Syracuse to Host #22 North Carolina on Senior Day

Game Details: Saturday, Oct. 25, SU Soccer Stadium, 3 p.m.
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Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
North Carolina Links: Roster | Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange men's soccer team is set to host No. 22 North Carolina for Senior Day on Saturday Oct. 25. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at SU Soccer Stadium and honor the Class of 2026 in a Senior Day ceremony.

Senior Day will feature seven individuals who have contributed to the Syracuse Men's Soccer program: Ernest Mensah Jr., Tim Brdaric, Bright Nutornutisi, Carlos Zambrano, Michael Acquah, Tim Noeding and Santiago Frias.

'Cuse Update
The Orange come off a 2-1 loss against down the road foe Cornell on Oct. 21.

Graduate student Tim Brdaric headed the ball past Big Red goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg, off Ernest Mensah Jr.'s free kick in the 26th minute to give Syracuse the lead going into the half. Graduate Student goalkeeper Tomas Hut tallied five saves.

The Orange now hold a 3-3-0 record on the road and a 6-6-2 (3-3- 0) record overall and stand in 8th place in the conference.

Scouting the Tar Heels
North Carolina (8-2-4, 2-0-4) heads to Central New York after a 3-0 win over Virginia Tech on Oct. 19.

Tar Heel goalkeeper Andrew Cordes collected two saves against the Hokies. The senior now has 34 saves on the season. Against Virginia Tech, Dan Klink scored a goal and Bertil Rygaard Hansen put two up on the board to seal the victory and add a win to the conference column.

Leading the Tar Heels offensively, graduate student Nacho Abeal has 18 points this season. The midfielder has five goals and eight assists.

North Carolina remains ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the second week in a row. The Tar Heels stand at the 22nd spot, dropping four rankings from the previous week. The Tar Heels were projected to finish in seventh place in the conference according to the ACC preseason poll.

In 2024, North Carolina finished its season with a 9-4-5 record and in sixth place in the ACC with a 4-3-1 record. The Tar Heels' season ended in the first round of the NCAA Championship after a loss on penalty kicks to Furman. The Tar Heels took a first round exit in the 2024 ACC Tournament as well, falling to California 2-1.

Series History

This match marks the 14th meeting between the two teams. North Carolina leads the series 6-3-4.
The last time the two teams faced off, the Tar Heels defeated the Orange in the semifinals of the ACC Championship in Syracuse, 3-1 on Nov. 8, 2023.
Syracuse is 3-3-2 at home, while North Carolina is 2-1-2 on the road

Up Next
Follow Saturday's match, the Orange will head to Raleigh to face No.3 ranked NC State in their final game of the season.

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