Mapping Syracuse’s path to College Cup after NCAA Tournament at-large berth
Syracuse men’s soccer booked its ticket to its first NCAA Tournament since 2023 after performing well in the ACC Tournament. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s 2025 campaign has been far from boring, and even further from predictable.
It began with one of SU’s worst starts under head coach Ian McIntyre, winning two of its first eight games. It’s been a roller-coaster turnaround ever since. Syracuse then won four straight, lost two in a row and ended the year by beating then-No. 22 North Carolina and drawing then-No. 4 NC State.
The Orange were playing their best soccer entering the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and showed it with wins over Virginia Tech and then-No. 5 NC State. Then a crushing 5-1 loss to then-No. 25 SMU in the semifinal derailed an otherwise promising run. But McIntyre and his squad know it’s another bump on SU’s wild ride.
“Through that adversity, that has just helped us grow and evolve. It’s refined us, and it’s allowed us to be tough and resilient,” McIntyre said after the SMU loss. “If we’re afforded the opportunity to compete (in the NCAA Tournament) on Thursday, we’ll be ready to go.”
After securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, the Orange will face a gauntlet to reach their first College Cup in three years.
Here’s Syracuse’s (9-7-4, 4-3-1 ACC) path through its first NCAA Tournament since 2023:
First Round: Hofstra
Syracuse hosts Hofstra at SU Soccer Stadium Thursday in its NCAA Tournament opener. The Pride enter the match on the heels of a 12-5-0 campaign, which included a 7-1-0 Colonial Athletic Association record.
Hofstra finished 5-4-0 in nonconference play, capped by a narrow 2-1 loss to No. 1 seed Vermont. Its only conference defeat came against Monmouth on Sept. 20. From there, the Pride won eight consecutive matches before they fell in the CAA Tournament Semifinals to Stony Brook.
Besides Vermont, the Pride haven’t faced much competition akin to what Syracuse saw weekly in the ACC. Nonetheless, Hofstra ranks 27th nationally in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), a metric that combines a team’s winning percentage and strength of schedule.
The Pride boast two prolific attackers in Laurie Goddard and Daniel Burko, who transferred from Syracuse this offseason. Both have 11 goals, while no other Hofstra player has more than one. Meanwhile, Stefano Campisi leads the team with 10 assists.
Syracuse has a leg up with home-field advantage, but to capitalize on it, the Orange must find some early offense. The Pride are 1-3 when allowing more than one goal, and SU is still winless when conceding first.
If Syracuse finds the net early, the Orange can lean on their backline and goalkeeper Tomas Hut, play on the counterattack and control the flow of the match. If it does so successfully, SU will book its ticket to the second round, where a taller task awaits.
Zoey Grimes | Design Editor
Second Round: No. 1 Seed Vermont
If the Orange get past a team that narrowly lost to the nation’s top seed, they’ll get a crack at Vermont themselves. The Catamounts, who won the national championship last year, were invincible this season at 14-0-5. They won the America East Tournament by defeating Bryant, the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, 2-0.
Vermont ranks second in RPI and boasts one of the most potent offenses in the country. The Catamounts score over two goals per game while conceding just 0.63.
Senior forward David Ismail leads the way with 10 goals and three assists, but Vermont’s scoring has been spread out. Seven players have recorded multiple goals, while five have 10 points or more.
The Catamounts are undoubtedly one of the strongest teams in the tournament. But, for the most part, Syracuse has played up to its opponents’ level this year. The key to doing so against Vermont will again be striking first.
One of the only realistic ways the Orange can hang around the tournament’s top squad is by scoring early, parking the bus and attacking in transition. If Hut and SU’s defense provide some familiar heroics, Syracuse has a chance of moving on.
Third Round: Likely No. 16 Seed Furman
Furman was the last team to earn a first-round bye, securing the No. 16 seed after winning the SoCon Tournament and posting a 14-1-4 record. It’ll play the winner of Clemson and Western Michigan in the second round, which would set up a matchup with Syracuse if it’s still alive.
The Paladins finished the season on an eight-game winning streak, boosting their RPI to 14th. Their only loss was a stunning upset to College of Charleston in September.
Furman boasts the seventh-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 2.37 goals per match. Diego Hernandez paced the unit with nine goals and eight assists.
Getting to this point will be hard enough for Syracuse, but the keys to the game will be similar. Limiting one of the nation’s best attacks won’t be easy, so turning in multiple goals will be crucial for the Orange.
Fourth Round: Likely No. 8 Seed Portland or No. 9 Seed San Diego
This point in the tournament is all speculation. But if Syracuse makes the quarterfinals, it’ll likely be against a top squad from the West Coast.
Portland spent a week as the No. 1 team in the nation, finishing the season 13-1-3 with a West Coast Conference Tournament title. WCC foe San Diego finished the year 13-2-3, with one of its losses against Portland.
Both squads would provide a significant challenge for Syracuse. But if the Orange make it this far, there may be nothing stopping them from making their first College Cup in three seasons.
