Syracuse, n.y.
In a match moved up two hours because of an arriving winter storm, the Big Green dropped a 3-0 second-round decision to eighth-seeded Syracuse at the SU Soccer Stadium. The Orange (12-3-4) used a pair of first-half goals to take command, forcing Dartmouth (9-5-5) to mount a comeback as the conditions worsened.
The match had been planned for a 2 p.m. start, but was bumped up to a noon kickoff over the weekend in anticipation of the storm. The latter portion of the contest was played with snow on the stadium’s grass surface.
“Credit to Syracuse; we knew they were going to be a good team,” Dartmouth coach Chad Riley said. “They figured out a way to get goals and good luck to them moving on. They were good.
“I’m gutted, very disappointed for the team, very disappointed for the seniors. You never like losing, but you’re never happy playing in a game you fought so hard to get to in a second half in a blizzard. That’s never what you seek out.”
Both teams had to manage their game plans with the conditions. Syracuse ended up owning a 13-7 edge in shots and 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The hosts opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Leading Syracuse scorer Chris Nanco dented the net for the Orange, beating Dartmouth senior goalkeeper James Hickok to his left for his seventh goal of the season.
The Big Green had two quick bids to equalize. Orange keeper Hendrik Hilpert (four saves) denied an Eduvie Ikoba header in the 19th minute, while Justin Donawa ripped a drive that went wide of the mark a minute later.
Syracuse doubled its advantage shortley thereafter. Sergio Camargo, who set up Nanco’s opener, scored on a pass from Johannes Pieles in the 24th minute for a 2-0 cushion.
“He’s a good player,” Riley said of Camargo.
“They do a good job of finding him in dangerous spots, and they combine well. We tried to limit the amount he got on the ball, but he got in a couple of times.”
The wind and snow picked up in intensity as the second half commenced. The Big Green’s comeback hopes were further thwarted when Camargo scored his second goal of the afternoon, turning a shot past Hickok (five saves) in the 60th minute.
Although slippery footing affected the defensive end of the field, Riley said the conditions most affected Dartmouth’s midfield.
“Anytime you’re not sure about the field, it takes a lot of the midfield stuff out,” he said. “It’s a question of how much time you can spend in your attacking third and how much time you can let them spend in your defensive third. We didn’t want to play backwards or square passes, and we did that a little bit to start. It’s not going to be as many combinations through the middle and a little bit more of a direct route to goal.”
The victory was Syracuse’s second in as many years over Dartmouth at the same stage of the NCAAs. The Orange earned a 2-1 decision in last year’s encounter.
“They obviously lost a couple of special players, but I feel like they have the same kind of trends, where they’re very good in the attacking third,” Riley noted. “They play well. They’ve got dangerous, dangerous weapons.”
The Orange will meet either Florida Gulf Coast or North Carolina in the NCAA third round.
Dartmouth, meanwhile, graduates seven players from its third successive Ivy Legaue championship squad.