Scoring struggles hinder Syracuse 4 games into 2025
Syracuse has struggled to score in 2025, netting just three goals in four games this season. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
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Thirty seconds is all that remained on the clock as Landon Darko barreled toward Penn State’s goal while three defenders chased him.
With the game tied 1-1, a goal would seal SU’s victory. Alone against Jonathan Evans, Darko attempted to dribble the ball around the goalkeeper’s left side. But Evans’ outstretched palm spoiled the chance, and with it any hopes of a theatrical win for the Orange. When the final buzzer sounded, Darko briefly pulled his jersey over his head and then looked up in disbelief.
No play has epitomized Syracuse’s (2-1-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast) early offensive struggles more than that one. As it seeks to find an identity, SU’s new attacking front has been plagued by an inability to complete its scoring chances. The result? Three goals so far, good for the second-lowest mark in the ACC. The Orange are also yet to score a goal in the second half of a game.
Heading into 2025, one of SU’s biggest questions was whether its offense could find a way to reinvent itself after an inconsistent year. Last season, Syracuse’s 26 goals ranked second-to-last in the conference. Because they failed to convert, the Orange often found themselves in one-goal games.
During its 2022 national title run, winning one-score games was Syracuse’s bread and butter. En route to its championship, it finished with an 11-2 record in matches decided by a single tally. But over the next two seasons, SU’s middling 7-6 mark in those games kept it from being a true conference threat. It was a sign of a team in transition.
Still, SU’s season opener against UConn brought a fresh start. Out were nightly starters like Gabe Threadgold, Nicholas Kaloukian and Daniel Burko. In came fresh faces like veteran transfer Bright Nutornutsi and freshman midfielders Darko and Quentin Christey.
Boasting a refurbished cast, the stage seemed set for SU to put its scoring woes in the rearview mirror. Instead, it fell into the same old habits.
Although the Orange possessed most of the game’s chances, they never found the back of the net. Slotting in Nutornutsi up front alongside returners Michael Acquah and Sachiel Ming gave SU a 4-1 advantage in shots on target and a 5-1 edge in corners in the first half. Still, the Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, Syracuse continued to turn up the pressure. As their attackers pressed UConn, it seemed the Orange were bound to break through. But the final touch never came. Despite generating four more corners and attempting 10 shots in the second half, Syracuse’s offense remained stymied down the stretch as the Huskies escaped with a slim victory.
“We can create more chances. I do like our group, there’s a lot of new faces. That part of the field always takes the longest (to develop),” McIntyre said of his offense. “We’re still going to move some things around and tinker a little bit.”
After missing all nine of its corner kicks last time out, McIntyre made sure his team addressed set-pieces before taking on Loyola Maryland. The tactic paid off.
Just 10 minutes in, Syracuse took its first corner of the game. Often used as SU’s primary set-piece taker, Ming lined up to the right of the box and lofted the ball on goal, where Tim Brdaric headed it home. Breaking an over-100-minute scoreless streak to start the young campaign gave SU a sense of satisfaction. But it didn’t last.
Syracuse’s attack was stymied in its season-opening loss to UConn, scoring zero times despite outshooting the Huskies by nine. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
Despite turning in yet another dominant first-half performance, that goal was all Syracuse mustered. The Orange peppered Loyola Maryland’s goalkeeper Connor O’Keefe with 10 shots. Two good looks spoiled by Ming and multiple misplaced shots prevented SU from extending its edge. This allowed Loyola’s offense to eventually find its rhythm. But thanks to late-game heroics from its defense and Hut, Syracuse held on to top the Greyhounds, 1-0.
“If we weren’t creating chances, I’d be more concerned. Against Loyola, we should have put the game away in the first half. We didn’t take our opportunities,” McIntyre said.
In its first marquee matchup of the year versus Penn State, Syracuse’s offense was given a chance to break through when it mattered most. For the first time, its young group was tested in an end-to-end contest, as both sides exchanged blows from the outset and were forced to rely on clutch defensive plays.
PSU’s offense surged early, testing Hut with a shot-on-goal and creating two corners in the first 10 minutes. However, SU found a way to draw first blood via a 13th-minute screamer from Kelvin Da Costa — his first career goal.
After finding the net for the first time, Syracuse pushed for more. Penn State matched its intensity. Neutralized by the Nittany Lions’ high press, the Orange managed just two corners and were outshot 13-8. When they found prime scoring chances, they still couldn’t finish and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
“Sometimes we’re looking for a little bit of personality during tough times. We showed that at the end (against Penn State) because we did the same thing against Loyola and held on,” McIntyre said after facing the Nittany Lions. “They weren’t as dangerous as this Penn State team, but I felt we bent, but we didn’t break.”
Back on the road at Yale in their latest outing, the Orange put together their most complete effort. Tilting the pitch in its favor from the opening whistle, Syracuse racked up 28 shots thanks to endless offensive pressure. By the same token, its 13-0 edge in corners kept the Bulldogs’ backline on its heels as goalie Conrad Lee was forced to dive in all directions.
Besides Darko’s lone strike to close out the first half, SU’s offense left a lot to be desired. Still, a timely save from Hut on Joseph Farouz in the 75th minute helped the Orange snag the win anyway.
Syracuse holds the same record it did at this point last season: 2-1-1. And just like last year’s squad, it’s fallen into a habit of creating good chances, but failing to convert them. Regardless, McIntyre is confident his newly assembled team has what it takes to buck that trend before ACC play arrives. If it can’t, the 2025 campaign could devolve into another step backward for SU.
“We’ve got depth in those attacking spots,” McIntyre said. “Perhaps from the outside it looks like an area that’s maybe not clicking right now, (but) I’m very optimistic that it’s an area of strength for our team.”
