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As his team returned to the pitch for practice after a statement win over then-No. 22 North Carolina, Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre wasn’t sure what his starting XI would look like next time out.

Following an injury to Garrett Holman at Cornell, SU’s defense took another blow against the Tar Heels when Ernest Mensah Jr. went down inside the final 20 minutes. Fighting to hold their slim 1-0 cushion, the Orange operated with a makeshift backline. Despite playing a man down after the 83rd minute due to Chimere Omeze’s red card, Syracuse survived.

But after nearly a week of rest, SU still carried lingering bumps and bruises into Dail Soccer Stadium Friday. McIntyre said that multiple players were set to be game-time decisions based on what he’d seen in practice. To make matters worse, Syracuse was going to have to press on without its most offensive defender in Omeze while he served a one-game suspension.

Still, McIntyre remained unphased by the uncertainty of his roster. In his 16th year as SU’s head coach, he knows moments like this are just a part of the game.

“It’s that time of year. Every team has injuries. Every team has guys who are navigating suspensions,” McIntyre said. “That’s the difference between our sport and some others — you don’t just get punished in a game, but you get punished in the next game, too.”

“If there’s a player who’s not tired or injured at this stage, he’s probably not playing at his full potential,” he added.

In its regular-season finale, Syracuse (7-6-3, 4-3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) escaped with a 1-1 draw against No. 4 NC State (11-1-4, 4-1-3 ACC) Friday. The Orange fell behind after surrendering a penalty-kick goal out of the half, but Sachiel Ming knotted up the contest in the 80th minute with his first tally of the campaign. Syracuse now awaits its opponent in the first round of the ACC Tournament, which begins on Nov. 5.

One of Syracuse’s specialties this season has been striking first and clinging to leads down the stretch. The Orange had collected seven shutout victories ahead of its matchup with the Wolfpack, including four versus ACC foes. Faced with an NC State backline that had allowed only three goals all year — the least in the nation — it was imperative for Syracuse to score first if it wanted to earn a favorable result.

Despite being shorthanded for the second straight game, Syracuse’s backline gave it the chance to do so in the first half. With Omeze and Mensah still out of the lineup, the Orange resorted to a three back formation to open the contest composed of Gavin Wigg, Tim Brdaric and a now-healthy Holman.

In the early going, it was difficult for either team to grab any sort of momentum. Both sides were determined to set the tone early through physicality, but it was Orange who got burned with fouls the most out of the gate. SU was assessed seven fouls compared to NC State’s two, and also saw two yellow cards in the first frame.

Propelled by SU’s penalty trouble, the Wolfpack peppered the Orange with multiple set pieces from the outset and finished the frame with seven shot attempts. Thanks to strong efforts across the board from Syracuse’s altered backline, none of them found their way past Tomas Hut.

In the 26th minute, the Wolfpack nearly broke through on back-to-back golden opportunities.

With green grass in front of him at the right wing, Donavan Phillip prepared to launch a blistering shot toward Hut. But at the last second, Holman caught up with him and kicked the ball away with a slide tackle. On the ensuing corner, the Wolfpack came just inches away from finding the back of the net on a redirect from Nakai Antione, but his bid sailed high above the crossbar.

As halftime drew closer, McIntyre cycled through his substitutions to try and give his attack a spark. In the 27th minute, SU again turned to freshman midfielder Bryson Rodriguez after he played a significant role off the bench days earlier. Still, SU’s offense remained stymied and finished the opening frame without a single shot attempt for the first time since March 21, 2021.

Looking for a fresh start in the second half, Syracuse instead only fell into further penalty trouble as its lineup went through more substitutions. Following Carlos Zambrano’s yellow card, a foul seconds later from Kelvin Da Costa finally pushed SU over the edge. The play set the Wolfpack up for a penalty shot, a familiar situation for Hut this season.

All in one movement, Drew Lovelance stepped to the line and fired a screamer into the bottom left corner of the goal. The tally marked the fourth penalty-kick goal SU has conceded this year.

With momentum now fully on its side, NC State continued to push the envelope as the half went on. Wearing down SU’s backline one possession at a time, the Wolfpack eventually started to make Hut sweat with quality chances from in close and range. But coming off a career-best eight saves in his last appearance, the veteran goalkeeper picked up right where he left off, making four saves in a 17-minute span.

Meanwhile, SU failed to register an accurate shot until the 77th minute. To beat NC State’s backline, Syracuse knew it was going to need an extraordinary moment. In the 80th minute, Ming provided just that with an incredible individual effort.

With possession of the ball at the top of the box, Ming made a spin move around defender Isaac Heffess to give himself more space to take a shot. Still surrounded by four Wolfpack players, he ripped a left-footed strike off the left post and into the back of the net past Logan Erb. NC State’s backline was stunned. For just the fourth time all season, they had given up a goal.

Only minutes away from a significant result, McIntyre continued to lean on his young guns when it mattered most, swapping out Bryson Rodriguez for fellow first-year midfielder Quentin Christey. Capped off by one final save from Hut, the Orange held on to secure a draw that put the rest of the ACC on notice.

According to McIntyre, one of Syracuse’s biggest goals heading into this season was to secure home field advantage to open the ACC Tournament. With Friday’s result, the Orange have now gone above and beyond that, solidifying themselves as a true championship contender after last season’s one-and-done run.

Published on October 31, 2025 at 11:20 pm
Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray