Orange Earn #16 Seed in NCAA Tournament

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse is the No. 16 seed in the 2018 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament and earned a first-round bye for the fourth time. The Orange will host the winner of the first-round match between Akron and Rider on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. at the SU Soccer Stadium.

"I'm excited for our guys to be back in the NCAA Tournament," Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said. "To earn the No. 16 seed is a great accomplishment and we're happy to play in front of our home crowd on Sunday."

Tickets for Sunday's match are $6 for adults and $3 dollars for seniors and 18 and under. The first 200 Syracuse students to enter the gates will receive free admission courtesy of Coach McIntyre. All sales are cash only and seating is general admission. Parking at the SU Soccer Stadium is free. Gates open at 1 p.m.

Syracuse earned an at-large bid after posting a 7-6-4 record, including a 1-4-3 mark in ACC play. The Orange were No. 18 in the latest RPI rankings released last Monday. Syracuse will make its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in the last five years and the fifth in the last seven years. The Orange last made the NCAA tournament in 2016, and has a 7-3-2 all-time record in tournament play.

Syracuse had three players named to the All-ACC team this season. Sophomore Tajon Buchanan was named to the All-ACC First Team, while senior Kamal Miller earned All-ACC Third Team honors. In addition, Ryan Raposo was voted to the All-Freshman team. Buchanan leads the ACC in shots-per-game (3.21), and ranks fifth in points-per-game (1.43) and seventh in goals (8). Raposo had seven assists on the year, good enough for a tie for second in the ACC.

Akron (10-6-2) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Mid-American conference championship. The Orange faced the Zips in Akron on Oct. 1. Senior Jonathan Hagman recorded his first career hat trick to lead Syracuse to a 3-1 victory. Rider is the MAAC champion and enters the NCAA Tournament with a 10-9-1 record. If the Broncs advance, it would be the first meeting between Rider and Syracuse.

Nine of the 48 teams and eight of the top 16 seeds in the field are from the ACC. Overall, 10 of Syracuse's opponents this season will play in the NCAA Tournament.

The 48-team tournament kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 15 with first-round matches. The top 16 teams, which earned first-round byes, will host the second round on Sunday Nov. 18. The third round will take place on the campuses of the higher seeded teams on Saturday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 25 with the quarterfinals set for Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1. The College Cup will be played in Santa Barbara, Calif. On Dec. 7 and Dec. 9.

Syracuse University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Tajon Buchanan

Jonathan Hagman

Kamal Miller

Ryan Raposo

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