Syracuse downs Yale 1-0 behind endless offensive pressure
Syracuse defeated Yale on the road Monday 1-0. Freshman Landon Darko’s first career goal lifted SU to victory. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Following Syracuse’s 1-1 result against Penn State in its last outing, head coach Ian McIntyre described his team as a “work in progress.” Given SU’s middling 1-1-1 record up to that point, it was a fair assessment to make.
In the thick of its season-opening nonconference slate, Syracuse has used the time away from the Atlantic Coast Conference to tinker with its new roster. A fusion of seasoned transfers, rowdy freshmen and key returners, McIntyre’s squad has shown flashes of brilliance on both sides of the pitch. From clutch early goals to lights-out defense, it’s clear SU’s new-look lineup has the pieces it needs to thrive. Right now, its focus is finding where those pieces fit best before ACC play arrives.
Syracuse (2-1-1, 0-0-0 ACC) took another pivotal step toward discovering its new identity in a 1-0 victory over Yale (0-2-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League). Behind their most complete performance of the season so far, the Orange outshot the Bulldogs by a whopping 28-1 margin and tallied 13 corner kicks to Yale’s zero. After controlling possession for virtually the entire first half, freshman Landon Darko broke through in the 41st minute to give SU a lead it never relinquished.
In two of its first few games this season, SU made the first half its own. Faced with UConn’s talent in their home opener, the Orange racked up four shots on goal and pressured the Huskies with five corners in the first 45. Days later on the road against Loyola, Syracuse jumped out to a 10-2 edge in shots by the half — highlighted by Tim Brdaric’s score.
But in the first half Monday, Syracuse made those strong starts look almost merciful.
Despite being largely stifled early on against Penn State, the Orange’s front line wasted no time grabbing the momentum with a flurry of chances. Spearheaded by the trio of Michael Acquah, Bright Nutornutsi and Sachiel Ming, SU nearly broke through minutes into the contest.
Less than two minutes in, Chimere Omeze found himself open on the right side of the box. As two Bulldog defenders beared down on him, he lofted a quick pass into the box where Acquah stood poised to strike. His ensuing header almost found the net, but Conrad Lee was there to swallow it. However, Acquah refused to shy away.
As the Orange made a quick transition through the midfield, Nutornutsi gained possession and saw Acquah sprinting ahead of him. Acquah received Nutornutsi’s pass and suddenly found himself one-on-one with Lee. Defenders on either side of him, he tried to sneak the ball past the goalie’s left hand, but to no avail.
Energized by Acquah’s fireworks, SU’s starting 11 remained aggressive, and its 4-4-2 formation allowed for it to establish longstanding possessions while on the attack. The Orange racked up three corners and five shots over the next 20 minutes, staying firmly in the driver’s seat.
In an effort to find a winning combination, McIntrye elected to make a plethora of substitutions in the 28th minute. The impact was immediate. Fresh off the bench, Tim Noeding ripped a screamer off the right post which was followed up by a bid from Ernest Mensah Jr. that Lee was forced to push away. Two more chances, two more missed opportunities.
But McIntyre still had a few aces left up his sleeve. Despite their lack of experience, he’s expressed faith in his freshmen class. For players like Darko, Quentin Christey and Emanuel Cappello, this has translated into shared minutes. After SU’s loss to UConn, McIntyre even described Darko as someone he “couldn’t take off the field.”
Late in the opening frame, Darko showed why. Shifting over to the left side of the box, he watched as Noeding uncorked a blistering shot from range. Initially denied by Lee, the ball rolled right to Darko’s feet for an easy tap-in.
Syracuse went into the locker room leading in every offensive category, a familiar sight through four games. It led 18-0 in shots with six on goal, 10-0 in corners and had completely shut down Yale’s attack up to that point.
Besides a few dangerous defensive miscues, the tempo of the contest was kept largely the same throughout the final 45 minutes. The Bulldogs made multiple personnel changes to open the frame, their attack still struggled to generate much of anything. As the Orange continued to fire shots toward the net, they turned to their substitutions to take it the rest of the way home. But it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing for SU.
At the 53-minute mark, Yale was given its best opportunity of the day because of a miscommunication between Tomas Hut and Garrett Holman. Salif Leintu had an open net, but his bid was blocked by Holman. Following another lengthy series of SU possessions at the other end, the Bulldogs challenged Hut again with their first — and only — shot on target that evening.
Streaking down the right wing, Nick Miller lofted a perfectly-placed switch to Joseph Farouz as he sprinted toward the left post. From point-blank range, Yale’s top scorer last season bounced the ball off his chest and wired a shot toward Hut. The veteran goalkeeper denied the attempt, helping the Orange cruise to victory over the final 15 minutes.
Syracuse may still be a “work in progress,” but Monday’s road win proved that it’s starting to get closer to where it wants to be.
