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Michael Suski dodged past a Colgate defender, driving toward the penalty box early. Nicholas Kaloukian knew exactly where he had to be in that moment, remembering that Suski likes to cross it into the second-six yard box. Kaloukian got into the proper position to receive the pass, slotting a shot past a diving Andrew Cooke for the game’s first goal.

“I just happened to be in the right spot,” Kaloukian said.

The Michigan transfer’s goal in the 12th minute was all No. 18 Syracuse (5-2-3, 1-1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) needed in its 1-0 win over Colgate (3-7-1, 1-2-1 Patriot League). SU controlled the pace of play throughout, notching 13 shots to Colgate’s five. Gabriel Mikina, Buster Sjoberg and Pablo Pedregosa stayed strong in front of goalkeeper Jahiem Wichkam, who kept his second clean sheet in as many starts this season.

The Orange turned defense into offense in the second minute. Sjoberg and Mikina worked to get the ball outside, eventually finding Lorenzo Boselli for an errant header attempt. Minutes later, the defensive duo found a cutting Nate Edwards toward midfield, but the Raiders forced a quick turnover.

After defender Dale Lepper blocked another attempt from Boselli, Kaloukian took the next flurry of attempts. The forward received a header from Edwards in the box, but his ensuing shot went just over the bar. Not even a minute later, Kaloukian pounced on a Colgate goal kick, but afterwards fired his shot right at Cooke. One minute later, the sophomore earned a third scoring opportunity, deflecting a pass from Suski into the back of the net .

“If we’re creating chances for (Kaloukian), I think he’s going to be scoring goals. …Nick’s here to score goals, and it was a terrific cross. To get into those areas, I’m very pleased for him,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said.

Kaloukian complemented his goal-scoring with defensive pressure, forcing another Raiders turnover in their defensive half. Boselli had another shot blocked two minutes later, but Suski gathered the rebound, but once again fired a shot right at Cooke.

In addition to the scoring chances, the Orange could not capitalize on any of their five corner kicks in the first half. Jeorgio Kocevski served two balls into the box in the 20th minute, which Colgate defenders easily deflected away. Cooke made a flying save on SU’s fourth attempt after Kaloukian knocked the ball into the air, and Belluz headed it toward the net. Finally, Kocevski found an open Pedregosa in the box, whose header missed far to the left.

Despite multiple missed chances, Syracuse’s defense kept Colgate’s offense quiet. In the 23rd minute, Raiders midfielder Adam Fam flew down the field after a long ball, but Pedregosa and Sjoberg chased him down and forced an errant shot. Later, a Belluz slide tackled Colin Hughes near the box forced another empty trip for the visitors. Sjoberg helped get the ball to Wickham to stop another attack, and then Mikina deflected a pass out of bounds as the halftime buzzer sounded.

“I think our back three of (Pedregosa, Sjoberg and Mikina) were terrific tonight. When we had the ball so much, it was just making sure we didn’t give them one opportunity. I think we managed the game well,” McIntyre said.

The Orange continued to dictate the pace in the second half, nearly scoring a second. Straight from the kickoff, Boselli earned a prime scoring chance. The attacker’s shot went just off-target to the left, then teammate Noah Singelmann smashed a shot directly at Cooke, who made his third save of the night. In the 55th minute, Kocevski opted to tap a pass to Singelmann on a free kick, who then found Edwards out wide. Pedrogosa worked into the box, but his header was off target.

The Raiders countered with a few dangerous second-half attacks of their own. In the 57th minute, Liam Winograd headed a free kick down to Timmy Donovan, whose shot deflected off Wickham’s body. Three minutes later, Fam received a pass on the run in Syracuse’s box before clanging a shot off the right post. Alejandro Coury gained momentum down the right sideline, but Edwards knocked away his cross, resulting in a corner. Boselli stepped in front of Fam on the attempt, guiding the ball to safety.

“(Colgate) made it difficult for us. When we didn’t score that second goal, we kind of kept them in it. You always worry that there’s going to be a chance in the second half,” McIntyre said.

In the 73rd minute, quick passing by Kocevski, Belluz and Edwards set up Daniel Diaz Bonilla with a header that missed just right. With his back to the net, Kaloukian swiftly turned around and launched a shot that Cooke collected inside the right post. Felipe D’Agostini weaved through a slew of Raiders defenders with a handful of nifty moves, but Diaz Bonilla sailed his shot over the bar.

A turnover late on from Kaloukian gave Colgate one final opportunity. Belluz ran down Hughes and got shoved in the back after stealing the ball away, erasing any chance for a Raiders comeback.

“We could have had a little bit more quality in the final third, but one goal was enough tonight,” McIntyre said.

Published on October 4, 2023 at 12:03 am