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Even with winds over 20 miles per hour, Curt Calov felt that there was nothing different about the way he played. Not even with a trip to the Final Four of college soccer and the College Cup on the line.
After his first free kick from the left side got stopped by Vermont’s Nathan Silveira, Calov kicked into the wind again, this time taking advantage of the elements, sending a curling ball toward the goal.
The wind pushed it right for Silvera. The keeper got his glove on it, but with wind affecting the ball’s trajectory, Silvera’s missed attempt at a punch let Calov’s attempt fly into the top right corner of the net, giving the Orange a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes into their Elite Eight matchup against the Catamounts.
“Nothing really changed,” Calov said of his play style in the windy conditions. “In practice we go over set pieces a lot. It was windy in practice so I didn’t think too much of it .”
The last time SU made the College Cup, head coach Ian McIntyre joked that Calov was only “6 years old.” While Calov was actually 12-years old, it had been since 2015 that the Orange made the Final Four.
To reach its second College Cup in program history, Syracuse (17-2-4, 5-1-2 Atlantic Coast) braved the cold and powerful winds to defeat Vermont (16-4-2, 5-1-1 America East) 2-1. The Orange used quick counters and low, driven shots to defeat the Catamounts and head to Cary, North Carolina, where they will face Creighton on Dec. 9.
“(We had) another match with difficult conditions,” McIntyre said. “I thought (the SU players) were awesome. They showed a lot of guts.”
The Orange pressured from the jump. An early Curt Calovs cross into the box was blocked by a Vermont defender less than four minutes into the match. A minute later, Calov lined up and fired a shot that was just right of the net.
Calov and Syracuse got their first set piece opportunity in the 10th minute on a free kick. Calov kicked into the wind and sent a low, one-bounce shot that got blocked by Silveira. On the ensuing kick, Calov’s successful ‘olimpico’ helped the Orange take a 1-0 lead with 34 minutes left in the first half.
GOAL: Curt Calov’s corner finds the back of the net. SU 1, Vermont 0. 34:14 left in the first half. @DOsports pic.twitter.com/YsJEEI6tnh
— Cole Bambini (@ColeBambini) December 3, 2022
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But just like the draw between the two sides back in September, once Syracuse scored early, Vermont bounced back with the Catamounts tallying four shots by halftime.
With 22 minutes left in the first half, the Catamounts had the winds of fortune on their side. Daniel Pacella took a weak SU clearance from the top of the 18, sending a low laser that sailed toward the left side of the net. Shealy went to one knee and looked straight to the ground, resigned to the Vermont goal. The teams were knotted at one.
However, like it had for much of the regular season, Nathan Opoku and Levonte Johnson’s reliable link-up play struck again with three minutes remaining before halftime. Opoku entered the left side of the box, gliding past his defender, Noah Egan. Opoku sent a hard cross into Johnson, who fell down as he tapped the ball past Silveira, giving the Orange a 2-1 halftime lead.
“It might have looked like heads dropped. But I would like to say we’re a very confident team,” Calov said. “It was tied up and I think no one lost faith and everyone believed we could win.”
As the winds calmed down at the start of the second half, Giona Leibold, who scored on a counter-attack goal to send the Orange to the Elite Eight, did well to latch onto Shealy’s long, low kicks into the opposing half from goal.
Lorenzo Boselli also got in on potential goal-scoring opportunities, but was called offside with 35 minutes left in the match. The Catamounts tried to get shots in the early minutes of the second half, but the Orange’s high and aggressive backline, particularly led by Olu Oyegunle, made the hard clearances.
The next batch of Catamount chances came from impressive midfield play. Vermont got a corner with just under 24 remaining in regulation, but Shealy punched the ball out of bounds.
“We tucked in our wide guys a little bit to match up with their midfield and drop the forwards in second ball situations,” Vermont head coach Rob Dow said.
The Orange’s coaching staff, especially assistant Jukka Masalin, called for the team to relentlessly make more space. And with under 18 minutes left, Opoku drew a free kick at the top of the box, resulting in a Vermont yellow card at the top of the box. Biros’ ensuing set-piece drew contact from the Catamount wall to get a corner kick.
At this point, the Orange just had to play keep away to advance. Syracuse deflected Catamount corners away and Shealy dove to collect the ball and sent it as far from the net as possible.
Nearing the final whistle, Boselli strode down the midfield with plenty of space in front. Opoku flanked Boselli on the left side, getting the open pass and shot. His strike sailed just above the top right corner of the post.
Syracuse’s bench stood for the final five minutes. Its midfielders cleared every Vermont chance and Shealy did well to punch the ball away following crosses inside the box.
During the final offensive opportunity for the Catamounts, Shealy collided with Garrett Lillie to give the Orange another goal kick. Vermont’s Camden Holbrook had a chance to draw level with 10 seconds remaining but missed.
As the clock hit zero, Syracuse rushed the pitch as it moved one step closer to the College Cup.
“That’s a team that can really compete for a national championship,” Dow said of the Syracuse team. “I’m excited to watch them as they go forward into North Carolina next week.”
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