2011 Season Review
The 2011 season marked the second year for the Orange under the direction of head coach Ian McIntyre. In his second year at the helm, McIntyre's squad finished with a record of 3-12-1 overall and a 1-7-1 mark in BIG EAST play. Despite the team’s record, SU enjoyed numerous successes over the course of the year and remained in the hunt for its first BIG EAST Tournament berth since 2005 until the final match of the regular season.Â
Among the team's accomplishments was securing its first BIG EAST win since 2009 (a 4-2 defeat of Cincinnati on Oct. 22). The victory was McIntyre’s first one in-conference. In addition, Syracuse scored 20 goals on the year, which was its most in one season since 2008 and double last year's total. Also, Orange freshmen Grant Chong, Chris Makowski, Jordan Murrell, Nick Perea and Skylar Thomas combined for 15 points on six goals and three assists. Their 15 combined points were the most scored by a Syracuse rookie group since 2006.
After opening the year with a 1-0 loss at Colgate, the Orange responded with a 2-1 win against Canisius at home. Thomas headed in a corner kick from senior Nick Roydhouse for the Orange’s first goal of the season, and senior Federico Agreda tallied the eventual game-winner (his first SU goal). With the victory, Syracuse improved to 13-3-0 in home openers at the SU Soccer Stadium.
A loss to Siena followed, but the Orange responded by defeating American, 2-1, in overtime on Sept. 8. Junior Louis Clark recorded the first goal of his SU career to give the Orange a 1-0 lead. The Eagles tied the game late in regulation, setting the stage for Roydhouse, who converted a free kick from just outside the box in the 94th minute, to deliver the victory.
Next up was a trip to Ohio for the University of Akron Tournament. The Orange suffered one-goal losses to Cal Poly and No. 16 New Mexico at the event, but Murrell and Roydhouse each earned all-tournament honors for their performances in the two games.
At 2-4, the Orange returned home on Sept. 24 to open its BIG EAST Conference schedule against Marquette. A crowd of 1,327 fans, the fourth-largest gathering in the history of the SU Soccer Stadium, witnessed a 3-2 SU loss. Despite the result, Syracuse played quality soccer against the eventual Blue Division champions with senior goalkeeper Phil Boerger making a career-high nine saves to keep the Orange within striking distance.
After losses to Binghamton and Pittsburgh, the Orange traveled to Kentucky to face 2010 NCAA College Cup runner-up Louisville. Behind seven saves by Boerger, Syracuse played the No. 11 Cardinals to a scoreless draw. Boerger was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, and to the CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performers of the Week Honor Roll for his role in SU's first clean sheet of the year.
The Louisville match kicked off a difficult stretch of three consecutive ranked foes for the Orange. Against perennial NCAA championship participants St. John's and USF, the Orange lost, 2-1, and 3-2, respectively. A 2-1 defeat at Rutgers on Oct. 20 extended the losing skid to three.
Needing a victory to keep its postseason hopes alive, Syracuse rebounded with the aforementioned 4-2 win against Cincinnati. The four goals were the most scored by the Orange since a 4-0 victory in the 2007 season opener against Penn State at the Wolstein Soccer Classic in Columbus, Ohio. It also marked the team's highest scoring output at the SU Soccer Stadium since Oct. 22, 2003 when Syracuse beat Cornell, 4-0.
Clark led the team with two goals and two assists on the night, the first six-point performance by an SU player since Spencer Schomaker recorded a hat trick on Oct. 21, 2008. It also matched six others for the most points by a BIG EAST player in 2011.
Just four days after the Cincinnati win, Syracuse's postseason chances were dealt a serious blow. The Orange couldn't duplicate its showing against the Bearcats and lost a 1-0 double-overtime decision to Villanova in its home finale. The loss had Syracuse on the brink of elimination, but other results from around the league set up a do-or-die match against DePaul on Oct. 29 for the final BIG EAST Tournament berth. The winner would advance to the postseason. For the loser, the season would be over.
The Blue Demons had a slight advantage playing the regular-season finale on their home field, but DePaul and Syracuse were tied 1-1 in the second half. Then in the 59th minute, DePaul gained a 2-1 advantage on Anthony Hunter's first goal of the year. The Orange couldn't tally the equalizer and the team's 2011 season came to a close.
In just his first season at SU, Clark led the team in scoring with 14 points (six goals, two assists), the most points for an SU junior since Kirk Johnson scored 16 points in 2002. Roydhouse, the team's senior captain, finished second on the on the squad in scoring with nine points (three goals, three assists). Junior Ted Cribley, also in his first year with the Orange, led the team with four assists. For most of the season, Cribley ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in helpers. He also was the first Syracuse junior to record at least four assists since Ari Schneider did so in 2003. Boerger finished with 76 saves in goal and a 1.67 goals-against average.
2011 Men's Soccer Awards
MVP – Louis Clark
Rookie of the Year – Nick Perea
Most Improved Player – Ryan Tessler
Golden Boot Award – Louis Clark
Coaches' Award – Grant Chong
Glies Alumni Award – Sam Tover
Freshman Academic Achievement Award – Connor Jacobson
Dean Foti Award – Matt Stith
