.png)
Syracuse University
Virginia Commonwealth
Orangemen Lose 2002 Opener, 1-0
8/30/2002 11:40:52 PM | Men's Soccer
RICHMOND, Va. - The Syracuse men's soccer team lost its season-opening contest, 1-0, to Virginia Commonwealth at the Nike/ALLTEL Soccer Classic at VCU's Sports Backers Stadium. Syracuse (0-1) entered the game ranked 23rd in the NSCAA/adidas preseason poll.
The Rams (1-0) tallied the game's only goal in the 63rd minute. McColm Cephas hit a shot from the right side of the box that SU goalkeeper Alim Karim (Scarborough, Ontario/West Hill Collegiate) stopped, but could not corral. Mathew Delicate beat the SU defense to the ball, and put home loose ball for the score.
Karim, a freshman, made his collegiate debut in goal for Syracuse. He played all 90 minutes and made seven saves for the game. Rams' goalkeeper Saul Montero made four saves and earned the shutout in his first career start. VCU outshot the Orangemen, 22-9.
The Syracuse starting lineup featured five freshman. In addition to Karim, Ilias Calaitzidis (Brossard, Quebec/Champlain Regional), Jeff Evans (Springfield, Va./West Springfield), Jorge Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia/Institute Technico Central) and Robert Alexander (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow) were all in the starting 11.
Syracuse has now lost five consecutive season-openers. The last time the Orangemen started the season with a victory was a 2-0 win versus #25 Connecticut in 1997.
SU continues play at the Nike/ALLTEL Soccer Classic on Sunday, September 1. The Orangemen will face defending Big South Conference champion Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m.
