SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Men’s Soccer faced the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals on Saturday and lost 1-0 after a long and physical game.
The Orange have lost back-to-back games, before heading into a tough three-game stretch.
Louisville’s Braydon Sellers took advantage of a Syracuse vulnerability and struck early, scoring in the 22nd minute. The goal was assisted by junior defender Jack Boring.
After the goal, the Cardinals transitioned to a defensive gameplan going into halftime. Syracuse’s opportunities were limited in the second half, only getting up four shots.
However, Louisville fouled Syracuse 16 times, compared with the Orange’s seven fouls.
The Orange are now 7-5-1 and 1-3-1 in ACC play but look to finish the season on a strong note with only three games left.
The ‘Cuse play Wake Forest away, Virginia at home and finish with Virginia Tech on the road. Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre noted the difficulty of this stretch.
“I think we’re coming up and playing against three really hot teams,” McIntyre said. “I think Virginia Tech is terrific, Virginia is winning games and Wake Forest is a team that can win our ACC… We have three gauntlet games.”
Despite the juggernaut of a schedule, the Orange remain confident in their chances.
“We need to win a couple more games,” McIntyre said. “There’s no doubt we’re playing a top 25 strength of schedule… We’ll have to see what happens in the ACC tournament.”