Orangemen Open 2001 Soccer Season at Boston College
8/30/2001 12:08:03 PM | Men's Soccer, Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse men's soccer team will begin the 2001 season on Friday, Aug. 31 with a 3 p.m. match at defending BIG EAST Tournament champion Boston College. This season will be the 67th year of Syracuse men's soccer.
The Orangemen return their top four scorers from last year's team that went 8-9-2 overall and 4-5-2 in the BIG EAST. Syracuse defeated two top-25 teams last season, including a 1-0 victory at number-one ranked and eventual national champion Connecticut. The Orangemen were ranked as high as 20th in the nation in 2000.
Sophomore forward Kirk Johnson (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown) scored nine goals and three assists last season to become the first freshman since 1995 to lead the team in scoring. Johnson was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team for his efforts. Senior co-captain John Andrade (East Providence, R.I./East Providence) was second on the squad last year with 16 points on five goals and a team-best six assists. Andrade earned both second-team All-Northeast Region and All-BIG EAST honors.
Junior midfielder Guido Cristofori (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) also returns to the Orangemen lineup. Cristofori was a second-team All-BIG EAST selection after scoring five goals and adding three assists. Junior co-captain Chris Aloisi (North Babylon, N.Y./St. John the Baptist), a second-team all-region selection last season, was fourth on the team in 2000 with six points on two goals and two assists.
Rookie David Rabazzi (Clifton Park, N.Y./ Shenendehowa) has been tabbed as the starting goalkeeper for the opener. Rabazzi had 12 shutouts in his senior season, and earned a silver medal at the 2000 Empire State Games. The Orangemen must replace first-team All-Northeast Region goalkeeper Kevin Bacher. Bacher played all but six minutes between the posts for Syracuse during the last two seasons, and ranks third on the SU all-time saves ledger with 249. Bacher recorded 13 shutouts in his career.
Boston College is coming off a 12-7-1 season in 2000. The Eagles defeated Seton Hall in the BIG EAST championship game before falling to Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Junior Casey Schmidt, the 2000 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, is back after scoring eight goals and three assists as a sophomore. In all, the Eagles return their top five scorers. Three defenders return to the lineup, however, Boston College must replace All-American goalkeeper Chris Hamblin.
Boston College leads the all-time series, 10-8-2. The Eagles won last year's matchup, 1-0 in Syracuse. Friday's game is the first time the Orangemen have opened the season with a BIG EAST game since they defeated Connecticut, 2-0, in 1997. The Orangemen open the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 5 versus Colgate.
