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Entering Friday’s contest, Pittsburgh had one of the highest-scoring offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Panthers averaged 2.4 goals per game, ranking third in the conference.

Pitt’s leading scorer Luis Sahmkow tallied nine goals on the year, triple the number of any single SU player’s total. The Panthers’ Guilherme Feitosa had an ACC-leading nine assists through 15 games.

Meanwhile, the Orange had allowed nine total goals across their last two games. In SU’s last game, a 6-1 loss to then-No. 3 Clemson, it was forced to play a man down for the final 75 minutes due to a red card.

But against Pitt, Syracuse was back to full strength and found the answers to slow down the Panthers.

Behind strong play from its backline, Syracuse (7-6-3, 2-4-2 ACC) earned its third shutout of the season in a 2-0 victory over No. 3 Pitt (12-4, 6-2 ACC). It marked SU’s first ranked victory of 2024 and its highest ranked win since 2022.

Syracuse allowed an early goal in its loss to Clemson, but against Pitt, it struck first. In the sixth minute, Kristjan Fortier nailed a strike from the top of the box to power SU to a 1-0 lead.

From that point, Syracuse’s defense halted any offensive momentum from Pitt. After missing the last game for a red card disqualification, Sam Layton returned to center back and anchored SU’s defense.

Freshman Chimere Omeze also took on a different role. Usually playing right center back, Omeze started on the left side, and the Panthers chose to attack his side. Though, Omeze made well-timed tackles to erase Pitt’s chances and get possession back for the Orange.

In the 10th minute, just after an Omeze steal, Pitt stole the ball back. The Panthers found Arnau Vilamitjana open at the top of the box, but SU closed down on him and forced his shot to miss high.

Syracuse’s defense propelled it to more chances on the attacking end too. In the 22nd minute, the Orange worked the ball up the field to Daniel Burko. He created an open look, dribbling past a defender, but his shot missed the mark.

Pitt challenged SU with a quick attack down on the opposite end of the field, but goalkeeper Tomas Hut left his feet for a diving save to keep the clean sheet intact.

Entering the game, Syracuse planned to use an aggressive defensive style that would utilize man-marking principles, Layton said. For most of the first half, Andre Cutler-DeJesus stayed stride-for-stride with Sahmkow and limited his chances.

Late in the first half, Pitt had two free kicks just outside SU’s box, but the Orange used their wall to keep the Panthers off the board. Sahmkow got an open chance in the 42nd minute, but with SU’s defensive pressure, he missed high of the frame as SU entered halftime ahead 1-0.

“(We were) being really aggressive from the back,” Layton said. “Everyone did a great job tracking their man, putting in tackles and just digging in.”

Two minutes into the second half, Pitt got behind SU’s backline. As Ben Rosenblatt chased down the Panther’s attack, Cutler-DeJesus ran to the center of the box and forced the cross out of bounds.

Syracuse’s strong defensive play carried up to its midfield too. In the 66th minute, Elton Chifamba stepped in front of a Pitt pass at the midfield line and passed upfield to Braedon Smith to start an SU possession.

After fighting for sustained possession, SU’s backline pressed high and drove the ball deep into Pitt’s side to create a corner kick in the 70th minute. The cross landed in the box for Omeze and he found Nathan Scott for a one-timer to double Syracuse’s lead at 2-0.

Pitt looked for a response, but Rosenblatt was instrumental in making stops in the final 10 minutes. Working against Casper Grening, Rosenblatt created a difficult angle, and Grening missed wide on a shot from close range. Rosenblatt also jumped in front to stop another shot by Grening just a few minutes later.

“(Rosenblatt) is one of the best one-v-one defenders in the team and he showed that tonight,” Layton said. “He did incredible.”

Garrett Holman, who had played in just five matches this season, also stepped up for the Orange in creating tough looks for Pittsburgh. Syracuse’s collective effort hindered Pitt all match as it held on for just its second ACC win of the season.

Published on November 1, 2024 at 11:57 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32