Johnson Propels #4 Syracuse to ACC Semifinal

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 2 seed Syracuse men’s soccer advances to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Semifinal for the first time since 2015 as Levonte Johnson’s goal in the 86^th minute lifted ‘Cuse past No. 7 seed North Carolina in the Quarterfinals. The 1-0 victory marks Syracuse’s first ACC Championship win since 2019.

The 90 minutes was a defensive battle, as both backlines limited opportunities in the final third. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Russell Shealy and center backs Abdi Salim, Buster Sjoberg and Christian Curti combined to keep Syracuse’s first clean sheet since a 2-0 win over Wake Forest on Oct. 7.

The Orange took five shots, their lowest single-game total this season. North Carolina took four shots, as all of them were saved by Shealy.

“That was postseason, dramatic ACC action,” head coach Ian McIntyre said after the match. “To move onto the semifinal and to be able to play in front of our home fans again on Wednesday night is special. I’m very proud of this group. It’s a real privilege and honor to play in this league.”

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Neither side could find an attacking rhythm in the first half, as Syracuse’s (13-2-3, 5-1-2 ACC) midfield of Amferny Sinclair and Jeorgio Kocevski battled North Carolina’s (8-5-5, 2-2-4 ACC) Tim Schels for possession.

Syracuse’s best attacking chances in the first half came from set pieces. In the 40^th minute, a corner kick from Curt Calov found Salim in the box. The Buffalo, New York native got his head on the ball, but the shot drifted wide of the…