1982 BIG EAST Champions
As Syracuse and its opponents found out, the expectations placed on the 1982 squad were not unwarranted. With returning core team members Joe Papaleo (goalie), Marcello Vitale (forward), as well as its top overall field player, Steve Klaus, the pieces for success were in place. The result was the most successful season in program history to date. Syracuse stormed to a 17-3-2 record, the best mark in school history, and won the first-ever BIG EAST Tournament championship with a thrilling 1-0 win over Boston College in a game that lasted six overtimes.
The Orange did it with defense allowing just 10 goals on the year and posting a .940 team save percentage, which stands as the second-best mark in NCAA history. Papaleo became the first and only Syracuse goalie to receive All-America honors when he was named to the third team following the season. He also received BIG EAST All-Tournament Team recognition along with outside back Dean Foti, Klaus, and sweeper Billy Dorante, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer. The remarkable season featured an eight-game winning streak, the longest in team history, as well as a 14-game unbeaten streak, another Syracuse record.
| 1982 RESULTS: 17-3-2 | |||||||
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | ||||
| Sept. 4 | FARLEIGH DICKINSON | L | 0-1 | ||||
| Sept. 10 | vs. Notre Dame | W | 3-1 | ||||
| Sept. 11 | at Rochester | W | 5-0 | ||||
| Sept. 14 | at Brockport | W | 4-0 | ||||
| Sept. 17 | ADELPHI | W | 2-0 | ||||
| Sept. 18 | ST. JOHN'S | W | 2-0 (OT) | ||||
| Sept. 24 | COLGATE | W | 2-0 | ||||
| Sept. 26 | CONNECTICUT | W | 3-1 | ||||
| Sept. 29 | NIAGRA | W | 7-0 | ||||
| Oct. 2 | at Oneonta | T | 1-1 (2OT) | ||||
| Oct. 6 | at Hobart | W | 2-1 | ||||
| Oct. 9 | ARMY | W | 4-0 | ||||
| Oct. 13 | ST. BONAVENTURE | W | 5-0 | ||||
| Oct. 16 | HARTWICK | W | 1-0 | ||||
| Oct. 19 | BUFFALO | W | 5-0 | ||||
| Oct. 22 | COLUMBIA | L | 0-1 | ||||
| Oct. 27 | at Ithaca | W | 4-0 | ||||
| Oct. 30 | at Long Island Univ. | L | 0-1 (OT) | ||||
| Nov. 3 | at Cornell | W | 2-0 | ||||
| Nov. 6 | at St. Francis (N.Y.) | T | 1-1 (2OT) | ||||
| Nov. 13 | vs. St. John's (BET) | W | 3-2 | ||||
| Nov. 14 | vs. Boston College (BET) | W | 1-0 (6OT) | ||||
| SEASON LEADERS | |||||||
| Goals: Marcello Vitale, 14 | |||||||
| Assists: Marcello Vitale, 11 | |||||||
| Points: Marcello Vitale, 39 | |||||||
| Saves: Joe Papaleo, 142 | |||||||
While the accolades eventually poured in and the SU record books were rewritten, the team's performance in the 1982 season opener was cause for concern. SU matched up against Fairleigh Dickinson at home and was dealt a 1-0 loss. The game saw Syracuse register only eight shots compared to FDU’s 19. But how the team responded in its following game against Notre Dame spoke volumes about the 1982 squad.
SU needed someone to step up on offense against the Fighting Irish and the call was answered by Vitale, Klaus and John Karanfilovski. The trio combined for all three goals, and a pair of assists, in a convincing 3-1 victory over the Irish.
The offensive outburst by Vitale, Klaus and Karanfilovski was a glimpse of what was to come. The trio finished the season as SU's top three scorers. Vitale (14 goals, 11assists) notched 39 points. Klaus (eight goals, six assists) had 2, and Karanfilovski (eight goals, two assists) totaled 18.
The Notre Dame victory was a momentum-shifting win. It sparked an eight-game winning streak that included six shutouts. Along with the defense, Vitale was the catalyst, leading the Orange with seven goals and four assists in that span.
The winning streak ended with a 1-1 tie against Oneonta on Oct. 2. Following the draw, Syracuse strung together five more wins, allowing only one goal over that stretch. In all, the Orange went more than a month and a half without losing, a record 14 straight games.
But all good things come to an end eventually, and the unbeaten streak stopped with a 1-0 home loss to Columbia on Oct. 22.
A challenging four-game road trip, including a visit to powerhouse Long Island University, produced a 2-1-1 record. The team's only loss during the stretch was to LIU, however, and the Orange still concluded the regular-season with an impressive 15-3-2 mark.
THE POSTSEASON
At the BIG EAST Tournament, Syracuse joined Boston College, St. John’s, and tournament host Connecticut to compete for the league's first championship.
The Orange matched up against St. John’s in the semifinals. Led by its "Big Three", SU jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead. Klaus struck first in the 21st minute off a pass from Vitale. In the 43rd minute, SU tallied again as Karanfilovski scored unassisted to give the Orange a commanding 2-0 lead.
St. John's didn’t go quietly, however, as Danny Lazo responded less than three minutes into the second half to make the score 2-1. SU answered in the 60th minute with Klaus scoring his second of the game, but the two-goal lead didn’t last long as St. John’s found the net again in the 65th minute to cut the deficit to one.
However, SU’s veteran defense of Dorante, Foti, Jim Gentile, Ken Hayward and Papaleo needed no more help. They shut the door on St. John’s for the last 25 minutes, propelling Syracuse into the tournament final with a 3-2 victory.
The Orange's counterpart in the title match was Boston College. The Eagles entered the game with a 14-3-5 record and proved to be an extremely tough test for the Orange. The two teams produced only six shots on goal, three for each side, after 90 minutes of play.
Two overtimes came and went with neither team able to score, and the match eventually progressed through three more scoreless sudden-death sessions. As the 700 fans in attendance watched history unfold before them, Jim Powers became the hero for the Orange. The junior midfielder finally ended the game in the 161st minute, and the sixth total overtime period, by scoring on an assist from Papaleo.
Powers' strike delivered Syracuse the first championship trophy awarded by the BIG EAST. His goal also capped the longest match in conference history (160:26), and the most successful season in the Orange annals.
