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Just one year ago, Le Moyne men’s soccer began its first season as a Division I program.

The Dolphins threw together a roster full of recruits and transfers, along with eight returning players from their Division II roster in 2022. The season went as expected. Le Moyne opened with a 4-0 loss against Penn State, then went on to have a 2-8-7 record overall.

In 2024, the Dolphins split their first two games against Canisius and Binghamton, defeating the Golden Griffins 3-2, and falling to the Bearcats 1-0. But in Le Moyne’s third game of 2024, it had a chance to grab its first signature win.

Similar to its matchup with the Nittany Lions, Le Moyne served as an early season tune-up for No. 7 Syracuse. Though the Dolphins proved to be more, pulling off a shocking upset.

In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, Le Moyne (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Northeast Conference) took down Syracuse (2-1-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 1-0 Monday night. Despite SU dominating the Dolphins statistically — outshooting them 28-5 — Le Moyne’s early lead allowed it to slow down offensively and lock down on defense.

Le Moyne’s first prime scoring chance came in the 17th minute. Justin Pham sped down the left side of the field, and got an edge on Chimere Omeze. The defender attempted to tackle the ball away inside the 18-yard box, but took out Pham in the process, giving the Dolphins a penalty kick.

Jack Goodrich, Le Moyne’s top scorer in 2023, didn’t waste the chance. The lefty ripped it to the bottom left corner. SU goalkeeper Tomas Hut got a piece, but it wasn’t enough, giving the Dolphins a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later, Syracuse had its first chance to strike back. Le Moyne attempted a clearance, but it was blocked by Nicholas Kaloukian. The ball deflected right to Elton Chifamba, who got in alone. Goalkeeper Wyatt Dupell stood tall, as Chifamba fired the ball to the far post. But Dupell dove to his right, knocking the ball away. Within the same passage of play, Andre Cutler-DeJesus got open at the top of the box. He quickly fired a stinger, but it rose over the crossbar.

Giona Leibold checked into the game in the 28th minute, in his first appearance since Nov. 8, 2023. Leibold was a key contributor for the Orange during their National Championship run in 2022, scoring five goals and recording two assists in 1,522 minutes.

“To see him on the field, as disappointed as we are right now, that’s one of the silver linings,” head coach Ian McIntyre said.

Just a few minutes into his first action, Leibold drove the net and fed a ball to the middle, but it missed all three Syracuse players in the box. Later, Gabe Threadgold led Chifamba down the right side, who slipped the ball inside to Omeze. He fired, but again, Dupell handled it.

Le Moyne kept its defense tight heading into the second half, but remained opportunistic on the counter attack. Vito Kreuzpaintner received the ball on the right side of the box. He quickly floated the ball to the front, where Hut jumped out to send the ball away.

The Orange had trouble creating offense early in the second half, until Nicholas Kaloukian got fouled at the top of the box in the 70th minute. But Kaloukian fired his free kick right into the teeth of the Le Moyne wall, who cleared the ball immediately.

Shortly after, Cutler-DeJesus was fed the ball right onto his foot for an easy tap-in. Though he shanked the attempt, missing the net completely. That described Syracuse’s night. Even when things should have gone right, they didn’t.

Because they got an early lead, the Dolphins were able to completely shift their focus to the defensive side of the ball. All night, Le Moyne held tight enough on the defensive side. The Dolphins sat deep, soaking up pressure from the Orange, who couldn’t crack the code in the final third. Syracuse was forced to rely on free kicks and corners to generate any momentum offensively.

In the 81st minute, SU was handed a scoring opportunity. Carlos Zambrano had a free kick at the top of the box, but ripped it over the net. In the 88th minute, Kaloukian was fouled right outside the box again. Zambrano took the kick once more, and this time, shot toward the back post. Yet, the Dolphins wall shut it down as it had all night, preserving the late lead.

With 26 seconds remaining, the same exact situation occurred again. This time, head coach Ian McIntyre opted for Ernest Bawa. The grad transfer struck the ball perfectly, but missed high. The Orange had taken their last breath.

With SU Soccer Stadium’s bleachers filled with green and white, Le Moyne closed out the final seconds, shocking Syracuse.

Despite the devastating loss, the Orange aren’t worried. Their focus now turns to their biggest test so far, where they face Boston College in Chestnut Hill Friday.

“This happens in football,” Chifamba said. “You’re going to lose matches, you can’t win them all. Tomorrow morning, we’ll watch film, see how we can get better, keep the spirits of the team up, and focus on the next game.”

Published on September 2, 2024 at 11:06 pm

Contact Nick: nsjepson@syr.edu