In football terms, Syracuse’s shot total equaled two touchdowns, two extra points and two field goals.

Pittsburgh’s shot total equaled just a single extra point.

In 110 minutes — two 45-minute halves and two 10-minute overtimes — the Orange (8-4-1, 2-4-1 Atlantic Coast) defense proved spotless, keeping Pittsburgh (0-6-4, 0-5-2) to no goals and just one shot in the team’s Saturday night matchup at SU Soccer Stadium. Despite incredible scoring chances, SU couldn’t find the back of the net, and the

Orange tied a game for the first time this season.

“That was one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever played in,” SU goalkeeper Alex Bono said. “I can’t do anything about it. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to get those guys to put the ball in the net.

“That’s not a knock on them. We had great chances all game long, it’s just the balls didn’t want to go in the goal today.”

SU’s back four played with a unique lineup of Chris Makowski, Brandon Albert, Skylar Thomas and Oyvind Alseth. Syracuse’s customary left back Jordan Murrell was unavailable because he received a red card on Tuesday against Boston College, so Makowski moved to left back. After starting a few games in the midfield, Alseth returned to outside back.

Coming into the game without a win this year, Pittsburgh focused on an all-out defensive strategy against the superior Orange. The Panthers rarely sent more than two players across midfield. But when the visitors did have four of five counter attacks on the Orange, the defense got the job done.

Although Pittsburgh didn’t register a quality shot, the game actually began with the ball in the Panthers’ final third. Multiple times SU head coach Ian McIntyre yelled for his team to “push forward” and to “widen” the offense. Pittsburgh’s Ryan Myers found a cutting Chris Davis in the middle of the top of the box, but the Panthers’ forward sent a shot way wide.

The ball remained in SU’s zone, and McIntyre continued to urge his team to “move the ball” up the field and for midfielder Alex Halis to position himself in a more offensive stance.

Shortly thereafter, midfielder Juuso Pasanen intercepted a pass and sent it forward to Stefanos Stamoulacatos. The midfielder Stamoulacatos passed it off to forward Emil Ekblom, whose shot was saved by Panthers goalie Dan Lynd. Pittsburgh didn’t have any substantial offense for the rest of the night.

The Panthers didn’t register a single shot in the first half. The Orange had seven.

“Even though they’re not trying to attack, every minute of the game you’ve got to stay mentally focused and make sure that when they do attack you’re ready,” Thomas said.

Not until the 48th minute did Panthers forward Cory Werth muster a shot from beyond the box that sailed high and left of the goal.

The official scorer ruled it a shot on goal, but in reality it had no chance of beating Bono.

The Panthers pressured a few more times in the second half. Thomas made two brilliant slide tackles along the sideline, using his 6-foot-3 frame to catch up to attackers that had beat him. Albert thwarted a Pittsburgh opportunity that could have been a goal-scoring chance by intercepting a pass on a three-on-two.

“We don’t try to rely on our defense, but our defense is so solid that it gives us a little more freedom to attack,” Stamoulacatos said.

In overtime, Alseth and Makowski practically played as extra midfielders. Thomas and Albert stood on the midfield line and were only forced to retreat two or three times.

“I thought Brandon Albert and Skylar Thomas were very solid when they had to take what was thrown at them,” McIntyre said. “I thought Oyvind was outstanding again tonight in that overlapping spot, and we know what we’re going to get from Chris. He’s a warrior and he fights till the last kick of the game.”

Bono said, as he has a few times this season, that it doesn’t matter who’s playing in front of him.

“We have a lot of depth on our back four,” Bono said, “and really whoever plays in there, it doesn’t matter. … We have guys on the bench that haven’t played yet in the defense that we can put in there and they can make a difference.”

Published on October 14, 2013 at 1:23 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu