9/8/2014 3:54:00 PM
EKBLOM GOLDEN IN 2014
Go figure. Forward
Emil Ekblom scored 10 goals last season, none of which were game-winners. This year he has two goals in four games and both have decided the match. Ekblom netted SU's first goal in a 3-0 win against St. Mary's on Aug. 31. Last Thursday against Rutgers, he scored the game's only goal in the 74th minute to help the Orange to a 1-0 triumph.
ATTACKING MINDSET
The total number of shots a team generates isn't everything in soccer. It's the quality of the offensive chance that matters most, however the raw shooting numbers Syracuse has put up so far this season are impressive. The Orange has outshot its foes by a 67-26 margin, an average of 16.8 shots per game to 6.5. The Orange has put 27 of its attempts on goal, one more than the total number of shots taken by its opponents.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
The 2014 season marks the first year in the history of the SU men's soccer program that the Orange has opened a campaign with four consecutive clean sheets. Syracuse last recorded four straight shutouts during the 2012 season (Colgate, NJIT, St. Bonaventure, UNLV). The school record for consecutive shutouts is six set in 1980.
NO GOAL(S)!
Syracuse is one of 10 teams in the country that has not allowed a goal so far in 2014. The others: Cal-Bakersfield, Campbell, Columbia, Creighton, Valparaiso, Loyola-Chicago, Michigan State, Penn State and Louisville.
ORANGE NETS FIRST WIN AGAINST ST. JOHN'S SINCE 1996
Syracuse's 1-0 victory at St. John's on Sept. 6 ended a 15-game winless streak for the Orange against the Red Storm. Prior to the match, SU had been 0-12-3 against St. John's since 1997. In addition to Saturday's win being its first in the series in nearly two decades, it was also the Orange's first road triumph versus the Red Storm since the 1989 season.
DEFENDING CHAMPS ON THE HORIZON
The Orange welcomes 2013 national champion Notre Dame to the SU Men's Soccer Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13 for a 7 p.m. match. The game marks the fifth time since the NCAA began sponsoring men's soccer in 1959 the Orange will face the reigning national champion. SU won one of those four previous encounters, beating 1981 champ Connecticut, 3-1, during the 1982 season.
Orange vs. Previous Year's NCAA Champion
1978 – Hartwick 2, SU 0
1982 – SU 3, Connecticut 1
1997 – St. John's 5, SU 0
2001 – Connecticut 3, SU 1
THEY SAID IT
"He's very good. "He dominated his box, came for crosses and was a calming influence back there. We've got one of the best in this division in our net and when called upon, he's always capable of stepping up."
- Coach
Ian McIntyre on goalie
Alex Bono
FROM THE TWITTERVERSE
DataDrivensport @DataDrivenSport
9 Saves on the season, 4 Shutouts, @SUMensSoccer keeper @Alex25Bono has been super.
Sam Evans @SLE17
Nice road win for @ismcinty and @SUMensSoccer vs Rutgers! #alwaysOrange
