Syracuse To Take on No. 4 Huskies
11/3/2000 4:14:07 PM | Men's Soccer
Where: Morrone Stadium (8,574) Storrs, CT
When: Sunday, November 5 1 p.m.
Records: Syracuse (8-8-2, 4-5-2 BIG EAST)
Connecticut (14-2-2, 8-1-2 BIG EAST)
All-time Series: Connecticut leads 13-9-3
Syracuse snapped a three-game Huskie winning streak in the series with a 1-0 victory on October 14.
SYRACUSE IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
The Orangemen are making their 12th appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament since its inception in 1982. Syracuse has a 7-9 record in their previous 11 conference tournaments. It is the Orangemen's first back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament appearances since 1995 and 1996. Syracuse qualified for the league's first five postseasons.
The Orangemen became the first sixth-seed to advance to the tournament semifinals with a victory at third-seeded West Virginia last season. Since going to an eight-team format in 1995, Syracuse is the lowest-seeded team to move on to the semifinals. Notre Dame advanced as a fifth-seed in 1997.
Syracuse has won a pair of BIG EAST Tournament championships, 1982 and 1985. Current Orangemen head coach Dean Foti was the captain of the 1982 squad that won the inaugural championship. Syracuse also advanced to the championship game in 1983 and 1986.
The Orangemen's first championship game victory also holds the distinction of being the longest game in history of the tournament. Syracuse and Boston College battled 160:26 (6 overtimes) before Jim Powers scored to give the Orangemen a 1-0 victory.
Two Orangemen have been named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Billy Dorante was honored in 1982 and Rick Fatscher was given the award in 1985.
The last time the Orangemen defeated a No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament was versus Providence in 1983. It is Syracuse's only victory over a top seed.
Syracuse's worst loss in the BIG EAST Tournament came at the hands of Connecticut. The Huskies shutout the Orangemen, 5-0, back in 1984. UConn also scored five goals to beat the Orangemen in 1983 (5-1).
SYRACUSE SEASON NOTES
The last meeting between these two schools was a historic one for the Orangemen. Syracuse snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with a 1-0 victory against the then No. 1 ranked Huskies. John Andrade's rebound goal off his own penalty kick gave the Orangemen their first-ever win versus a top-ranked team.
Syracuse's win in Stoors was the first over a top-five opponent since a defeat of No. 2 St. Johns in 1996. The Orangemen scored a 2-0 victory at home over the Red Storm.
The Orangemen come into BIG EAST Tournament action having lost their last four games. It is Syracuse's longest losing skid of the season, and worst since the squad lost its first four games of the 1999 campaign.
Freshman forward Kirk Johnson has been the Orangemen offense of late. The rookie leads the team with nine goals and 21 points. He has scored the Orangemen's last four goals, two each versus Providence and Colgate. The last player other than Johnson to score for Syracuse was John Andrade's game-winner against Connecticut.
Johnson is trying to become the first rookie to lead the Orangemen in scoring since former All-BIG EAST player Jeff Knittel in 1995. Johnson's nine goals rank third on the Syracuse freshman list, and with three more goals he would tie both the rookie record for goals (12) and points (27).
Syracuse earned victories against consecutive ranked opponents earler this season, equalling its win total versus top-25 teams from the last two seasons. The last SU win over a ranked team before defeating No. 21 Adelphi was a 2-1 victory versus 21st-ranked Cornell in 1999. Syracuse had also defeated No. 15 Rutgers, 2-0, in 1998. The victory at Connecticut was the Orangemen's first win against a ranked opponent on the road since October 11, 1997 at Notre Dame, also by a 1-0 score.
Junior midfielder John Andrade has been Syracuses go-to guy in the clutch. Andrade leads the team with three game-winning goals, including the lone goal in the win at UConn. Andrade also provided the margin of victory in Syracuse's 2-1 win versus Marist and 3-2 victory at Cornell. Andrade's 16 points (five goals, six assists) ranks second on the team.
Sophomore forward Guido Cristofori is right behind Andrade and Johnson with 13 points. Cristofori has five goals and three assists on the season. He also posted the Orangemen's best individual game this season with two goals and an assist in the 5-1 victory versus Adelphi.
All three of the Orangemen's leading scorers also rank among the top point producers in the BIG EAST. Johnson is the league's sixth-leading scorer, while Andrade and Cristofori rank 10th and 14th, respectively.
Sophomore midfielder Chris Aloisi was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week for his performance in the Orangemens victories over Adelphi and Connecticut. Aloisi was playing well versus the Panthers, but a sprained ankle took him out of action with 13 minutes left in the first half. He returned on Saturday to help the Orangemen shut out the No. 1 Huskies.
Senior goalkeeper Kevin Bacher was named Co-BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for his performances versus Adelphi and Connecticut. Bacher allowed just one goal, a penalty kick versus Adelphi, in 180 minutes.
Bacher currently has five shutouts this season, all in BIG EAST play. His five conference shutouts in third-best in the league behind Boston Colleges Chris Hamblin (7) and Connecticuts Bryheem Hancock (6).
Syracuse's five goals versus Adelphi was its biggest offensive output since the 1998 season. The Panthers were also the victim on October 28, 1998 when the Orangemen pitched a 5-0 shutout at home.
Three Syracuse reserves saw the first action of their careers versus Hartwick. Freshmen Andrew Iadeluca and Hiro Ohara, along with sophomore Kevin Boyle all played at least five minutes in the Orangemens 3-0 loss.
