Orange to Face Providence in Final Home Game of 2004
10/22/2004 11:53:05 AM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse men's soccer team will finish up the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, Oct. 23 when it hosts Providence at 7 p.m. The Orange (3-10, 1-5) is coming off a 2-0 win versus Rutgers, while the Friars (0-12, 0-7) lost their last game versus St. John's.
The Orange snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 2-0 win against Rutgers at the SU Soccer Stadium last Wednesday. Jeff Evans and Brad Peetoom scored their team-leading second goals against the Scarlet Knights. Evans put home the first score to pick up his second game-winning goal of the season. Alejandro Nuno, Mike McCallion and Isaac Collings each had assists. Alim Karim needed to make just two saves to record his first shutout of the season. The two-goal margin of victory ended a streak of 14 consecutive games decided by one goal for the Orange. More importantly, the win kept SU’s BIG EAST hopes alive. The Orange have three points (teams earn three points for a win and one point for a tie) with four league games left to play. West Virginia currently occupies the eighth and final playoff spot with nine points. The Mountainners have three games left on the schedule. Rutgers is in ninth place with eight points and Pittsburgh is in 10th at seven points. The victory against Rutgers also snapped a six-game losing streak at home for Syracuse.
Senior midfileder Ryan Hickey and senior goalkeeper David Rabazzi will make their last appearance at the SU Soccer Stadium on Wednesday. Hickey has played in 12 games this season, starting nine times. For his career, he has played in 55 games. Hickey, who missed teh 2001 season with an injury, has one career point with an assist versus Coastal Carolina in 2001. He was named to the Verizon Academic All-District I Second Team as a sophomore. He is an eight-time member of the SU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and a four-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star. Rabazzi has not seen any game action yet this season. For his career he has played in eight games, starting five times. He has 26 saves and a 1.41 goals against average in 447 minutes of action. Rabazzi has a 2-1-1 record, including a shutout of army as a sophomore.
The Friars are winless on the year at 0-12-0 overall and 0-7-0 in BIG EAST action. Saturday’s game Providence’s first road contest since September 25 at Seton Hall. The Friars last five outings have been at home. Last time out, PC lost to St. John’s 3-1. The Friars have given up three goals in each of the last three games, losing to Brown (3-2), West Virginia (3-2, OT) and the Red Storm (3-1). Eoin Lynch and Ian Wexler are tied for the team lead with two goals. Lynch is also the team’s top scorer with five points (2G, 1A). Anthony Petrarca has three of the Friars’ six assists this season. Jeff Newman and Chris Konopka have split the goalkeeping duties. Newman has played 648:00 and has 37 saves with a 1.94 goals against average. Konopka has played 450:00 with a 2.60 goals against average and 34 saves.
Syracuse has won 13 of the 20 meetings with Providence. Because of the BIG EAST’s rotating schedule, the two teams did not play last season. The Friars won the last meeting in 2002, 3-0, to stop a three-game Syracuse winning streak in the series. SU was victorious, 5-0, in PC’s last visit to the SU Soccer Stadium in 2001.
SU will finish the season with three straight road games. The Orange take on Connecticut on Oct. 27, Villanova on Oct. 30 and Pittsburgh on Nov. 2. The game with the Panthers is a make-up of the contest scheduled for Sept. 18 that was postponed due to weather.
