Syracuse concedes twice in 2nd half, falls 2-1 to Cornell
After opening the scoring in the first half, Syracuse surrendered two unanswered set-piece goals in the second in a 2-1 loss to Cornell. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse needed to have a short memory coming off a rough outing against Pitt that saw the Orange surrender four goals for the first time all season. Due to numerous blunders from its backline, SU saw its four-game win streak come to a screeching halt in a contest it never led at any point.
Head coach Ian McIntyre said the quick turnaround was exactly what the Orange needed to turn the page from the loss.
“There was not a lot of time (between games), which is sometimes good. Watching the game back from Pitt, I really thought we were really good for about 60 minutes and then gave up a couple soft goals,” McIntyre said. “We knew that we’d be tested playing against a national tournament team in Cornell (next).”
Winning out against Cornell on Tuesday was paramount if Syracuse wanted to ensure itself a favorable spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament — and potentially a shot at a national title. The first step was to steal a road win at Cornell.
But the Big Red had other plans. In its final nonconference matchup of the regular season, Syracuse (6-6-2, 3-3-0 ACC) fell 2-1 in heartbreaking fashion to Cornell (10-2-1, 3-1-0 Ivy League). Tim Brdaric gave SU the edge before halftime, but the Big Red stormed back with two unanswered tallies out of the break via set pieces.
With every game being more important than the last, Syracuse showed urgency early in the contest. Physicality has always been a staple of SU’s matchups with its in-state rival, and Tuesday’s battle was no different. Although the Orange sported six midfielders at first, dangerous offensive chances were tough to come by, as both sides struggled to connect.
Similar to its last time out, Syracuse nearly got burned by a sloppy mistake. In just the third minute, Blake Donahue was left unmarked and sprinted toward the right side of the box. With SU’s Tomas Hut out to challenge, the freshman fired the ball past the goalkeeper but missed the left post by mere inches. The attempt was the closest the Big Red came to a shot on target in the first half.
Syracuse responded with back-to-back corners moments later but failed to find the final touch on both chances — a consistent theme throughout the first 45 minutes. As Cornell’s defense tightened up, SU looked to a staple of its backline to step up.
Days removed from turning in a 0-for-5 mark on corners at Pittsburgh, Tim Brdaric brought the unit to life in the 26th minute with his second strike of the campaign.
On a free kick attempt just outside the right corner of the box, Ernest Mensah Jr. floated a ball toward the crowd in front of Big Red goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg. Scanning through the sea of bodies, Brdaric tracked down the shot and deflected it into the cage to give SU the all-important first tally.
“He’s been very good from a defensive perspective in the partnership he’s had with Garrett (Holman) back there, but he’s a handful on set pieces,” McIntyre said.
As the Orange fought to protect their lead, the physicality only escalated. And from the midway point of the first half on, the penalties followed suit.
In the 32nd minute, Landon Darko was assessed a yellow card, followed by another from Kelvin Da Costa, setting up a swarm of set-piece chances for the Big Red as the break drew closer. Over the final 10 minutes of the half, Cornell peppered Syracuse with two corner tries and five shots — none of which tested Hut.
After heading into the locker room on the back foot, McIntyre made six substitutions to try and spark his attack. Less than two minutes into the frame, Connor Miller finally dealt Hut his first real test of the evening in the form of a screamer into the center of the net. Hut easily made the stop, but his work was far from over.
Syracuse’s backline, which has plenty of experience holding onto one-goal leads, found its form and silenced the Big Red’s numerous set-piece attempts. It seemed the Orange were set to park the bus and secure their fourth one-goal victory of the campaign. Then, a back-breaking penalty on Mensah swung the door open for a Cornell comeback.
Stunned by the call, McIntyre stood in silence as Hut surrendered his second penalty-kick goal in as many games to Westin Carnevale. SU’s gaffer said postgame he was disappointed that the play wasn’t reviewed further by the officials.
“We’re used to having the ability to review. It’s not mandatory in the NCAA right now. Nights like these, it feels like it should be,” McIntyre said.
Despite the call, Syracuse stayed aggressive. Forcing the opposition into sloppy passes, the Orange generated four corners down the stretch compared to the Big Red’s one. It turned out the lone try was all Cornell needed to break the deadlock in the 77th minute as Donahue slotted the ball past Hut, redeeming his earlier miss and giving Cornell its first lead.
McIntyre frantically made substitutions throughout the final 10 minutes in an effort to salvage a draw. Brdaric threatened for SU with a quality shot on net inside the final few minutes, but that was the closest SU came to evening the score.
Syracuse needed a win Tuesday to prove its ranked triumph over then-No. 25 SMU on Oct. 11 wasn’t a fluke. Instead, it only left more reasons to be doubted.
“Set pieces were the difference in the game today, and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side,” McIntyre said.
