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Head coach Ian McIntyre has brought plenty of firsts to Syracuse during his 15-year tenure. A first Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championship in 2015 and SU’s first NCAA title just two years ago stand out, among other accomplishments.

Thursday brought another first. Under McIntyre, all of Syracuse’s nonconference games have been against teams from the northeast. Wanting an early season test for his youthful squad, McIntyre bucked that trend for the first time as head coach by scheduling Charlotte. The 49ers were an NCAA Tournament team last season and are the favorites to win the American Athletic Conference.

McIntyre didn’t shy away from the challenge at his weekly media availability Tuesday. He sung the 49ers praises, saying that he would “find out a lot about our young team.”

“You don’t like to talk about RPI early in the year but for both teams, it’ll be good for the resume come October time,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre and No. 7 Syracuse (2-0-1, ACC) got their money’s worth against Charlotte (1-0-1, AAC) in a 2-2 draw. The Orange were tested against a gritty team. SU took an early lead, but the 49ers responded with two goals before the end of the first half. Kristjan Fortier’s goal in the 70th minute rescued a result for Syracuse as it stayed undefeated.

SU’s opening two games came against two non-tournament teams in Colgate and Niagara. The Raiders pushed the Orange at times, but they eked out a 1-0 win. Four days later, Syracuse tore apart Niagara, outshooting the Purple Eagles 28-2 in a 3-0 victory. Thursday was SU’s first test against a team with NCAA Tournament pedigree.

In 2023, Charlotte went 13-4-1 and won the AAC Tournament. It defeated High Point 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Then, its season came to an end at the hands of the eventual national champions, Clemson.

The 49ers brought back an experienced squad in 2024. Five of their top six players with the most appearances from last season returned. With their key players returning, they were the preseason pick to win their conference.

“They’re from North Carolina, and they don’t play anyone else in our conference, because everyone knows how difficult they are,” McIntyre said postgame.

While Charlotte was powered by their veteran presence, the opposite was the case for Syracuse. The Orange brought in 22 new players, 13 of whom were freshmen.

The difference was evident through portions of Thursday’s game. Syracuse was floundering in the second half. Two first-half mistakes left the Orange facing their first home defeat since a 2-1 loss to Temple on Oct. 10, 2023. The Orange were struggling to generate quality chances until Fortier produced a moment of magic.

Braedon Smith got loose down the left wing and swung in a cross. Michael Acquah attempted to control the ball in the 18-yard box. Instead, he inadvertently directed the ball into Fortier’s path at the top of the box. Nobody was close to Fortier as he unleashed a rocket into the upper 90 past Leo Stritter in net to tie the game at 2-2.

“You’d rather win a game, but I’m pleased and proud of our guys,” McIntyre said.

The head coach’s wish for a tough test was granted. Nicholas Kaloukian scored his second goal of the season in the fifth minute. It looked to be smooth sailing for Syracuse thereafter. The Orange controlled the pace of play for the next five minutes.

Then, they started taking their foot off the gas. Syracuse played with the ball a little too long in its third in the 12th minute. Eventually, Andreas Evangelou got free for a shot from the right side of the box. Tomas Hut couldn’t hold onto the effort and Filip Jauk tapped home the rebound.

Another lapse in concentration put Charlotte in front just before half. The 49ers cleared a free kick deep in their defensive third. Ben Rosenblatt remained the last line of defense at midfield. The freshman mishit a pass back to Hut which Jaedon Richardson latched onto. Hut was caught in no man’s land, allowing Richardson to chip the goalie and give Charlotte a 2-1 lead.

The 49ers were more dangerous across the first 45 minutes. Yet Richardson’s attempt was Charlotte’s last shot of the game. Syracuse ramped up the pressure following halftime. McIntyre said he wanted his team to apply more pressure on the ball. Syracuse kept Charlotte locked into its defensive third, but its end product was poor before Fortier’s equalizer.

Seven minutes later, Syracuse nearly retook the lead. Elton Chifamba played a ball into Acquah, who shielded off his defender. The forward slid a through ball to Nathan Scott, who poked the ball with his toe toward goal. But Stritter got low to keep the game tied.

Scott’s attempt was one of 10 shots — 14 total — in the second half. Though the Orange couldn’t come up with a winner.

McIntyre called the draw a fair result. He felt his team did a better job of moving the ball against tired Charlotte legs and was proud of how his young team responded after falling behind. He said they’ll learn from the experience.

“We scheduled this game for a reason, and Charlotte certainly delivered on their end of the bargain and pushed us,” McIntyre said.

Published on August 30, 2024 at 1:26 am

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