Syracuse men’s soccer’s 5 most important players to ACC Tournament run
Syracuse men's soccer enters the ACC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, hosting postseason soccer for the third time in four years. Here are the five most important players to a long playoff run. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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The next few weeks will determine Syracuse’s season. On Friday, the Orange tied then-No. 4 NC State 1-1 to conclude the regular season on a positive note and enter the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as the No. 6 seed — an improvement from its No. 12 slot a year ago. Now, they’ll host No. 11 seed Virginia Tech in the first round Wednesday.
But which Syracuse will emerge in the playoffs? Will it be the team that tied lowly New Haven and fell to 13th-place Pittsburgh? Or will the squad that snagged two ranked wins and rattled off a four-game win streak appear?
SU’s early-season shortcomings won’t fly in November. The Orange must lean on their core to keep their momentum rolling into the playoffs.
Here are SU’s five most important players in making a deep ACC Tournament run and potentially punching a ticket to the national dance:
5. Giona Leibold, midfielder, graduate student
You may question why this isn’t Landon Darko, who’s scored three goals as a freshman. Or center back Garrett Holman, who’s played nearly every minute on SU’s backline.
But every team needs a good table setter. For Syracuse, that’s Giona Leibold.
Two years ago, Leibold may not have thought he’d still be suiting up for the Orange. Now, in his fifth year of college soccer, Leibold is one of just two players remaining from SU’s 2022 title-winning team. Injuries limited him to just 12 games across the last two seasons, prompting his return this year.
In 2025, he’s rediscovered his form. While he hasn’t lit up the statsheet like 2022 — notching just one assist — Leibold has continually set up quality chances. He often makes his way down the left flank and pings crosses into the box, including a perfectly-timed pass that Bryson Rodriguez headed in for the eventual game-winner against Boston College.
In the ACC Tournament, the more shots Syracuse takes, the better chance it has to win games. Many of those opportunities will likely start with Leibold.
“It’s been a long, long time to see him back on our pitch, so (I’m) very happy for him,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said of Leibold on Sept. 5.
4. Chimere Omeze, defender, sophomore
Chimere Omeze’s value was apparent in the Orange’s regular-season finale versus NC State. The sophomore served a one-game suspension after receiving a red card late in SU’s win over then-No. 22 North Carolina.
Despite missing his presence, Syracuse’s stout defense held up to tie the Wolfpack 1-1. Omeze is a staple on SU’s backline, but he’s made more of an impact offensively. On Friday, the Orange mustered just six shots without Omeze. They were lucky to even escape with a draw after Sachiel Ming’s late equalizer.
“It’s that time of year,” McIntyre said last Wednesday. “Every team has injuries. Every team has guys who are navigating suspensions.”
Syracuse’s low shot output proves how important Omeze is to its offensive success. Before Friday, he’d started all 15 games, collecting three goals and one assist on 18 shots.
Omeze will be back in the fold to begin the ACC Tournament, providing a major boost to Syracuse’s attack. With Leibold as the table setter, Omeze has the potential to be one of SU’s primary finishers.
3. Tim Brdaric, defender, graduate student
This spot easily could’ve gone to Holman. He and Brdaric have largely acted as a unit this season, presenting the Orange with as strong a backline as they could’ve hoped for.
Brdaric, though, is Syracuse’s highest-graded player on Sofascore (7.47), averaging 9.3 duels won and 16.9 balls recovered per game. Holman isn’t far behind with a 7.19 average grade, but Brdaric has ever-so-slightly outshined him.
Brdaric’s offensive capabilities push him over the edge, too. Though he typically isn’t involved with SU’s attack, he’s recorded two goals on seven shots, one of just four Syracuse players with multiple scores. He could provide an unlikely tally when the Orange desperately need it.
Still, Brdaric’s primary role will be spearheading Syracuse’s defense in the postseason. While it’s unclear which version of its offense will show up, it’s much more difficult to win when SU is trailing. The Orange have four 1-0 wins this year, proving lockdown defense can often compensate for a lack of scoring.
2. Tomas Hut, goalkeeper, graduate student
This is a given. Especially in a conference like the ACC, teams don’t make it far without a solid shotstopper. For Syracuse, that’s Tomas Hut.
Hut has turned his up-and-down season around at the perfect time. He started the year with three shutouts in the first six games, but SU finished the stretch with a mediocre 2-2-2 record and produced just eight saves in those matchups.
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He did, however, rebound with four consecutive clean sheets to spark Syracuse’s four-game win streak from the end of September to mid-October. Since SU tied New Haven on Sept. 8, he’s also tallied at least three saves in all but one game, bringing his total to a career-high 54 through 16 starts.
Recently, he’s shown mixed results, though. After snagging seven and five saves in SU’s wins against California and BC, respectively, Hut took a step back by conceding four goals to Pitt on Oct. 18 and two to Cornell on Oct. 21 in back-to-back losses. To close the regular season, though, he produced 13 saves and surrendered one combined goal to UNC and NC State, two of his toughest opponents all season.
Simply put, the Orange need the latter version of Hut in the ACC Tournament. His performance could end up deciding their fate.
1. Carlos Zambrano, midfielder, senior
Without Carlos Zambrano, these rankings would be incomplete. He’s easily been Syracuse’s best offensive player in his second season with the Orange. Zambrano has earned a 7.31 average grade, per Sofascore, the third-best mark on the squad and the top offensive grade.
Zambrano has started just seven of Syracuse’s 16 games, but he’s shown he can be lethal. The midfielder has recorded four goals and two assists, including a hat trick against Colgate on Sept. 23. He’s scored in numerous different ways — on a corner, penalty kick, close strike and long-range boot.
Most importantly, Syracuse has won every game in which he’s provided a goal contribution. That’s telling. Though McIntyre has tinkered with his lineups throughout the campaign, purposefully sticking Zambrano on the bench, he’s truly the Orange’s “X-factor” in the playoffs.
If he provides the same offensive spark he did in the regular season, SU should be set for a deep run. But if Zambrano is shut down — which could happen if opponents key in on him — it would severely hurt Syracuse’s chances.
