Syracuse’s early-year struggles persist in 1-0 loss to Duquesne
Despite leading Duquesne by 13 shots Friday, a 62nd-minute goal from the Dukes’ Hakon Dagur Matthiasson sealed a 1-0 loss for the Orange. Jonathan Theodore | Contributing Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Three hundred and sixty-eight days ago, Syracuse stooped to one of its lowest points ever. In a seemingly lopsided matchup, the once-heralded program fell to crosstown rival Le Moyne 1-0.
Just one mistake — a Chimere Omeze penalty — gave the Dolphins the momentum for good. Jack Goodrich buried the ensuing penalty kick past goalie Tomas Hut, spelling the difference in the heartbreaking loss.
Friday’s contest was eerily similar. Facing Duquesne, just one miscue put Syracuse on the back foot. In the 62nd minute, defender Garrett Holman was pinned deep in SU’s own zone. He tried to pass the ball to Tim Brdaric in front of the net, but he made a fatal misjudgment.
Duquesne’s Hakón Dagur Matthíasson was there instead of Brdaric. The only thing in front of him was Hut. Matthiasson made no mistake, slotting a screamer past the sprawling goalie to put Duquesne up by one.
That was all the Dukes needed. Matthiasson’s score led to Syracuse’s (2-2-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast) 1-0 loss to Duquesne (3-0-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10) on Friday. The Orange outshot their opponent by more than 10 shots for the second straight game, posting a 17-4 margin versus the Dukes, yet they failed to take advantage.
“First half, we were very good. Second half, we didn’t create as much,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said postgame. “We gave them one chance, and they took it. We did enough to get something out of this result, but we didn’t take our chances.”
After Matthiasson’s score, Duquesne’s entire bench, starters and fan section erupted in elation. Goalie Diego Chavez raced all the way to midfield to celebrate. When the final whistle sounded on the upset, the jubilation repeated. Defender Ashton Jell embraced Chavez following the Dukes’ defensive masterpiece.
The Orange’s scoring miscues weren’t anything new. They entered the game with a limited offensive output, failing to produce multiple goals in each of their first four games.
Despite an above-.500 record to start the year due to impenetrable defense, that wasn’t going to cut it once the Orange hit conference play. McIntyre has harped on displaying intensity through the full 90 minutes, something SU hasn’t seemed to flash yet.
Across the first 45 minutes on Friday, those struggles persisted. The Orange spent much of the early game in Duquesne’s defensive half, endlessly firing shot after shot at the Dukes.
But no strike even reached Chavez in net. A Carlos Zambrano third-minute cross sailed over Chimere Omeze before an Ernest Mensah corner was punched away two minutes later.
Defensively, SU’s backline of Omeze, Mensah, Holman and Brdaric along with Hut didn’t have to do much to start. Similar to its 28-1 shot margin on Monday versus Yale, Syracuse maintained a first-half chokehold. Duquesne didn’t have the ball enough to create chances, failing to get a shot off until the 30th minute and forcing Hut to make just one save.
“The defense, we added to the offense a lot,” Mensah said. “So I think we just continue to go for that clean sheet, and we know the goals will come eventually.”
But those goals never came on Friday. SU had the opportunities. Ten first-half shots would do the trick. The Orange couldn’t execute.
Omeze and Zambrano created their best looks of the half midway through the first. But Omeze launched his header over the crossbar and Chavez stuffed Zambrano’s long-range liner. Syracuse followed with two free kicks in quick succession, though neither made Chavez sweat.
Syracuse was showing it hadn’t learned anything from its recent shortcomings. It was the same old Orange. Their only saving grace for the time being was their defense.
The Dukes finally gave Syracuse’s unit something to play for to close the half. But Hut and Co. didn’t break. Things got chippy when a Grant McIntosh shot deflected just to the left of the post in the 31st minute, but Duquesne never threatened again before the break, sending the game to halftime scoreless.
Something needed to change in the second half. But everything stayed the same on Syracuse’s side. It was like SU was trying its best not to score.
The same story kept playing out. The Orange had plentiful opportunities but couldn’t find the net. Mensah and Giona Leibold sent crosses toward the net, but neither came particularly close to a score. Michael Acquah followed by sending a screamer that Omeze almost had a chance to tap in, but Chavez reeled in a juggling save.
Syracuse had forced its defense into a make-or-break situation. There was no room for error. And Holman’s miscue helped Duquesne take advantage with Matthiasson’s tally.
SU did have 28 minutes to answer. The Orange continued to command the pace of play, peppering the net with shots. Yet nothing went in.
A Mensah free kick sailed directly to Chavez with 14 minutes left. A Nathan Scott mid-air snipe was blocked six minutes after. The Orange had one last chance with two corners in the waning minutes, but Sachiel Ming’s try flew aimlessly into the side of the net.
In a near-perfect defensive display, just one slip-up doomed Syracuse. And it’s a nightmare the Orange had experienced before.
“It’s a tough loss for us. I expect the guys to be pretty down,” McIntyre said. “This wasn’t through lack of effort. We just didn’t execute tonight.”
