Syracuse Moves On to NCAA Men’s College Cup Championship Game

NCAA Bracket
 
CARY, N.C. (theACC.com) – Syracuse will play in its first men’s soccer national championship game after outlasting Creighton, 3-2, in the semifinals of the 2022 NCAA Men’s College Cup on Friday evening at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. In the second game of the night, Pitt saw its tournament run come to an end in a 2-0 loss to No. 13 seed Indiana.
 
Making the second College Cup appearance in program history, the third-seeded Orange (18-2-4) will square off with Indiana on Monday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. ESPNU has the television broadcast.
 
Syracuse advanced to the title game after an intense, back-and-forth battle with Creighton (13-5-6). The Orange struck first on a Christian Curti goal in the 37th minute and took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
 
Creighton equalized in the 50th minute on Duncan McGuire goal, but Syracuse quickly grabbed the momentum back when Nathan Opoku slipped a shot past the Creighton goalkeeper just 90 seconds later. The Bluejays’ Alfie Pope again tied the game in the 64th minute and the teams traded chances over the next 20 minutes before Levonte Johnson scored the eventual game winner in the 86th, taking a beautiful cross from Opoku and tapping the ball home.
 
Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy had a big game, making six saves while facing steady pressure from the Creighton attack.
 
In the nightcap, Indiana jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the 14th minute. The Hoosiers (14-4-6) were awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box, and Pitt goalkeeper Joe Van Der Sar stopped Ryan Wittenbrink ensuing penalty kick, but Wittenbrink collected the rebound and finished for his 10th goal of the season. IU added an insurance goal with just 20 seconds remaining in the first half on a Tommy Mihalic score from a short, tight angle.
 
After winning four straight tournament games and reaching the second College Cup in school history, Pitt finishes its season with a 12-5-5 record.
 
ACC teams have won 18 NCAA men’s soccer championships, including Clemson in 2021. This marks the fourth straight season in which two ACC teams advanced to the NCAA Men’s College Cup. The ACC has had at least one conference team in the NCAA Men’s College Cup in 21 of the last 22 seasons. Sixty-three ACC teams have now reached the Men’s College Cup all-time.
 
 
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