HAMILTON, N.Y. – For the second consecutive match, the Syracuse men’s soccer squad did not allow a shot on goal and posted a 2-0 win at Colgate on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The victory is the third straight for the Orange and improves its overall record to 6-2-1.

“It’s always a tough match against a well-coached Colgate team, especially under tough conditions,” said Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre after the match, which was played in a driving rain. “We weren’t at our best tonight but I’m happy we came away with a clean sheet. I thought we defended well, both individually and collectively, and we found a way to get out with a win.”

Syracuse was able to get service into the box throughout the first half and produced some quality scoring opportunities. Junior Chris Nanco (Brampton, Ontario) put the Orange on the scoreboard in the 25th minute. Junior Oyvind Alseth (Trondheim, Norway) served the ball into the box to Nanco, who fired a shot toward the goal. Colgate goalkeeper Ricky Brown blocked the shot, but the rebound went right back Nanco, who put his second shot in the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

Meanwhile, the Orange defense successfully defended against three corner kicks. The Raiders got off five shots, but none were on frame.

Colgate (4-3-1) came out aggressively after halftime and recorded a shot and a corner kick in the first four minutes, but couldn’t take advantage of its opportunities. The remainder of the match was played mostly in Syracuse’s offensive third. The Orange continually tested Brown, who recorded three second-half saves. Syracuse extended its lead in the 78th minute when sophomore Julian Buescher (Duelmen, German) headed the ball to senior Juuso Pasanen (Kuopio, Finland), who shot from the top box. His shot dropped at the feet of junior Ben Polk (Banbury, UK), who found the back of the net for his fourth goal in the past two games. With the assist Buescher extended his scoring streak to seven matches.

The Raiders had two chances to get on the scoreboard when it earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 88th minute, but Colgate couldn’t get off a shot as the Orange recorded its second straight shutout.

Syracuse had 11 shots, six on goal, while Colgate recorded eight shots, none of which were on frame. The Raiders earned seven corner kicks to five for the Orange. Brown finished with four saves for Colgate, while Syracuse freshman Austin Aviza (Medway, Mass.) recorded his third career shutout.

“It was tough conditions on a sloppy field,” McIntyre said. “We gave the ball away too easily in the first half, but it was a great ball from Oyvind to Chris for the first goal. It was edgy and nerve-racking until we scored the second goal. I thought Austin, Louis (Cross) (Lancashire, England), Miles Robinson (Arlington, Mass.) and Kamal Miller (Scarborough, Ontario) did a good job of repelling late runs by Colgate.”

The Orange returns to ACC play on Friday, Oct. 2 when it travels to Durham, N.C. to take on Duke at 7 p.m.

AGATE
                                1st          2nd        Final
Syracuse              1              1              2
Colgate                 0              0              0

Scoring:
24:39     SU          Chris Nanco
77:29     SU          Ben Polk (Juuso Pasanen, Julian Buescher)

Shots: Syracuse 11, Colgate 8
Corner Kicks: Colgate 7, Syracuse 5
Saves: Syracuse 0 (Austin Aviza), Colgate 4 (Ricky Brown)

Attendance: 263

-- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM --