SU's Unbeaten Streak Ends With 1-0 Loss To No. 5 West Virginia In Double Overtime

Sunday, September 23

SU Soccer Stadium

1:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

#5 West Virginia

Robert Cavicchia ranks sixth at SU in career saves. He made six stops Sunday against West Virginia.

SU's Unbeaten Streak Ends With 1-0 Loss To No. 5 West Virginia In Double Overtime

9/23/2007 4:51:05 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 5 West Virginia put an end to the Orange’s eight-game unbeaten streak Sunday, Sept. 23 with a 1-0 victory in double overtime in front of a season-best 1,010 fans at the SU Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers’ Paul Paradise scored the golden goal with 3:05 left in the second extra session. It was the first loss for Syracuse since Oct. 18th of last year.

The Orange (4-1-3, 1-1-0) went toe-to-toe with the Mountaineers, out-shooting them 14-6 in the second half and 18-17 for the game. SU generated several good scoring chances in the second period, but could not convert. Forward Tom Perevegyencev (Budapest, Hungary) opened the second stanza by beating a West Virginia defender for a one-on-one with goalkeeper Zach Johnson, but his shot was tipped wide 30 seconds into the half. On the ensuing corner, junior forward Spencer Schomaker’s (Seattle, Wash.) header was snared by Johnson to end the threat.

Syracuse earned another great chance to put the game away late in regulation when sophomore forward Hansen Woodruff (Stuart, Fla.) sent a pass from the right side of the box to the far post for sophomore Brien Chamney (Oakville, Ontario). Chamney redirected the feed off the outside of the post and the match remained scoreless.

Each team recorded one shot in the first overtime, but West Virginia (5-2-0, 1-1-0) eventually turned the tide in the second extra session when Dan Stratford sent a cross all the way through the box. The ball ended up on the foot of Tony Lindroos, who fired a shot that Paradise redirected into the net for the game-winner.

“I thought we played a very good second half,” SU head coach Dean Foti said. “We proved that we could play with anybody today. It was a typical BIG EAST game and it turned on one play. That’s how it goes.”

Orange goalkeeper Robert Cavicchia (North York, Ontario) made six saves, including five in the first half against the Mountaineers. He continued his climb up SU’s all-time list. He now ranks sixth in career saves with 184.

Johnson made eight saves for West Virginia, seven of which came in the second period to record his fifth shutout of the season. All of the Mountaineers’ wins this year have been by the score of 1-nil.

Sunday’s crowd was the sixth-largest since the SU Soccer Stadium opened in 1996 and it was the biggest since last season’s outpouring of 1,038 fans for the Connecticut match.

SU redshirt freshman Ryan McCormick (Cranston, R.I.) received his first career start Sunday. He replaced senior James Goodwin (Nashua, N.H.) on defense. Goodwin was injured in Friday’s victory against Pittsburgh.

The Orange will hit the road for its next three matches beginning on Friday, Sept. 28 when it plays at Providence. Game time is 3 p.m.