Alex Bono had only faced eight shots on goal in Syracuse’s previous three games.

The goalkeeper often went long stretches without having to make a save, as the ball stayed on the other side of the field.

That trend changed dramatically Saturday night as he faced a season-high 13 shots, including six on goal, in the Orange’s 2-1 loss to Louisville (7-4, 3-1 Big East) at SU Soccer Stadium. Despite the loss, Bono was a bright spot for SU (9-4, 2-2), making four saves.

“It was nice to have some work,” Bono said. “The back four has been absolutely phenomenal and they were very good today. It was good to get some action back there.”

Louisville methodically pressured Syracuse’s defense in spurts throughout the game before breaking through for goals.

One of those spurts came in the 41st minute when the Cardinals drew a direct free kick. Louisville defender Greg Cochrane took the kick and delivered a swerving shot directly toward the goal.

Bono watched as the ball twisted toward the left side of the net and knew he had to react quickly. He backpedaled, jumped and punched the ball out of bounds, falling several feet into the goal in the process.

Bono then stood up and clapped his hands, urging on his teammates to keep fighting.

“You don’t really anticipate where free kicks are going to go,” Bono said. “You just react to it. I reacted and I got there soon enough luckily.”

The save kept the game knotted 1-1 heading into the half. It drew an ovation from the crowd, but Louis Clark insists it was nothing out of the norm for Bono, saying his teammate is one of the best freshman goalies in the country.

“He pulls that sort of thing all the time in training,” Clark said. “I see it on the daily so it isn’t a big deal to me, but it was a fantastic save.”

Clark said that Bono stayed calm and kept the team focused throughout the game.

The two goals Bono allowed were close to unavoidable. The first came in the 28th minute when Cochrane connected on a one-timer off a pass from the end line. Louisville’s Zach Foxhoven generated space from Syracuse defender Nick Bibbs to set up an open shot, lofting the ball over Bono’s head for the second score in the 70th minute.

“I don’t think he was at fault for either goal,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. “I think he was pretty solid and made some good saves.”

Syracuse defender Nick Perea agreed that Bono’s performance was terrific on Saturday night despite coming in a losing effort.

“Those two goals were unlucky,” Perea said. “Nothing to worry. If he keeps going the way he is I think he should be nominated for Big East keeper of the year.”

McIntyre echoed the sentiment, saying Bono has been a consistent presence for the Orange all season. The goalie has made 37 saves on the season and helped SU to one of the best shutout percentages in the nation at 0.61 per game.

His stellar play has been crucial to Syracuse’s success, but it wasn’t enough to carry the Orange on Saturday night.

“I think we should all be pretty excited about what Alex Bono looks like in a Syracuse uniform right now,” McIntyre said. “He was brought here because we feel that he’s one of the premier goalkeepers in the country and I think he’s been demonstrating that.”

Published on October 7, 2012 at 12:41 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass