Andrew Hawtin is one eight returning starters for the Orange.
Men's Soccer Meets Niagara on Friday in First Home Syracuse Athletics Event of 2006-07
8/24/2006 9:02:08 AM | Men's Soccer
The Orange’s 73rd men’s soccer season gets underway on Friday, Aug. 25 with a 7:30 p.m. non-conference tilt versus Niagara at the SU Soccer Stadium. The match marks the earliest start to a season for Syracuse, besting the 1990 campaign’s start date (Aug. 29) by four days. Admission to Friday’s match is free and the first 100 fans in attendance wearing orange will receive an official 2006 SU men’s soccer team poster.
The Orange is coming off a 7-8-4 season that included an appearance in the 2005 BIG EAST Championship and victories against two nationally-ranked opponents. The backbone of the team was a defense that posted six shutouts and a 0.89 goals against average, the fifth-best mark in school history.
Eight returning starters from last year’s team will be in uniform against Niagara. Sophomore forward Pete Rowley (Reading Pa.) led SU in scoring in 2005 with six goals and his first career assist for a total of 13 points. The Orange also returns its top assists man in junior midfielder/foward Isaac Collings (Oriskany, N.Y.). Collings recorded five helpers last year and has eight in the last two seasons. Junior defender Brad Peetoom (Abbotsford, British Columbia), the squad’s two-time reigning Defensive MVP is back to anchor the Orange’s back line and sophomore goalkeeper Robert Cavicchia (North York, Ontario) is back for his second year as SU’s starting keeper. Cavicchia played more than 1,771 minutes last season and ranked 25th nationally in save percentage (.817). He posted a 0.86 goals against average, the fifth-best total Orange history and second-best mark for an SU rookie goalkeeper.
SU’s veteran core gives head coach Dean Foti, now in his 16th season, a foundation on which a successful season can be build and Foti says the keys to victory for the Orange this year are simple.
“We have to defend well. Keep the ball out of our net and limit the other team’s opportunities or chances for a goal. That’s a great start,” Foti said. “The second thing is getting to the bottom line as we call it. We intend to have the ball more than the other team and that’s all well and good, but we have to possess the ball with a purpose and get to other team’s goal and finish off our own scoring chances. All the little passes are nice, but if you don’t bury it in the back of the other team’s net it doesn’t mean much. You don’t get credit for the number of passes you make. You credit for the number of goals you score.”
SYRACUSE IN SEASON OPENERS
The Orange ended a string of seven consecutive losses in season openers with a 1-0 shutout of Marist in 2005. Prior to last season, SU’s last 1-0 start was in 1997 after defeating 25th-ranked Connecticut, 2-0. Friday’s contest marks the third straight year that the Orange have opened a campaign on its home field. This year is also the first time since 2003 that SU has opened the year with a game in August.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Orange has posted a winning record at the SU Soccer Stadium in eight of its first 10 seasons at the facility. SU went 6-4-2 at home in 2005, matching the team season record for wins at the stadium. The Orange has won six contests at the facility three times (1996, 1998, 2005) and owns an overall SU Soccer Stadium record of 46-34-7. Prior to the opening of the facility, the Orange played its home games at Coyne Field and the Carrier Dome. During the Orange’s magical run to the 1982 BIG EAST title it won a school record nine home contests, going 3-0 at Coyne Field and 6-2 in the friendly confines of the Dome. The Orange is 141-66-21 since 1980 in games contested in Syracuse.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
The Purple Eagles are coming off their most successful season in 17 years, posting a record of 9-9-1 and making the school’s first trip to the MAAC Tournament. Head coach Dermot McGrane enters his fifth season at the helm of the program and he sports an overall record of 23-43-7. Niagara boasts the reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Year in Matt Stedman and five of its top six scorers from a year ago. Stedman and senior Kwame Oduro are a solid one-two offensive punch that combined for 21 goals and 13 assists in 2005. Defensively, the Purple Eagles return seniors Brian Leonard and Jeff Densk, as well as 2005 MAAC All-Rookie and 2006 All-MAAC Preseason selection Billy Gustafson. Freshman Mitch Walker will play in front of his hometown fans Friday. He attended Christian Brothers Academy (CBA). Niagara sophomore James McKenna went to the same high school (Pittsford Mendon) as SU rookie Pete Hill. Both players hail from Pittsford, N.Y.
“We know about some of their players because they are a local team and some of their guys are local products,” Foti said. “We know about them individually, but not so much as a team and how they play together so we’re doing our homework. At this point, we’re focusing on what the roles of our players are going to be and we feel like if we can maximize our abilities we’re going to be successful against any team we play.”
THE SYRACUSE-NIAGARA SERIES
SU owns a 14-3 record in an all-time series that has been dormant since 1991. The Orange has won the last 10 meetings and has outscored the Purple Eagles, 52-5, during its current winning streak. Niagara’s last victory against the Orange came in 1977 by the score of 4-1. Syracuse has notched at least five goals against Niagara seven times, including the last three meetings.
The Last Five Meetings
Sept. 25, 1991 Syracuse 5, Niagara 0 Syracuse, N.Y.
Oct. 26, 1990 Syracuse 7, Niagara 1 Niagara University, N.Y.
Oct. 29, 1989 Syracuse 9, Niagara 0 Syracuse, N.Y.
Sept. 13, 1988 Syracuse 3, Niagara 1 Niagara University, N.Y.
Sept. 28, 1983 Syracuse 4, Niagara 0 Niagara University, N.Y.
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