Syracuse drops to No. 20 in latest United Soccer Coaches Poll
Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse men’s soccer dropped to No. 20 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon. To start 2024, the Orange were ranked No. 25. Following two wins to start the season, SU rose 18 spots to No. 7. Though after a 2-2 tie against Charlotte and a 1-0 loss to Le Moyne, Syracuse dropped 13 spots.
On Aug. 29, Syracuse took on Charlotte. The 49ers entered the season as preseason favorites in the American Athletic Conference. They returned several players from last season, where they made the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Charlotte provided a test for Syracuse. Nicholas Kaloukian gave SU the lead in the fifth minute but Charlotte responded with two goals of its own in the first half. The Orange went on to tie the game in the 70th minute. Kristjan Fortier ripped a shot from the top of the 18-yard box to level the game. Neither team found the back of the net in the final 20 minutes, and the game finished in a draw.
Monday gave Syracuse a chance to get back in the win column. It welcomed cross-town school Le Moyne for their first-ever meeting. The Dolphins became a Division-I program just one season before but managed to pull off the upset.
Jack Goodrich converted a penalty kick in the 17th minute to put Le Moyne up 1-0. From there, the Dolphins held on defensively to defeat the Orange. Syracuse recorded 28 shots compared to Le Moyne’s five, but SU failed to score for the first time this season.
Published on September 3, 2024 at 3:53 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22