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If you walked into SU Soccer Stadium in the 90th minute of Syracuse’s clash with No. 22 North Carolina Saturday, you would’ve thought Orange head coach Ian McIntyre was insane.

Against a UNC team that hadn’t yet lost an Atlantic Coast Conference game, McIntyre’s team was playing with just 10 players. An attacking midfielder, Bryson Rodriguez, was playing left center back. Kristjan Fortier, a defensive midfielder, was playing right back. Santiago Frias, who’d played just 23 minutes all season, was flying around as SU’s primary center back.

Syracuse’s goalkeeper had a massive white bandage on his head. Its starting left back and center back were on the bench, injured. The starting right back was in the locker room with slides on, and had the bottom lining of his shirt torn off.

It was far from a pretty look for Syracuse. But as the old saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. In the end, the Orange emerged battered and bruised, but — most importantly — victorious.

Syracuse (7-6-2, 4-3-0 ACC) overcame injuries, a red card and numerous players playing out of position to secure an upset win over No. 22 North Carolina (8-3-4, 2-1-4 ACC) Saturday evening. A first-half goal from Landon Darko allowed the Orange to sit deep in the second half, but holding on to the lead was no easy task, especially after Chimere Omeze was shown a red card in the 83rd minute.

Goalkeeper Tomas Hut piled eight saves and Syracuse’s backline had help from all over the pitch. It proved to be just enough for the win that moves the Orange to fourth place in the ACC.

“I thought our guys were warriors today,” McIntyre said postgame. “We had guys with heart, they just hung in there and found a way to get over. If we’re going to win games in this league, we’re gonna need that.”

Syracuse’s backline was already at a disadvantage entering the game. In SU’s 2-1 loss to Cornell Tuesday, Garrett Holman picked up a leg injury in the 85th minute. Holman had started all 14 of SU’s matches up to that point. When Frias came on in substitution Tuesday, it was the first moments all season Holman wasn’t on the pitch for the Orange.

“Garrett’s been probably one of our most consistent, solid players,” McIntyre said. “To lose his size and his physicality was a big loss.”

McIntyre resorted to a familiar face to fill the void, senior Gavin Wigg, who’s appeared all across the backline this season.

On Saturday, McIntyre needed Wigg to step in at center back in a formation with three center backs, two wingbacks and two defensive midfielders in support. He was accompanied by SU’s typical starters of Tim Brdaric, Ernest Mensah Jr. and Omeze, while Giona Leibold dropped in at wingback to provide the Orange flexibility moving forward.

Ernest Mensah Jr. closely defends UNC forward Nacho Abeal. Despite injuries and penalties, Mensah helped anchor a resilient defense that squeezed out a ranked win Saturday. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

Initially, it was smooth sailing for the Orange. UNC didn’t put a single shot close to Hut for the first seven minutes. But then came a flurry.

Working against Leibold on the right, Tar Heel winger Andrew Czech drove to the byline and set up Nacho Abeal for a clean look from 12 yards out. Hut was up to the task, saving a right-footed shot at his near post.

Seven minutes later, Abeal had a go from distance that went right at Hut, but he pawed it away awkwardly. Right after, Hut made a diving stop to deny a near-worldie from Charlie Antonelius. SU cleared away a corner kick, but it fell at the right foot of Antonelius, who smashed a shot on the volley that looked destined for the top corner. Hut’s three early saves steadied the Orange.

It was enough to shift the tide the other way for Syracuse, as the Orange piled up seven shots in the first half. In the 36th minute, Carlos Zambrano teed up Darko from 10 yards out to put SU in front. All eyes shifted to Syracuse’s defense.

Early in the second half, the Orange backline answered the call without much difficulty. But come the later stages of the frame, things got awry.

It started with another injury to SU’s back line. Mensah, who’s been a staple at fullback after transferring from Xavier, picked up a lower-body injury that stopped play in the 73rd minute. As he hobbled off the pitch, one of the more unlikely names from SU’s bench ran on.

Rodriguez didn’t appear in Syracuse’s first nine games of the season, but has played in each of its last six. McIntyre has used him in a variety of positions, typically in attacking midfield or on the wing.

Never, though, had he ever been considered as a center back. That’s where McIntyre had him Saturday evening.

“If you asked Bryson when was the last time he played left center back, he’d say ‘Coach is crazy,’” McIntyre said. “But we needed some physicality. (UNC) has so many talented wide guys.”

“Our coach always emphasizes that our depth is our strength,” Brdaric added. “We got players that we can put in the game, and we know they’re gonna be there, and we speak over the roles that everybody has before the match. Even if a more offensive player comes into the game for a defensive player, he still knows what to do. I think that’s key.”

Rodriguez held down his new position well, but the job for the whole backline got far more difficult in the 83rd minute.

Near the halfway line, Omeze tried to pounce on a loose ball and went flying into a 50-50 with UNC midfielder Gabriel Bracken Serra. Bracken Serra got there first. Omeze crunched him with a hard tackle. After a brief VAR review, Omeze was shown the red card, SU’s first such offense this season.

The Orange tried to regroup before a seven-minute span that would determine their fate.

“We talked about how, if we get a man down, how are we gonna position ourselves against a UNC team that wants to play with the ball?” Brdaric said. “I think everybody understood the assignment and it’s great that we kept a clean sheet.”

For Syracuse, the positioning meant full-on parking the bus. The Orange had 11 players behind the ball at all times. Fortier shifted to right back to try to limit the impact of Omeze’s absence. Frias subbed on for Bright Nutornutsi, SU’s striker, to provide a defensive edge.

“We had players playing out of position just to get us over that line,” McIntyre said. “It got a little bit hairy at the end, but it was always going to be.”

The Orange once again relied on Hut late. A collision with a UNC attacker forced him to wear a large bandage on his forehead for the final 10 minutes of the match, but he was equally as sharp. Hut made an important stop with two and a half minutes to play, pushing a left-footed effort from Luca Nikolai narrowly over the bar.

SU had to fend off four shots in the final five minutes, but the Orange held on for the win.

“I think we did a really good job of defending them, but you need your goalkeeper to make that play, and he did,” McIntyre said.

An age-old sports expression says that the best teams find ways to win, no matter the circumstances.

On Saturday, the circumstances couldn’t have been much more difficult for Syracuse’s defense. But, indeed, the Orange found a way to win. And if they can continue to do so, no matter how banged up they are, Syracuse may just find itself contending for an ACC title.

Published on October 25, 2025 at 8:24 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6