SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse men’s soccer hosted NC State in the first round of the 2023 ACC Tournament. Graduate student Daniel Diaz Bonilla scored his first two goals for Syracuse in a 5-0 victory for the Orange.
Gabriel Mikina got Syracuse on the board in the 25th minute with a strike that found its way past NC State goalkeeper Samuel Terranova. With just five minutes to go before halftime, Diaz Bonilla got his first of the game to double the Orange lead.
NC State responded well coming out of the locker room, but the persistence from the Orange was too much to handle as Felipe D’Agostini buried a goal in the 71st minute.
“The second goal from Daniel really kind of let us breathe a little bit going into halftime,” said head coach Ian McIntyre. “Now, I think we were a little bit sluggish and sloppy to start the second half, but then that third goal really calmed us down and then the game opened up nicely.”
Syracuse didn’t take long to find the back of the net again. Just two minutes after D’Agostini’s goal, Jackson Glenn’s back-post header gave the Orange their fourth goal of the night. For Glenn, a senior who saw limited action in the regular season, it was his first career goal.
As NC State tried to salvage something from the match, the high press from Syracuse forced an error, and Diaz Bonilla tapped the ball in for his second of the game. He had not scored yet this season, but his dad saw the cards on the table.
“My dad sent me a text two days ago saying ‘Things can change in a moment, just prepare for your moment,’” said Diaz Bonilla. “That’s kind of been my mentality all season, just preparing for a chance, and I was fortunate enough to get on the field and put away the chances when they came.”
The moment for Diaz Bonilla was a memorable one, and it was smiles all around for his coach as well.
“We knew we were getting not just a good player, but an outstanding player,” said McIntyre. “He’s the hardest working guy in our team, and I could not be happier for Daniel.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Jaheim Wickham picked up the clean sheet in his first ever postseason match. He recorded two saves in the second half for the Orange.
Syracuse is back in action Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville for its ACC Tournament quarterfinal matchup with #3 Virginia. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m..