Syracuse Controls Match in 1-0 Win Over No. 22 Notre Dame

Saturday, September 10

Syracuse, N.Y

1 PM

Syracuse University

4-0-1, 1-0-0

Notre Dame

1-2-1, 0-1-0

Notre Dame

Syracuse

Syracuse Controls Match in 1-0 Win Over No. 22 Notre Dame

9/10/2022 5:06:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Highlights

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse men's soccer opened its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a dominant 1-0 win over defending ACC champion and No. 22 ranked Notre Dame. The result marks the first home win over Notre Dame in school history.
Sophomore midfielder Giona Leibold scored the winning goal in the 22^nd minute of action. The Orange kept their fourth clean sheet of the season.

"Overall, I thought we were terrific," Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said, "For some guys that is their first ACC game, playing against a team of high caliber like Notre Dame, and I thought from the first minute to the end we were terrific."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
From kick-off, Syracuse (4-0-1, 1-0-0) controlled the tempo and pace of the match, taking advantage of Notre Dame's (1-1-2, 0-0-1) low defensive block. The Orange held possession in the Fighting Irish's half for the majority of the match and capitalized with several attacking opportunities.

The first near chance came in the 18^th minute of action. A clever pass from veteran midfielder Colin Biros found Nathan Opoku free on the left edge of the box. The sophomore forward launched a curling shot with his right foot that hit the crossbar.

The winning goal would come just three minutes after Opoku hit the woodwork. A great sequence of passing allowed Opoku to find free space in the final third. He then fired a perfect pass out to Giona Leibold on the wing, who took a touch then put the ball past Irish keeper Bryan Dowd with his left foot.

After the first period of action, Syracuse recorded 14 shots compared to Notre Dame's one. The Orange also forced Dowd to make five saves in the first half.

The Orange continued to dictate the tempo in the second half, not letting up after the halftime break. Syracuse again outshot Notre Dame by a margin of 8-2. Syracuse could not convert numerous chances to double their lead, but a backline of Christian Curti, Buster Sjoberg and Olu Oyegunle shutdown the Fighting Irish attack throughout the 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Russell Shealy only recorded a single save against Notre Dame.
Syracuse registered 22 shots and nine on target, while Notre Dame shot just three times with a single attempt on target.

OF NOTE:
Syracuse improves to 4-0-1 to start the season. That record represents the best start to a season since 2016.

Syracuse has only allowed a single goal through the first five matches of the season. That matches lowest number of goals allowed to start a season since 2014.

The Orange snapped a four-match losing streak against Notre Dame. The victory is the first home win over Notre Dame in school history.

Leibold's game winner is his first career goal.

Opoku has recorded a point in five consecutive matches to start his Syracuse career. He has two goals and three assists on the year.

Russell Shealy kept his third clean sheet of the season. He has 12 career collegiate shutouts.

UP NEXT:
The Orange have a quick turnaround as they host Niagara at the SU Soccer Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start and admission is free. Syracuse then heads south to take on the defending national champions and No. 1 ranked Clemson on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcasted live on ACC Network.