Orange 2018 Season Preview

Syracuse returns to the pitch to officially open its 2018 campaign on Friday, Aug. 24 at Oregon State at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The Orange return 16 players and welcome 10 newcomers this season as they battle in the ACC.

"It's a very new group," said Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre. "We have a great energy and enthusiasm – maybe a little bit naïve at times – but we're working on that and getting better. The way you improve is by getting out on the training pitches. I like our group."

FORWARDS
Senior Hugo Delhommelle and sophomore Tajon Buchanan will lead the group up front this season. The duo tied for third on the team in points last season with 10 points each. Delhomelle led the squad with six goals in 2017, while Buchanan recorded four goals and two assists. Buchanan was selected to the All-ACC Third Team as well as the conference's All-Freshman Team in a vote by the league's head coaches.

Also returning are senior Adnan Bakalovic and sophomore Petter Stangeland. Bakalovic posted a career-high five points last season, and Stangeland, who was slowed by an injury, scored one goal.

Transfers Severin Soerlie (Gardner-Webb) and Massimo Ferrin (UAB) join the group. Both made major contributions in the three exhibition matches. Soerlie had a goal and an assist against Canisius.

MIDFIELD
Senior Jonathan Hagman anchors Syracuse's midfield unit. The Enebyberg, Sweden native has recorded 11 points on five goals and an assist in each of the past two seasons. Sophomores Simon Triantafillou, Djimon Johnson and Lukas Rubio all gained valuable experience in their rookie seasons.

Freshmen Ryan Raposo and Hilli Goldhar give the Orange added speed in the midfield. Goldhar recorded an assist against Canisius, and Raposo scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute to give Syracuse a 2-1 win against Villanova.

DEFENSE
Syracuse has plenty of depth and experience in the back. The group is led by senior Kamal Miller, who is a three-year starter. Sophomore Sondre Norheim also returns, as do senior Jan Breitenmoser and junior John-Austin Ricks. Breitenmoser and Ricks give Coach McIntyre flexibility as they can attack from the back.

The Orange add another experienced defender in Boston College transfer Len Zeugner. He earned All-ACC Third Team honors in 2015 but was slowed the last two seasons due to injury.

GOALKEEPING
Hendrik Hilpert returns for his senior season. He enters the 2018 season ranked fourth on the Syracuse career leader lists for shutouts (19) and wins (28). He has started in goal for all but one match since midway through his freshman season. Hilpert has enjoyed success on and off the field as he is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Redshirt sophomore Jake Leahy and freshman Sam Gomez will serve as Hilpert's back-ups this season.

For the latest news on Syracuse men's soccer, follow /CuseMSoc on Facebook and @CuseMSoc on Twitter and Instagram.

Syracuse University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Adnan Bakalovic

Jan Breitenmoser

Tajon Buchanan

Hugo Delhommelle

Massimo Ferrin

Hilli Goldhar

Sam Gomez

Jonathan Hagman

Hendrik Hilpert

Djimon Johnson

Jake Leahy

Kamal Miller

Sondre Norheim

Ryan Raposo

John-Austin Ricks

Lukas Rubio

Severin Soerlie

Petter Stangeland

Simon Triantafillou

Len Zeugner

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