SU Tames #12 UConn, 1-0

Tuesday, September 17

SU Soccer Stadium

7 p.m.

Syracuse University

4-2-0

Connecticut

2-2-1

Connecticut

Syracuse

Orange goalie Alex Bono recorded five saves Tuesday to earn his 13th career shutout.

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

9/17/2013 10:17:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Score By Period	1st	2nd	Final
Connecticut	0	0	0
Syracuse	1	0	1
Box Score \| Photos Sept. 17, 2013 \| SU Soccer Stadium / Syracuse, N.Y. \| Attendance: 894

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Alex Halis scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 24th minute to lift the Syracuse men's soccer team (4-2-0) to a 1-0 victory against No. 12 Connecticut (2-2-1) Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the SU Soccer Stadium.

"In the last couple of years, we haven't had this type of win against an opponent like UConn," said SU head coach Ian McIntyre. "We talked before the game that we're going to win one of these games. It was important to talk about not just playing games, but winning games. Tonight, we were very disciplined and we worked hard. To limit an offense like UConn's to the chances it had tonight was a very good performance."

The match was evenly-contested through the game's opening minutes with both squads trading offensive opportunities. SU capitalized in the 24th minute when a deflected ball landed inside the Connecticut box, which Halis calmly collected and shot past goalkeeper Andre Blake.

Emil Ekblom nearly doubled the Orange advantage in the 26th minute when he skillfully eluded a defender at the top of the box, but his shot went just wide of the goal.

Defensively, the SU backline denied every Connecticut scoring opportunity and limited the Huskies' runs inside the Orange third. Syracuse backs Oyvind Alseth, Jordan Murrell, Chris Makowski, Brandon Albert, as well as Trevor Alexander, held the Huskies to three shots in the second half and disrupted any threats posed by the visitors.

Sophomore goalie Alex Bono recorded five saves, including the 100th of his career, en route to the shutout victory. Blake was charged with the loss for Connecticut. He did not have a save.

UConn outshot the Orange, 7-4, and earned seven corner kicks to SU's five.

Syracuse returns to ACC action when it visits Duke on Friday, Sept. 20. SU and the Blue Devils kick off at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium.

Match Notes: The No. 12-ranked Huskies represent the highest-ranked team the Orange has defeated in the regular season since SU knocked off No. 8 Rutgers, 3-2, on Oct. 17, 2001 … It was the Orange's first win against the Huskies since Oct. 26, 2003, ending a six-game series losing streak … Bono now has 13 career shutouts, the seventh-most in team history … Albert made his first career start and played all 90 minutes along backline … Chris Nanco and Halis played against former Sigma FC teammates Kwame Awuah and Cyle Larin of UConn.