'Cuse Hosts Boston College on Senior Night

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The fifth-ranked Orange (13-2-1, 4-2-1 ACC) welcomes Boston College (5-7-3, 1-5-1 ACC) to the SU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday, Oct. 31. The stadium will be decked out with Halloween-themed decorations. Fans are encouraged to dress up in their favorite costumes and free candy will also be handed out.

Friday is also Senior Night and the Orange will recognize the contributions of nine student-athetes prior to kickoff. Brandon Albert, Trevor Alexander, Tyler Hilliard, Gogo Kollie, Chris Makowski, Jordan Murrell, Nick Perea, Matt Stith and Skylar Thomas will all be honored in a brief pre-game ceremony.

Syracuse has already clinched a berth in the upcoming ACC Championship and is very much in the hunt for the Atlantic Division title. Boston College needs a win and help to qualify for the conference tournament.

BONO TIES SEASON SHUTOUT RECORD
Alex Bono posted his 11th clean sheet of the season at NC State on Oct. 25, tying Chris Whitcomb's Orange single-season record set in 1986. Bono opened the year with four consecutive shutouts and blanked five straight foes from Sept. 16 to Oct. 4. All three of Bono's season shutout totals rank in the top five in Orange history. He recorded 10 shutouts in 2012 (2nd) and eight in 2013 (t-5th), in addition to his 11 this year.

DOMINATING DEFENSE
Syracuse has allowed six goals this season, tied with Monmouth and Cornell for the fewest in the nation. The Orange owns the country's best goals-against average (0.36) and highest team save percentage (.897). In addition, its .690 shutout percentage (11 shutouts in 16 games) is third in the country. The team blanked nine of its first 10 opponents, including five in a row between Sept. 16 and Oct. 7. The five straight cleans sheets were one short of the school record (6) set during the 1980 season.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT
Syracuse has trailed for only 15:56 out of a possible 1,482:54 of game time this season. The only time the Orange has played from behind was when Notre Dame scored to take a 1-0 advantage on Sept. 13 in the 75th minute, a lead it held until the end of the match.

THE BOSTON COLLEGE SERIES
Boston College owns a 15-9-1 in the all-time series with Syracuse. The Eagles have won six straight against the Orange. Syracuse's last series win was a 3-0 decision in 1999.

Boston College won last year's matchup in Chestnut Hill, 3-2. The Eagles scored twice in the first eight minutes to grab a 2-0 lead before consecutive goals by Emil Ekblom tied the match early in the second half. Nick Butler's tally in the 58th minute for the Eagles was the difference in the game.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Boston College has lost three of its last four. The Eagles' only win in that stretch was a 3-1 non-conference triumph against Boston University on Oct. 21.

The Eagles have scored 18 goals on the year, 14 of which have been assisted. Isaac Normesinu leads the Eagles in both goals (5) and points (11).

Goalkeeper Keady Segel made his season debut earlier this week in a 1-0 loss to Dartmouth. Segel tallied seven saves in the contest. Alex Kapp had played the previous 14 games between the posts for Boston College, totaling 49 saves and five shutouts.

Ed Kelly is in his 27th season at Boston College and his 30th year overall as college head coach. A 2009 New England Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Kelly was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2007 and has led the Eagles to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 of which have come since 2000.

UP NEXT ...
The Orange will learn its seed for the upcoming ACC Championship following this weekend's conference matches.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Albert

Trevor Alexander

Alex Bono

Emil Ekblom

Tyler Hilliard

Gogo Kollie

Chris Makowski

Jordan Murrell

Nick Perea

Matt Stith

Skylar Thomas

Syracuse University Athletics