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When his Syracuse men’s soccer team entered the locker room at halftime of its Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament bout with Virginia Tech, head coach Ian McIntyre posed his squad a question.

“What is the story we’re going to tell ourselves?”

The Orange were tied 1-1 with the Hokies. Despite dominating the opening half-hour of the match, SU had a quality chance hit the post, had a goal disallowed and conceded one in the final five minutes of the half.

McIntyre asked his team if that tale of misfortune was what they wanted to remember. Based on Syracuse’s performance in the second half, it clearly wasn’t.

Amid a torrential downpour at SU Soccer Stadium, the Orange (8-6-3, 4-3-1 ACC) turned in a crucial second-half performance to defeat Virginia Tech (7-4-5, 2-3-3 ACC) in the first round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday night. Syracuse center back Tim Brdaric bagged a goal in each half for his first collegiate brace, powering No. 6 seed SU to a second-round clash with No. 3 seed NC State Sunday.

With Syracuse on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, the win is also a massive boost as it looks to reach the dance for the first time since 2023.

“We said to the guys before the season that you want to be playing in big matches in November, and this was a fun one,” McIntyre said. “I’m so proud of the way that we showed real toughness and resilience in the second half and found a way to win.”

Initially, it looked like it’d be smooth sailing for the Orange. Syracuse pounced with three early shots, with Bryson Rodriguez’s left-footed try from the left side of the box being the best look. Virginia Tech didn’t record a shot on target until 37 minutes into the match.

SU was far more creative going forward, and it paid off 23 minutes in. VT’s Noe Uwimana took down Carlos Zambrano on the left wing, about 35 yards from goal. The Orange stacked the box on the ensuing free kick, which Zambrano pinged toward the penalty spot.

The ball took a deflection off a Virginia Tech defender and was redirected to an unmarked Brdaric at the back post. The graduate student dove forward to head the ball into the center of the net and give Syracuse a 1-0 lead.

Four minutes later, it looked like the Orange were going to run away with it.

Rodriguez weaved through VT defenders on the right side before playing Zambrano through into a one-on-one with goalkeeper Sam Joseph. Zambrano blasted a shot that clattered off the left post and bounced right into the arms of Joseph.

The Orange again came up empty on a promising attack just six minutes after Zambrano’s miss. Sachiel Ming whipped in a corner kick to the front post, and Gavin Wigg redirected it on target with a creative back-heel. Joseph did enough to slow the shot, but it crept between his legs and bounced a yard off the goal line.

Syracuse center back Garrett Holman blasted it into the roof of the net, momentarily giving the Orange a two-goal cushion. However, a lengthy VAR review deemed Holman offside.

Virginia Tech turned the decision into momentum. The Hokies rattled off two quick shots, including their first shot on goal all evening. In the 42nd minute, though, they found their breakthrough.

Joseph blasted a long ball over the top of SU’s defense, which found VT attacker Dagur Traustason’s head at the edge of the box. Trautason flicked it on for Joao Felicio, who worked his way across the left side of the box before centering a pass for Declan Quill. Quill calmly slotted it into the net to level the game at one entering the half.

“We felt sorry for ourselves right at the end of that half,” McIntyre said. “Second half, going against that strong wind, we found a way. (We showed) a lot of character, and that’s the strength of our team.”

Garrett Holman stays close on the hip of Virginia Tech forward Dagur Traustason in Wednesday’s match. Holman, who’s started all but one game at center back this year, helped hold the Hokies to just one goal. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer

It took Syracuse 15 minutes into the second half to find a response. Giona Leibold had two good looks from around the six-yard box, but Joseph saved his initial try from the center of the pitch before pushing his effort from the near post past the bar.

Zambrano played the ensuing corner kick short to Leibold, who skipped past a defender on the left and smashed a cross into the box. Wigg got a slight touch on it at the near post, which set up Brdaric for an unmarked right-footed finish at the back post.

Brdaric said he couldn’t remember the last time he scored two goals in a game. Now, he’ll never forget it.

“He won’t ever score for Syracuse, two bigger goals,” McIntyre said.

By restoring its one-goal advantage, Syracuse was put in a familiar situation — trying to defend a narrow lead late. McIntyre subbed off his striker for an additional center back, and the Orange switched to a five-back with 10 players behind the ball at all times.

The Hokies controlled possession for most of the final 15 minutes but couldn’t find the final pass in Syracuse’s box. They mustered just three shots in the span. While a dangerous challenge in the box from Michael Acquah nearly awarded VT a penalty late, the Orange escaped danger, as Acquah got just enough of the ball to avoid a potential game-altering call.

On Virginia Tech’s last breath, it again couldn’t connect passes to break down Syracuse’s low block. Ivan Irinimbabazi smashed the ball away as the whistle blew for full-time, confirming the Orange would be headed to the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals.

“We may not be the best team in the country, but what we are is a tough, gritty team that leaves it all on the field,” McIntyre said. “And tonight, thankfully, we had enough to win the game.”

Boarding a plane to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the second round of the ACC Tournament would’ve felt like a distant dream for McIntyre’s squad a few months ago. The Orange were dropping points at home to Duquesne and New Haven. Syracuse has found its footing and, in turn, become a true threat in the ACC.

“Our team has evolved into a team that can win soccer matches this time of year,” McIntyre said. “We’re a team with a lot of character, toughness, and we found a way. It wasn’t pretty, but I think we deserved to advance tonight.”

The Orange didn’t want their story to be defined by early-season struggles. On Wednesday, they didn’t want their story to end with a loss to the Hokies. So they responded in dominant fashion.

And if it can continue to do so, Syracuse’s tale may still be far from the climax.

Published on November 5, 2025 at 11:15 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6