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Late in Syracuse’s matchup with Cornell in the 2022 NCAA Tournament Third Round, Orange goalkeeper Russell Shealy saved a shot at the back post, keeping the game scoreless. A natural winger, Giona Leibold sprinted down the left side of the pitch where Shealy tossed the ball into his path. Leibold took care of the rest.

Charging past Cornell’s Andrew Johnson, he rifled a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. Leibold slid onto the grass and raised his arms to the sky. The strike not only punched Syracuse’s ticket to its first Elite Eight since 2015, but also paved the way to its first-ever national title.

Former SU midfielder Stephen Betz said just thinking about the coast-to-cast score still fires him up.

“It takes a special player to make someone else’s favorite memory at a school,” Betz said. “The kid was the concrete of their backline, and Giona just made him fall over like he wasn’t even there.”

Despite cementing himself as a key piece in SU’s starting XI during the historic campaign, Leibold’s time on the field was sparse over the next two seasons due to lingering lower-body injuries. After battling through six surgeries, Leibold is finally back to the best version of himself in 2025, logging two assists in 13 starts. Now, with one last chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament, he’ll look to guide SU back to the College Cup.

“When I look back on my time (at Syracuse), obviously the national championship will be at the top as one of my favorite memories, but I think the impact the coaches had, especially during those tough times, will have a greater impact on me,” Leibold said.

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Leibold became accustomed to working through injuries early on. Before one practice his freshman year, his teammates couldn’t help but chuckle as they filed into the locker room.

Instead of taking time to rest his hamstring injury, he worked around the pain. He wrapped an exercise band around his rear end and under his knee to serve as a makeshift hamstring so he could keep practicing.

“He was like, ‘They built me a hamstring,’” Betz said. “He was going to go out there and play with this hamstring that the training staff handcrafted for him. The thing looked like something out of a science project,” Betz said.

Leibold’s willingness to fight through the injury paid off. He cemented himself as one of Orange’s key starters in 2021 by racking up a tied-for-team-high five assists. His teammates often told him he had a “special left peg,” referencing his ability to deliver pinpoint crosses from the left flank. He built on that performance in Year 2, where his career-high five goals and two assists played a key role in SU’s treble-winning campaign.

After being named to the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason watch list, the 2023 season started as expected for Leibold. He notched two assists in SU’s first five games. But he didn’t feel 100%. Leibold had played through lower-body discomfort before, but this time felt different.

One game into Syracuse’s ACC slate that September, Leibold traveled to see a specialist in Philadelphia, who diagnosed him with a sports hernia. Leibold declined to undergo surgery, which in all likelihood would’ve ended his season. He was committed to making a postseason comeback.

Once Leibold returned to campus, he could barely walk. Early in his recovery, SU’s training staff sent a video in the team’s group chat of Leibold shuffling around the mile-long track at Lally Athletics Complex to show everyone his progress. It took him nearly an hour to complete the circuit the first time.

Following months of vigorous one-on-one rehab sessions, Leibold came back just in time for the ACC Tournament. He played off the bench during Syracuse’s ACC Quarterfinals victory over Virginia, logging one shot in 49 minutes. Three days later, he made a brief appearance in the semifinals versus North Carolina.

Usually a durable member of SU’s attack, each minute was an internal battle for Leibold.

“He was in a ton of pain. You could see it on his face on every single step. He was just gritty and had a team-first mentality,” Betz said.

Giona Leibold fights for a ball with North Carolina defender Luke Nikolai. After posting five goals and 10 assists through his first four seasons, he has two assists in 2025. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

As the Orange geared up for the NCAA Tournament, Leibold knew he couldn’t put off surgery any longer. He sat out the rest of the season, then he flew home to Germany and underwent multiple procedures to repair his ruptured groin early in 2024. Although they weren’t given a clear recovery timeline, Leibold and his family remained hopeful he could recover for his senior year. They got their wish.

Leibold rejoined Syracuse in its fourth game of 2024 and seamlessly slid back into the lineup. Even after his time away from the pitch, nobody in SU’s locker room doubted Leibold’s ability, especially head coach Ian McIntyre. Former Syracuse defender Andre Cutler-DeJesus said that, if he was ever caught being too fancy with the ball during practice, McIntyre would scream at him to “just give the ball to Giona.”

In his third game of 2024, Leibold slotted into the Orange’s starting lineup for the first time in over a year — a sign that his recovery days may be over. He then tacked on his first point in a 5-1 stomping of Canisius. It would also be his last of the season.

Days later, during SU’s match in Louisville, another non-contact injury sabotaged Leibold’s campaign. Positioned behind Leibold at left wingback, Cutler-DeJesus noticed he’d suddenly slowed down to a brisk walk early in the second half. Leibold said he started to feel an “extreme amount of pain.” He was subbed off in the 58th minute and never returned.

“I remember talking to him, and he just told me, ‘I can’t run,’” Cutler-DeJesus said. “You could see he was trying to play through it, but he was really struggling. You could tell he wasn’t himself, which was disappointing because I knew he worked so hard to try to get back to that moment.”

Leibold suffered a double hip impingement and labral tears, injuries that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Still, he made the most of his limited role.

As he settled back into a familiar rehab routine, Betz said Leibold’s dedication never wavered. Since he couldn’t be involved with drills, he served as a mentor for SU’s new midfield talent. Leibold worked closely with freshmen midfielders Sachiel Ming and Braedon Smith as they adjusted to the ACC’s intensity.

“I had my own routine where I liked to get to the field a little bit early and make sure my mind was in the right spot,” Betz said. “By the time I got there, the lights were usually already on in the locker room just because of him. He was just always there.”

When Syracuse missed the NCAA Tournament, Leibold returned to Germany for a final double surgery in spring 2025. He said he stayed connected with his teammates through occasional phone calls. Leibold said their support, along with his family and faith, kept him going.

For the next couple of months following the procedure, Leibold slowly worked his way back to full speed through private workouts at a rehab facility in Munich. The more he practiced, Leibold said he noticed something felt different.

Now, Leibold’s health has held strong, as he’s started all but two of his 15 appearances. One of two players left from SU’s national championship roster, his veteran presence has guided an Orange squad that started the year at 2-4-2 back to national contention. McIntyre now refers to him as “the old man of the team.”

On Thursday, Leibold will compete in an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in nearly three years, where he’s shown he can make magic. If the Orange claim their second national title come December, his impact will be an essential part of that achievement.

“I just want to use my story to encourage others that there’s always a way. You just have to keep believing, even when things feel like they’re falling apart,” Leibold said.

“I went through some tough times in my career throughout the past two years. To just be here in this moment, it’s a blessing,” he added.

Published on November 18, 2025 at 11:43 pm
Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray