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Syracuse men’s soccer entered Thursday’s season-opener versus UConn in desperate need of a revival.

Three years ago, the Orange were celebrating a national title. Since then, they haven’t had nearly as much to celebrate. SU produced a subpar 2024 season, going 7-7-3 and getting bounced in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The campaign included a stunning loss to crosstown rival Le Moyne and numerous blown leads across ACC play.

But Thursday provided head coach Ian McIntyre’s squad a clean slate.

Instead, the Orange looked on as a horde of Huskies stormed the field in jubilation. Syracuse (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC) dropped its season opener to UConn (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Big East) 1-0. The Orange wasted numerous scoring chances, netting zero goals despite finishing the game with nine corner kicks and outshooting UConn 14-5. It was far from McIntyre’s ideal start to the campaign.

SU entered the game with multiple unanswered questions. While leading point scorer Gabe Threadgold graduated and contributors like Daniel Burko (six points) and Braedon Smith (four points) transferred out, SU reeled in a strong freshman and transfer class.

The haul included former Xavier defender Ernest Mensah Jr., who earned All-Big East Third Team honors in 2024, and Bright Nutornutsi, who converted 16 goals in his last two seasons with Grand Canyon.

Having scored the second-least goals (26) in the ACC last year, Syracuse desperately needed an offensive boost. But even with Nutornutsi slotting alongside top attackers Sachiel Ming and Michael Acquah in a 3-5-2 formation, nothing changed.

SU’s first shot on goal wasn’t until the 16th minute, and the Orange didn’t piece together a serious threat until nine minutes in.

But that wasn’t for a lack of chances. Syracuse produced five corner kicks within the first 18 minutes, none of them resulting in a shot attempt. Its best opportunity came toward the end of the stretch, when a Nutornutsi screamer was saved by UConn goalie Kyle Durham.

On the other end, McIntyre employed Tim Brdaric and Mensah Jr. alongside established starter Chimere Omeze on SU’s backline. Second-year starter Tomas Hut rounded out the group in net, providing stability with 52 saves a season ago.

The unit didn’t make many mistakes on Thursday. It stalled the Huskies’ chances early, with sophomore Garrett Holman using his 6-foot-3 frame to intercept numerous passes.

But it took just one misstep to put SU behind. On a counter attack off Durham’s save in the 18th minute, Balthazar Saunders delivered a long pass to Nicolas Tomerius, positioned outside the 18-yard box. Saunders, seeing Austin Brummett open to his right as two defenders closed in, tapped the ball to the San Diego State transfer.

In a one-on-one with Hut, Brummett didn’t miss. He slotted the ball past the charging goalie and into the right corner to make it 1-0.

The goal was demoralizing, though there was plenty of time to erase the deficit. But minutes ticked by without a response. SU entered halftime with more shots on goal (four) than UConn (one). The difference? The Huskies capitalized on their opportunity via Brummett’s score. The Orange, on the other hand, didn’t, with Landon Darko ending the half by rifling a close-range shot straight into Durham’s mitts.

Despite Syracuse’s stout defense — which continued to be backed by Holman and Hut — maintaining the 1-0 score, the offensive sloppiness held it back.

The second half went similarly. The Huskies’ opportunities were few and far between, with the ball mostly staying in their own end. Still, when UConn did have chances, Syracuse’s backline held it to just two second-half shots.

But the persistent defensive stand was all for naught without an offensive burst.

Despite spending much of the second half on the attack, SU repeatedly failed to cash in. A Zambrano free kick bounced harmlessly into the side of the goal in the 56th minute, then Darko slipped on a point-blank chance to even the score three minutes later.

Syracuse was trending in the right direction. It was creating its best scoring chances of the night. But across the final 24 minutes, the Orange couldn’t translate them into goals.

Both long-range and close-range attempts from Zambrano went awry with less than 15 minutes left. Syracuse’s final chance came via a Ming corner, but Omeze’s last-ditch overhead effort fell wide, sealing Syracuse’s fate.

SU had reason to be optimistic before Thursday. It had a mostly new cast of characters, giving the Orange a chance to exorcise their recent demons.

Instead, SU was left with the ever-so-familiar bitter taste of defeat in its mouth, forced to wait another three days to turn its season in the other direction.

Published on August 21, 2025 at 9:53 pm
Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99