SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse men’s soccer team drew 1-1 with No. 10 Pittsburgh, picking up its fourth point in ACC play.
The Orange went down a goal in the 12th minute after a save from sophomore goalkeeper Juan Martinez-Bastidas found an open Panthers foot, which his first goal allowed six games this season.
Syracuse recorded four shots, one on goal, as it began to build towards an equalizer.
With six minutes left in the half, Pitt’s Logan Oliver earned back-to-back yellow cards, the second of which was unsuccessfully challenged by the Panthers bench.
Going into the second half with a man advantage, Syracuse pressed higher, increasing pressure on the Pitt defense, recording 10 shots. Still, the scoreline remained 1-0.
“They defended well,” said head coach Ian McIntyre. “It’s sometimes hard to break down a group when they sit in when they’re a man down.”
The breakthrough came in the 78th minute, as graduate forward Pedro Gulli split the defenders to head the ball top center, netting his fourth goal of the season.
“With my size and my presence, I knew I had to just flick it,” said Gulli.
The goal went under VAR review but was confirmed.
Martinez-Bastidas made three saves late in the half to hold the scoreline.
Syracuse outshot the Panthers 21-8, but had just three on target to Pitt’s five. Sophomore forward Jordan Grey led the offense with five shots, two on goal.
Despite the draw, the Orange took a lot from the game, picking up another point against a ranked opponent.
“This is a point won, not two points loss,” McIntyre said.
The next matchup presents a different kind of challenge for Syracuse, as the team heads to Akron to face the Zips on Tuesday at 7 p.m.