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Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre responded sarcastically during his Tuesday media opportunity when asked about the team’s .319 shot-on-goal percentage, which ranks 201st out of 202 Division I programs.

McIntyre said that if SU’s execution on net was so poor, then it “shouldn’t even turn up to play that game,” referring to the Orange’s 1-1 tie with then-No. 21 Clemson over the weekend.

He quickly apologized for his initial remark, remembering that his grandmother used to tell him that “sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.” But McIntyre was quick to express confidence in his team’s attack.

“We’re not doing too bad if we’re the second-worst team in the NCAA with the record that we’ve had and being where we are in our league,” McIntyre said. “I think there’s a lot more than the one worse team than us that would probably love to have our attacking players.”

Only Boston College has a worse shot-on-goal percentage than No. 22 Syracuse (6-3-4, 2-1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Fifty-three of SU’s 166 shots have been on target. In 2022, the Orange averaged 1.92 goals per game for second-best in the conference. This season, SU’s inability to find the mark places it seventh with 1.62.

“I’m a stat man myself but I like our group and we don’t get too caught up in the stats part,” McIntyre said. “If we keep creating chances, I do think goals will come.”

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For the majority of the season, though, the goals haven’t come. In SU’s first two games, it had some of its best performances in terms of shot accuracy, but the Orange have struggled since.

Against Providence on Aug. 24, the Orange shot at a .615 clip in a 2-0 win. Facing Binghamton four days later, they shot with .471 accuracy en route to a 3-0 victory — their joint-highest goal total in 2023. Yet those two nonconference victories came against non-Power Five competition.

On Sept. 16, Syracuse drew 1-1 with then-No. 20 Wake Forest on the road, converting its only shot on goal. Two minutes in, Nicholas Kaloukian received a through ball from Noah Singelmann. Kaloukian fired a shot past goalkeeper Trace Alphin to give SU a 1-0 lead.

Mateo Leveque came close in the 31st minute. Controlling a throw-in, Leveque dribbled into space at the top of the 18-yard box, but sent his shot wide.

The Orange only tallied two shots in the second half. Nate Edwards missed a difficult attempt in the 60th minute and Leveque was off-target again in the 69th. However, each Syracuse attack felt rushed. On a 70th minute corner, Leveque found Kaloukian, but his header went straight up into the air and was easily controlled by Wake Forest.

Then, in the 75th minute, Wake Forest’s Sidney Paris knotted the game at 1-1 from the penalty spot. In a tight match where goals were at a premium, the Orange needed to execute on limited chances. Yet, they didn’t.

“As the game wore on in the second half, they really stretched us,” McIntyre said of Wake Forest on Sept. 18 during a media session.

Syracuse outshot then-No. 21 Duke 14-11 on Sept. 29, but the Orange ultimately lost 5-3. Although errors from keeper Jason Smith gifted the Blue Devils chances, they recorded double the shots on goal that SU did (6-3). Syracuse generated the chances to build from the back and push into midfield but once again struggled in the final third.

SU forward Lorenzo Boselli missed three shots in the opening 18 minutes. Three minutes in, he dragged a shot wide left. Later he attempted a long shot, despite having Kaloukian and Felipe D’Agostini as cross options. His effort skidded past the left post and out for a goal kick.

In the 18th minute, Edwards forced a turnover on Duke’s Forster Ajago inside the final third. He found an open Boselli. But the SU midfielder failed to test Julian Eyestone in net, rolling his attempt wide.

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After scoring four times in the opening five contests, Boselli, SU’s leading goalscorer, has cooled down. He’s notched just one goal and four shots on target in the last eight games — an encapsulation of the Orange’s poor attacking output.

“In the final third, we need to be cleaner,” Singelmann said after Syracuse’s glaring display of offensive hardships in a 2-1 loss to Temple on Oct. 10. “Because if you don’t get shots on target, you can’t really score.”

During Sunday’s 1-1 draw to then-No. 21 Clemson, Syracuse lacked attacking creativity despite an improved shooting performance. The match was Syracuse’s second of 2023 where it registered a shooting accuracy above 50%. The Orange registered four shots on target but failed to overcome another game where scoring chances were scarce.

In the 40th minute, a shot from Daniel Diaz-Bonilla hit the crossbar, which nearly made the difference. But, like it has often, Syracuse came up just short in the final third.

“I think they are the top goal scorers in the country right now,” McIntyre said of Clemson. “We’re not, but I do like who we are and who we are growing into.”

Published on October 18, 2023 at 1:26 am

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews