On Monday night, the pain, the beauty, the despair and the glory of a penalty shootout came to life at Wakemed Soccer Park. Syracuse defeated Indiana State after 110 minutes of back-and-forth football.
Here’s a shot-by-shot summary of the shootout:
| Indiana | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Wittenbrink ✅ | Boseli ✅ |
| Hender Long ❌ | Kochevsky ❌ |
| Mihalik ✅ | Karov ✅ |
| server ✅ | Singelmann ✅ |
| Maher ✅ | Biros ✅ |
| Bezela ✅ | Rauch ✅ |
| Helmer ✅ | Johnson ✅ |
| Gumball❌ | Sinclair ✅ |
Both goalkeepers met the second penalty they faced, deflecting them and making an early presence. What followed was a textbook round of penalty kicks. It blew into the top corner, slammed into the side netting, and went past the keeper who guessed the wrong way. With his kick in the third sudden death, Russell Seeley, the Syracuse keeper and his College Defensive Player of the Cup, gave the team a decisive and championship-winning spot from his captain Anferny Sinclair. He set up a kick for Maulune and stuffed his Gombale.
🏆 CHAMPION!!!! #MCollegeCup X @CuseMSOC pic.twitter.com/PKlC8xH9Fg
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 13, 2022
Orange was the right way to win the program’s first national championship, and the end-of-season storybook that started in Syracuse opted to move closer to the bottom of the ACC, with no one this team in the title factor. Four months later, with a school-record 19 wins, Orange stands alone at the top of the men’s college soccer mountain.
Forward Nathan Opoku was central to the win, once again involved in multiple goals during regulation as they beat Creighton in the semi-finals. His goal was a flash of his technical brilliance, beating his two defenders with quick feet before turning his one upper corner with his left foot. He then turned another defender before looping one into Kurt Kalov’s pass to score his second goal. Opoku won the College Offensive Player of the Year award in his Cup where he scored two goals and he scored two assists.
Syracuse vs. Indiana: Highlights from the 2022 Men’s College Cup Championship
The Hoosiers leave Cary, North Carolina as runners-up for the second time in three seasons. After fighting back from a one-goal deficit twice during regular time, the defeat was even more painful. Missed chances and defensive mistakes made play in their minds all through the offseason, but this team, this program, will no doubt be heard again in the near future. To wait for the second star, we have to wait another year.
In the meantime, the U.S. Championship trophy is heading to a brand new home in upstate New York.
Let the celebration begin 💍#DareToDream pic.twitter.com/NxJIMukTZB
— Syracuse Men’s Soccer (@CuseMSOC) December 13, 2022
