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A bleak reality settled in for Syracuse after Jeorgio Kocevski was suspended against Boston University. The midfielder received a red card during the second half of its 3-1 ACC Tournament Semifinals loss to North Carolina, meaning he couldn’t play the opening match of the NCAA Tournament.

Kocevski — who leads the country with 12 assists — is an integral part of SU’s midfield. He’s tasked with being its main distributor in the attacking third and providing defensive stability.

In response, the Orange had to adjust their starting 11. Mateo Leveque took Kocevski’s place as the primary set piece taker. Attacker Lorenzo Boselli dropped into the midfield and Felipe D’Agostini started up top alongside Nicholas Kaloukian. Despite a slow start, Syracuse’s new-look lineup fired on all cylinders. And Leveque was the catalyst.

Down 1-0 in the 23rd minute, Leveque played a ball on the right sideline. After initiating a give-and-go with Noah Singelmann, Leveque made a run into open space and was clipped by BU’s Ryan Lau, warranting a foul. On the ensuing free kick, Leveque floated a perfectly placed ball into a scrum of SU and BU players in the box, finding the head of Kaloukian. His header ricocheted off the right post and in, equalizing the contest at 1-1.

“He was unbelievable,” Kaloukian said of Leveque’s performance postgame. “I knew when he got on the ball just to get in the box and find it. His passing is unbelievable. So, he was great tonight.”

While Kocevski is crucial to SU’s offense, Leveque filled his void by notching two assists. He helped spark a dominant evening for the midfield en route to Syracuse (9-4-7, 2-1-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeating Boston University (12-4-4, 7-1-1 Patriot League) 3-1 to open the NCAA Tournament and advance to the second round, where it awaits New Hampshire. Leveque, a transfer from Connecticut, stepped up in a major way for the Orange, replicating Kocevski’s success as a set piece taker to set them up with prime scoring chances.

Prior to when SU entered ACC play, Leveque often took corners and free kicks along with Kocevski. His playing time in those spots waned after Kocevski ascended as Syracuse’s top passer, accumulating six assists in a five-game span from Sept. 22 to Oct. 10. So, it wasn’t a surprise for head coach Ian McIntyre to turn back to Leveque, who did have the second-most assists on SU heading into Thursday (five).

“He’s been training terrific, so we knew (he could step in),” McIntyre said. “He’s been good for us this year, but I’m very proud of him having that performance for us.”

The Orange revolved their offense around their midfielders. They stretched BU by playing the ball through wing backs Nate Edwards and Singelmann, who attempted to filter possession into the box to create scoring opportunities. Leveque played as a center midfielder, typically positioned next to Singelmann on the right while moving to the left side at times.

Leveque displayed solid defense from the midfield, which gave the Orange the stability that Kocevski usually brings to the squad. During the second half, where SU was up two goals for the entire 45 minutes, Leveque helped force a multitude of BU turnovers that thwarted any opportunity of an equalizer.

On one instance in the 69th minute, Leveque was playing on the left side. Off a throw-in from the Terriers, Eitan Rosen controlled it yet was instantly halted by a converging Leveque and Daniel Diaz Bonilla. The two combined to create a takeaway as Leveque dribbled the other way. Leveque attempted to create offense once he got to the final third, until BU’s Ryan Lee won a battle for possession near the end line.

But for Leveque, it was his ability to set teammates up with pristine passing on set pieces that allowed for Syracuse to take a commanding lead.

Ten minutes after finding Kaloukian to tie it up, Leveque whipped in a corner from the right side. His left-footed boot found 6-foot-6 midfielder Josh Belluz, who towered over the Terriers’ backline. Belluz rose up and flicked a header toward the net, as it deflected off BU’s Griffin Roach and past goalkeeper Francesco Montali. Leveque’s feed provided the Orange a 2-1 lead, one they didn’t relinquish.

“He’s a good player. He’s got a good left foot,” said BU head coach Kevin Nylen about Leveque postgame. “And (Syracuse is) a big team, so you have targets and we knew that (set pieces) was going to be part of the game. And (it was) unfortunate that two of the goals came off of such.”

One minute later, SU scored again. This time, it was another goal from Kaloukian that Leveque helped materialize.

Positioned with the ball in the middle of the park, Leveque tapped a short pass to his left that found Edwards. At the same time, Kaloukian made a run upfield. Edwards saw the cutting Kaloukian and sent him a looping pass within the box. Kaloukian buried the ensuing header, putting Syracuse up 3-1 on his second score of the evening.

“Mateo played it out to me wide and I bought myself a bit of space,” Edwards said of the play. “I just heard Nick (Kaloukian) calling for it and I didn’t hesitate. I never thought twice. I knew he would get a good head on the ball.”

SU had been used to running its offense through Kocevski. He was the one spreading the ball to his teammates within the final third and also whipping feeds in off set pieces to help the Orange tack on timely goals.

McIntyre said that in the wake of his suspension, he challenged Kocevski to help Leveque and his teammates game plan before facing the Terriers. He praised his ability to take charge despite not being on the field. The results showed, as Leveque made up for Kocevski’s lost production and then some.

“We challenged Mateo,” McIntyre said. “I challenged Mateo to play both sides of the ball and I thought he did a great job. He played some of his best soccer for us tonight.”

Published on November 16, 2023 at 11:01 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews