Orange Soccer Hosts St. Bonaventure in Season Opener
8/31/2004 2:36:29 PM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The 71st season of Syracuse men’s soccer begins on Wednesday, September 1 versus St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. in the SU Soccer Stadium. Wednesday's game is Poster Day. The first 500 fans that enter the stadium will recieve an SU men's soccer poster.
The Orange is coming off a 4-8-5 season that included five one-goal losses, including two overtime defeats. SU’s five ties were a school record. Despite the sub-.500 record, the Orange proved it could play with the nation’s elite, posting a 1-3-3 record against top-25 teams. Two of the three losses were by a single goal. Five returning starters from last year’s team will be in uniform against St. Bonaventure. Junior forward Jeff Evans tied for the team lead in scoring last season with three goals and three assists for nine points. Sophomore defender/midfielder Richard Asante (1 goal, 2 assists), junior tri-captain Mike McCallion and junior defender/midfileder Alejandro Nuno are also back after a year in the starting lineup. Junior tri-captain Alim Karim returns for his third year as the Orange’s starting goalkeeper. Karim posted a 1.53 goals against average with four shutouts a year ago, playing 1,469 minutes. Senior tri-captain Ryan Hickey is also back in the SU lineup after starting three of the 11 games he played in last season.
St. Bonaventure suffered its share of tough defeats last season, going 2-16-1 with eight one-goal losses. The Bonnies will rely on Phil Amahazion, Kevin Omokhua and Andy Garcia to provide most of the offense. Garcia was a member of the Atlantic 10’s All-Rookie Team in 2002 after scoring five goals, but missed all but four games with a broken foot last season. Omokhua, a sophomore, notched two goals and two assists last season to garner A-10 all-rookie honors. Amahazion, also a sophomore, is in his first season of competition after sitting out last year due to NCAA rules. The Bonnies also have an experienced goalkeeper to lead the defense. Senior Sean Eyde is beginning his third year as the starter. He had 47 saves and two shutouts last season.
SU has owned the all-time series with the Bonnies, going 19-0-1 in the 20 meetings. Last season’s 2-2 tie in Olean snapped the Orange’s 19-game winning streak in the series. Wednesday’s game will be the Bonnies first trip to Syracuse since September 23, 1998, a 3-1 Orange victory.
SYRACUSE IN SEASON OPENERS
The Orange has lost six consecutive season debuts. SU’s last 1-0 start was in 1997 after defeating 25th-ranked Connecticut, 2-0. Wednesday’s contest marks the first time since the ‘97 season that the Orange have opened a campaign on its home field. This year is also the first time since 2000 that SU has not played a game in August. The Orange suffered a 3-2, double-overtime loss at Boston University on Sept. 1, 2000.
THE ORANGE AT HOME
Syracuse has won its last five home openers, including a 1-0 win versus Albany last season. The Orange’s last defeat in its home debut was a 3-1 setback versus 16th-ranked Notre Dame on September 5, 1998. SU has had tremendous success on its home pitch since 1980. The Orange own a 133-56-19 (.685) mark in that span. Since moving into the SU Soccer Stadium in 1996, the Orange is 38-24-5 (.604) at home. Last season, Syracuse went 4-1-3 in its home facility. SU has had just one sub-.500 season at home since 1996, going 3-6 in 1997. Syracuse called the Carrier Dome (69-26-11) and Coyne Field (26-6-3) home from 1980-1995.
I LOVE NEW YORK
Since the start of the 1999 season, SU boasts an 18-10-3 (.629) mark against other teams in the New York Region. The Orange have been at least .500 against squads from the Empire State in each of the last five seasons, including an unbeaten 4-0-2 mark in 2002. Last season, Syracuse went 3-3-1 in regional contests. The Orange is unbeaten in its last six New York Region home games. SU’s last New York loss at the SU Soccer Stadium was a 2-1 overtime defeat versus 25th-ranked Cornell on November 7, 2001.
