darko to pair with returners Sachiel Ming, Michael Acquah and Carlos Zambrano. The back line has been refurbished, adding Xavier transfer Ernest Mensah Jr. and graduate transfer Tim Brdaric. Freshmen Quentin Christey and Emanuel Cappello have been instrumental in Syracuse’s midfield as well.

The Orange have a long way to go to return to the heights they experienced three years ago, with last season’s loss to Le Moyne serving as the clearest indication.

But head coach Ian McIntyre’s squad is steadily working its way back. For now, though, he might have to wait a little longer to secure a win over SU’s crosstown rival.

Published on September 2, 2025 at 9:44 pm
harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6