Syracuse University
#25 Cornell
11/7/2001 10:13:51 PM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse men's soccer team ended its 2001 campaign, losing to Cornell, 2-1, in double overtime on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the SU Soccer Stadium. The Orangemen end their season with a 7-8-1 overall record and a 4-5-1 mark in the BIG EAST. Cornell improved to 6-4-3 overall.
Scott Palguta netted the game-winner in the 109th minute on a cross from Ian Pilarski. Pilarski picked up a deflection in the box and passed to Palguta who slid the ball just under the arm of SU goalkeeper Anthony Peters (Schenectady, N.Y./Schalmont).
Both teams were scoreless at intermission thanks to outstanding goalkeeping. Peters made seven saves in the first half, including several diving deflections. Cornell keeper Doug Allan made three saves in the first 45 minutes. Peters finished with 10 stops on the night, while Allan recorded eight. Cornell held a 24-19 shot advantage, including outshooting SU 12-4 in the first half.
The Big Red jumped out first in the 63rd minute when Ted Papadopolous scored on a direct kick, bending the ball into the upper left-hand corner of the goal past a diving Peters. It was his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Orangemen tied the score in the 84th minute when senior midfielder John Andrade (East Providence, R.I./East Providence) lofted a free kick into the box. Sophomore forward Kirk Johnson (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown) was able to outleap the Big Red defenders and head the ball into the back of the net for his team-leading 13th goal of the season.
Johnson's 13 goals rank eight on the SU single-season goals list. He also had eight assists, giving him points this season. That is the sixth-best single-season total ever for a Syracuse player. Andrade's eight assist of the season bumped him into a tie for 10th place on the Orangemen's single-season list. He finished his career with 16 assists, the seventh most ever by an SU player.
Wednesday's game was the final collegiate contest for five SU players – Andrade, Peters, midfielder Jeff Lewis (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa), midfielder David Sleven (Portland, Ore./Woodrow Wilson) and forward Matt Torok (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing).
The Orangemen finished ninth in the BIG EAST standings, one point out of the final spot in the league's postseason. Virginia Tech clinched the eighth seed in the conference tournament with a 3-2 double overtime win at Rutgers on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
