All season long, the losses have come. And all season long, it’s been just a single goal that’s decided each one.

Fittingly, the Syracuse men’s soccer team’s faint hope of making the Big East postseason tournament was extinguished by – what else – a one-goal loss.

Connecticut defeated Syracuse, 3-2, Wednesday night, eliminating the Orange from the Big East tournament that starts Nov. 6. After back-to-back conference wins over Rutgers and Providence put Syracuse in a position to dream postseason berth last week, the Huskies eliminated SU’s chances.

Syracuse, at best, can finish with 12 points. But that’s only if it wins its final two games, starting Saturday at Villanova at 1 p.m. Still, 12 points won’t add up to a top-eight finish, which is necessary to make the tournament.

Instead, Syracuse is left to play spoiler – an all too familiar role. It’s the fourth straight year the Orange hasn’t made the tournament, and the results are commonplace.

‘I wouldn’t want to be in (Syracuse head coach Dean Foti’s) shoes,’ Connecticut head coach Ray Reid said.

Reid pointed to the injuries Syracuse has suffered as one of the reasons why SU has struggled so much. Pete Rowley, Pat Gallagher, Justin Van Houten, Aaron Bonser and Richard Asante have all missed time because of various ailments. With so few scholarship athletes, Reid said, all it takes is losing a couple to really ruin a season.

‘If (Foti) got everybody healed,’ Reid said, ‘(Syracuse) would be in the top six in the league.’

A lack of depth has hurt Syracuse and it has been unable to plug players into different roles as the injuries have mounted.

Reid said it’s been especially hard for Syracuse to lose players because it relies on its athleticism and ball control.

‘It’s tough to be in this league even with all of your players,’ Reid said.

One of Syracuse’s injured players this year, Jeff Evans, scored both of the Orange’s goals Wednesday after it fell behind, 2-0. Evans helped Syracuse tie the score before halftime, but Connecticut’s Bonginkosi Macala scored the game-winner in the 60th minute to eliminate the Orange.

‘We were more resilient last night,’ Reid said. ‘The game could have gotten ugly quickly, but Syracuse came back.’

Villanova is fighting for tournament seeding and could jump from sixth to fourth place in the conference with a win. Pittsburgh has a small shot at making the tournament if it wins its final two games, including the season finale against Syracuse on Nov. 2.

Just because Syracuse is destined for another soccer-free November, it doesn’t mean SU will let its play suffer.

‘Syracuse is doing a good job,’ Reid said. ‘Foti has got them playing their asses off.’

Published on October 28, 2004 at 12:00 pm