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Following a swift exit from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament last campaign, Syracuse was thrown into an uncomfortably long offseason when it missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

Even with his club out of contention, head coach Ian McIntyre stayed up to date on the tournament. He kept an eye on how each of the ACC teams fared, but he took particular interest in Pittsburgh’s deep postseason run. The No. 2 seed Panthers fought their way to the Final Four before falling to Vermont — a result McIntyre believes was all that separated them from taking home the title.

That’s why days before Saturday’s rematch, McIntyre raved about Pitt despite its struggles in conference play this year.

“One of my picks to win the whole thing. (They have) arguably the best coach in our conference. I thought if they won that quarterfinal game against Vermont, they would win the whole thing. They’re that good,” McIntyre said.

That version of Pittsburgh (5-6-3, 1-4-1 ACC) resurfaced versus Syracuse (6-5-2, 3-3-0 ACC), as the Panthers handed the Orange their first loss since Sept. 19 in a 4-2 defeat. Chimere Omeze and Michael Acquah produced goals for SU, but their tallies were overshadowed by an all-around forgettable performance from its backline. Goalie Tomas Hut finished with an uncharacteristic 6-for-10 mark on saves as midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana’s hat trick led the Panthers to victory.

For the Panthers, defending their 2024 ACC title has proved easier said than done. Heading into their bout with the Orange, they sat winless in ACC play through five conference matchups — a far cry from their 6-2-0 record the year prior. The stretch also marked the deepest Pitt had gone into ACC play without a victory since 2016. To make matters worse, it hadn’t scored a goal across its past three games.

As for Syracuse, it arrived in the Steel City as one of college soccer’s hottest teams. Thanks to consecutive clean sheets from Hut and timely offensive strikes, the Orange strung together four straight wins for the first time since 2014 and revived its campaign after a forgettable start.

“There’s been moments when Tomas has had to step up, but I think (it’s been) Garrett Holman, Tim Bradaric, (Ernest Mensah), Gavin Wigg, Chimere Omeze — a lot of individuals, but more importantly bigger than that,” McIntyre said.

But Saturday was a different story. In fact, the contest couldn’t have started off worse for the Orange.

After facing just one shot on goal last time out, Hut was thrust into a tough spot right out of the gate against the Panthers. Due to Kelvin Da Costa’s foul eight minutes in, the veteran goalie was forced to fend for himself as Vilamitjana lined up for the ensuing penalty kick. Pitt’s leading point scorer made no mistake, burying the tally and delivering an early gut punch to an SU squad that hadn’t conceded since Sept. 19.

Thanks to Omeze’s third goal of the season in the 15th minute, Syracuse was given a second chance to take control of the contest. But before it could, another blunder in its own third gave Pitt all the room it needed to restore its edge instantly.

From his own end of the pitch, Niklas Sorensen lofted a long pass through the midfield right to the feet of Albert Thorson at the top of SU’s box, who was left completely unmarked by its backline. Holman and Wigg sprinted to stop the ensuing shot, but to no avail. Thorson’s screamer slotted in behind Hut, marking Pitt’s second strike on three shots on goal up to that point.

Out of the break, it was more of the same for the Orange. Despite making substitutions across the board in an effort to spark its lineup, SU’s careless defensive mistakes persisted. And fewer than three minutes into the second half, Pittsburgh again took full advantage.

With possession of the ball down the left wing, Grayson Carter advanced into Syracuse’s third with Vilamitjana at his right. Instead of cutting off the pass, however, the three Orange defenders in the area crowded around Carter and left Vilamitjana wide open as he rushed toward the top of the box. A chip shot over Hut was all Vilamitjana needed to grow SU’s deficit to 3-1.

Acquah provided the Orange with a glimmer of hope with his first tally of the season, but it didn’t matter. Vilamitjana responded by burning Syracuse one last time on a set piece in the 67th minute to complete his three-goal outing. From there, the Panthers cruised to their first conference win.

As for Syracuse, the loss was concerning. Not only did it give up four goals for the first time all season, but it did so against a Pitt team that has looked like a shell of last season’s dominance. Now with just three regular-season games left, it’s up to the Orange not to allow a defeat like this to snowball.

“We’ve got a great exciting challenge with the other three games. This is October, October in our league is a fun time, and then you add Cornell in that. This is why we do this,” McIntyre said.

Published on October 18, 2025 at 11:41 pm
Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray