Inside the 18 - August 2012
| Preseason Training Schedule | ||||||
| Aug. 7 | Report Day | |||||
| Aug. 8 | Session #1 | |||||
| Aug. 9 | Session #2 | |||||
| Aug. 10 | Orange/Blue Game (Blue, 5-2) | |||||
| Aug. 11 | Sessions #4/5 | |||||
| Aug. 12 | Session #6 | |||||
| Aug. 13 | at Boston College (L, 0-2) | |||||
| Aug. 14 | Session #7 | |||||
| Aug. 15 | vs. Monroe College (W, 8-0) | |||||
| Aug. 16 | Sessions #8/9 | |||||
| Aug. 17 | at Hartwick (W, 1-0) | |||||
| Aug. 18 | Session #10 | |||||
| Aug. 19 | Off Day | |||||
| Aug. 20 | Session #11 | |||||
| Aug. 21 | Sessions #12/13 | |||||
| Aug. 22 | Sessions #14/15 | |||||
| Aug. 23 | Session #16 | |||||
| Aug. 24 | Season Opener vs. Albany (W, 2-0) | |||||
| 2012 Orange Links | ||||||
| Schedule | Roster | Stats | ||||||
| Social Media | ||||||
| Facebook: Syracuse University Men's Soccer | ||||||
| Twitter: @cusemenssoccer | ||||||
Welcome to Inside the 18, SUathletics.com's exclusive men's soccer blog. The 2012 season figures to be an exciting one for the Orange and Inside the 18 has it covered from the first training session to the last match. Check back regularly throughout the season for exclusive videos, features, photos and more.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30
The 1982 men's soccer squad, which captured the inaugural BIG EAST Championship trophy, will be honored before Friday's match against Niagara to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that historic occasion. The team will also be recognized on Saturday, Sept. 1 at halftime of the football team's opener versus Northwestern at the Carrier Dome.
The 1982 Orange recorded a 17-3-2 record, and claimed the BIG EAST tournament crown by defeating Boston College, 1-0, in six overtimes. Jim Powers struck in the 161st minute to give SU the victory. The match remains the longest in conference history (160:26). The team's 17 wins are a school record.
For more information on the historic season, click here.
Another big crowd is expected for Friday's match at the SU Soccer Stadium. Come out and celebrate both the 1982 side's conference championship and 2012's quest for one.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29
Last night, the Orange traveled to Binghamton and defeated the Bearcats in SU's road opener, 1-0. With the victory, Syracuse improved to 2-0, marking the first time the Orange has started the season with consecutive wins since 2006. For the complete recap, click here.
More good news for SU: the Orange was ranked ninth in this season's first NSCAA/Contentinental Tire Northeast Region poll. To see the complete list, click here.
MONDAY, AUGUST 27
In case you missed last week's Channel 3 story on the local freshman trio, check out what Ben Ramin, Stefanos Stamoulacatos and Alex Bono had to say about Syracuse and the upcoming season.
The Orange travels to Binghamton for its first road match. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
A terrific day for the Orange. SU opened the campaign with a resounding 2-0 result against Albany in its home opener. A record crowd of 1,581 fans were on hand at the SU Soccer Stadium to witness the victory.
Click here to read the match report. Also check out tonight's photo gallery.
In other news two very deserving seniors - Mark Brode and Ted Cribley were voted team captains. The pair join a distinguished list of Orange booters who worn the armband. Congratulations!
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22
The 2012 Orange took a different kind of field on Monday afternoon when Coach McIntyre's squad took its talents to the paintball arena. Check out this post-game shot of the 2012 Orange.
MONDAY, AUGUST 20
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17
Members of the squad joined head coach Ian McIntyre, his wife, Jenn; and his five-year old daughter, Lyla; for dinner at his home in Jamesville last night. The team enjoyed a homemade lasagna dinner and some time to wind down after practice.
Freshman Ben Ramin prepares his plate.Also, CNY Central's Niko Tamurian spoke to freshmen Alex Bono, Stefanos Stamoulacatos and Ben Ramin during this morning's practice session. Be sure to tune in to the network's 5:15 p.m. broadcast on Monday for the story.
Bono, Stamoulacatos and Ramin pose for the camera.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
Syracuse had a successful scrimmage last night at the SU Soccer Stadium. Freshman Jordan Vale and sophomore Grant Chong led the way with two goals apiece, as the Orange dominated Monroe College, 8-0. Click here to watch Chong's interview after the match and read the postgame story.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14
Get to know senior midfielder Mark Brode, and check out what's at the top of his bucket list, his favorite SU soccer moment to date and much more.
Click here to watch the video.
Also, get acquainted with the BIG EAST in TopDrawerSoccer.com's conference preview.
Photo of the Day
The Orange runs a drill during this morning's practice session at Hookway Field.
MONDAY, AUGUST 13
Syracuse got its first taste of outside competition today as the Orange took the field against No. 14 Boston College. It was a tale of two halves as Syracuse allowed a pair of first-half goals to a very good Eagles team and lost, 2-0.
Click here for a full recap.
Make no mistake. Boston College is one of the top teams in the country and has national title aspirations. The Eagles return 14 letterwinners, four All-ACC performers, and six of their top seven scorers. Give that experience it's not surprising they got on the board early against a young team playing for the first time on the road.
The second half was a much different story. The Orange allowed just one shot in final 45 minutes and outshot BC, 5-1, in the period. Most of the action was at the BC end and with a bit better execution it could have easily been a 2-1 or 2-2 game.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
Syracuse had two more training sessions today prior to departing Sunday for its first exhibition match. The Orange will face future ACC rival and former BIG EAST foe Boston College Monday morning. As the runner-up in last year's ACC Championship, the Eagles should provide an excellent indicator of where Syracuse is right now in its training.
A bit about BC:
Preseason rank: No. 14 (NSCAA)
Head Coach: Ed Kelly (25th season at BC)
Career Record: 271-190-50 (.579)
Record at BC: 231-177-44 (.560)
2011 Record: 14-6-1 (4-4-0 ACC)
The Eagles return 14 letterwinners from last year's team that advanced to the ACC title game. Boston College earned the No. 4 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, the Eagles tied Rutgers, 1-1, but the Scarlet Knights advanced on penalties.
Four All-ACC performers return for the Eagles, including first-team selections Kyle Bekker and Charlie Rugg. Bekker (eight goals, seven assists) and Rugg (eight goals, five assists) ranked one and two on the team last year in scoring. Three-year starting goalie Justin Luthy (78 saves, five shutouts) is back for his senior year between the posts.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
Due to heavy rain in Syracuse, today's Orange and Blue scrimmage was moved to Hookway Fields. No sense in tearing up the game field at the SU Soccer Stadium.
There were plenty of offensive fireworks in the scrimmage. The two sides combined for seven goals with Mike Miller's Blue team defeating Juuka Masalin's Orange side, 5-2. Ted Cribley was the offensive star of the match, recording one goal and three assists for the winners. For a complete recap, click here.
Orange and Blue Game observations:
- This might not be a surprise as Cribley led the Orange in assists last year, but he established himself as one of the team's top playmakers today. He looked fit. His passes were crisp and on target. He also finished his only real good scoring chance.
- Tony Asante can fly. He didn't play in the first period, but when he stepped on the field in the second he gave the Orange team a lift. He generated multiple offensive opportunities and capitalized on one late in the period to tally the Orange's first goal.
- Watch out for Skylar Thomas on set pieces. At 6-3, Thomas is a big target and he got his head on several balls following restarts today.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8
The Orange wiped the sleep from their eyes this morning and were present in the weight room at 7:30 a.m. for a round of fitness testing. Under the watchful eye of strength & conditioning coach "Big" Dan Pribula, the Orange performed a series of five tests designed to determine speed, strength, and endurance.They were: the 30-meter dash, vertical jump, bench press (one rep max), chin ups (max reps) and the 2K run.
Despite the early hour, there were several good scores and the coaching staff was pleased with the team's overall conditioning. The winners were:
30-Meter Dash: Skylar Thomas (3.95 seconds)
Vertical Jump: Tyler Hilliard (34.5 inches)
Bench Press: Brandon Albert (275 pounds)
Chin Ups: Brandon Albert (35 reps)
2K Run: Ben Ramin (6:26)
A quick note on Ramin's 2K time. Two kilometers is the equivalent of 1.25 miles, making his one-mile pace about 5:08. That's hustling folks.
In the evening, Syracuse took to the pitch for the first time in 2012. The Orange trained for nearly two hours at Hookway Fields on South Campus. Most of the session focused on defense with several 1v1 defending drills in confined areas. The goal of the session was not only footwork and positioning, but forcing attacking players to take shots the goalie could see and save. The tempo of the session was good with several intense 1-on-1 battles.
Photo of the Day
TUESDAY, AUGUST 7
Meetings, meetings and more meetings. The Orange's first day was filled with a series of administrative gatherings, all of which were necessary before taking the field Wednesday. The squad's yearly compliance meeting was followed by physicals, dinner, and finally a team meeting to discuss goals and other matters pertaining to the upcoming season.
While the Orange was busy dotting its i's and crossing its t's, it received an exciting bulletin. College Soccer News released its top 30 recruiting classes and the Orange made the list at No. 14! The news was a great momentum booster heading into the first day of training tomorrow.
Other notes of interest:
- In its 2012 Syracuse season preview, College Soccer News says the Orange could take a major step forward this year.
- The 2012 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Media Guide is now online. The guide features previews on all 15 conference teams and a wealth of historical information.
- The NSCAA Division I preseason rankings were released today. Three SU regular-season opponents (USF, Louisville, St. John) Rutgers) made the top 25 and one (Rutgers) received votes. Boston College, which the Orange will face in an exhibition game next week, also made the list, checking in at No. 14.
