Syracuse's Suffocating Defense Downs Hokies in Downpour

By Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

September 30, 2022

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech forward Conor Pugh received the ball and fixed his attention ahead, searching for a teammate to thread the perfect cross to in order to break through the brick wall that was Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy, who had stood firm for nearly 80 minutes.

Instead, with tremendous closing speed, Orange defender Abdi Salim managed to recover from poor defensive positioning, eliminate the space between him and Pugh, induce a poor touch to win the ball away and draw a foul to secure Syracuse possession.

It’s a play that won’t show up on any score sheet nor make any highlight reel. It was, however, the essence of a complete defensive performance from No. 7 Syracuse (8-1-1, 3-1 ACC), defeating the floundering Hokies (1-8-1, 0-4 ACC) on their own turf.

In a game that would see very little in the way of offensive explosion, the game got off to a hot start.

Both teams traded aggression in the attacking third, first with Carter Hensley in the fourth minute, whose shot at the back post nearly gave Tech a much needed early score.

On the other end, Nathan Opoku and Christian Curti almost broke the game in favor of the Orange, with a pair of shot attempts squeaking just wide of the net.

To cap off an eventful first 10 minutes, Tech midfielder Danny Flores took a rocket Syracuse clearance to the head, an injury he would later return from.

However, as the overcast conditions turned to rain and an already chilly evening became wet, play slowed dramatically. Both teams struggled to string together a cohesive offensive attack.

While Tech played the aggressor, Syracuse’s defense held firm, disrupting any and all chances the Hokies tried to create.

However, in the 28th minute, lightning struck.

Off a Tech corner, the Hokies sustained good pressure with good passing and high, looping crosses to threaten Syracuse. Instead of a concrete opportunity, a wayward touch opened the door for Orange speedster Levonte Johnson.

Johnson led an absolutely furious counterattack, running full speed from one 18-yard box to the other. As he drew away both retreating defenders, he slid the ball for Giona Leibold, who tapped the ball across keeper Martino’s body and caught him off balance to put Syracuse up 1-0.

Out of nowhere, the Orange had come up with a goal. And despite playing with such a stout defense and in terrible weather, they continued to pound away, with shots from Opoku and Leibold in the next five minutes that sent Martino scrambling.

Another point blank save from Martino off a 45th-minute Syracuse corner kept the game within striking distance for Tech, as the teams retreated to the locker room with the same 1-0 score.

In the 52nd minute, Pugh had easily the best chance for Tech, finding himself two-on-one with a defender and Shealy.

Pugh started to his left, then suddenly moved right. He shook away the defender, leaving himself alone with the keeper. He let it fly, but instead of finding the equalizer, he found Shealy’s arm.

Painfully close.

The Orange remained in a threatening position, testing the Hokies over the next 10 minutes, and in the 64th minute, they capitalized again.

Curti was sent streaking up the near side past a trailing defender and delivered a smooth, directed cross towards Noah Singelmann, who had gotten in behind Martino and was barely challenged while putting the ball into the net.

After conceding a second goal, the Hokies continued to search for opportunities to fight back and cut into the deficit. Despite openings, Syracuse had great defensive recovery skills throughout the entire match and was able to make opportunities vanish almost as quickly as they appeared.

While the rain may have briefly provided a reprieve to Tech, as a defender slipped in front of Flores, opening him up for a turnaround shot, Shealy turned the shot away with authority.

In spite of Tech’s best efforts, it simply could not get plays going, let alone finish them.

With time fading, Syracuse manifested a third goal as rapidly as the first two.

In a quick transition during the 84th minute, Camden Holbrook delivered a grounded cross with velocity straight to the foot of Opoku, who just needed a right footed stab to push it past Martino.

In a game where it didn’t appear to the eye that either team had the upper hand, Syracuse managed to strike with surgical precision and score three goals, despite its defense being the star of the night.

While the Orange enter a relatively easy stretch of mid-season play, the Hokies continue to be battered by a difficult slate of matches.

They face East Tennessee State next, a non-conference opponent that has recorded 3-0 wins over Radford and Davidson, two teams Tech could not muster a win against.

Afterwards, Tech returns to ACC play against a UNC team that’s been holding its own against the country’s best and another top-10 opponent in Pitt.