Zips Top Orange in NCAA Tournament Second Round

HAMILTON, N.Y. – No. 16 seed Syracuse allowed two goals in the second half, which broke a 1-1 tie at halftime and gave Akron a 3-1 win in the second round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. The Orange end the season with a 7-7-4 record.

"Congratulations to Akron," said Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre. "This was a good game in difficult conditions. That second goal (by Akron) was important. Unfortunately, we had a couple of chances but we didn't take them – they took them and scored that third goal. This one could have gone either way, but goals change matches and they got it and we didn't today."

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
Syracuse was the more dangerous team to start the game but it was Akron (12-6-2) that got on the scoreboard first. Abdi Mohamed gathered a loose ball in the box and fired his shot in the back of the net for his first goal of the season. David Egbo was credited with an assist on the play.

The Orange continued to apply pressure and scored the equalizer in the 42nd minute. Junior Massimo Ferrin brought the ball down the left side and slid his shot past Akron goalkeeper Ben Lundt to tie the game going into intermission.

The Zips took the lead for good in the 74th minute. Syracuse goalkeeper Hendrik Hilpert stopped Mohamed's shot, but the deflection went to Marcel Zajac on the left side, who scored what would be the game winner.

Syracuse continued to apply pressure and had quality scoring chances, but sophomore Tajon Buchanan had a shot go high and freshman Ryan Raposo couldn't connect with a teammate on his cross in front of the goal. Akron added an insurance tally in the 81st minute for the 3-1 final.

OF NOTE
Both teams created many scoring chances as Akron recorded 20 shots and five corner kicks, while Syracuse posted 18 shots and three corner kicks.

Hilpert finished with eight saves, which was just one shy of his career high. He ends his career ranked fourth on Syracuse's all-time wins list (35) and third in career shutouts (23). Hilpert and the senior class helped the Orange to the program's first ACC Championship and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the College Cup for the first time in school history in 2015.

Syracuse was making the program's sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fifth in the last seven years. The Orange, the No. 16 seed, earned a first-round bye in their fourth straight appearance. Syracuse now has an all-time record of 7-4-2 in tournament play.

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tajon Buchanan

Massimo Ferrin

Hendrik Hilpert

Ryan Raposo

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