Syracuse Men's Soccer is ACC Tournament Semifinals Bound

The Orange won in thrilling fashion over North Carolina on Sunday.

The No. 2 seed Syracuse is headed back to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Semifinal for the first time since 2015.

The Orange defeated No. 7 seed North Carolina 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Last year, they lost to the Tar Heels in double overtime off of a penalty kick in the 106th minute of the ACC tournament’s first round.

While the game ended in an exciting way, it did not start out so.

The first half only brought four shots, Syracuse having the majority of them. The Orange’s best attempt came in the 40th minute when sophomore Curt Calov’s corner kick found senior Abdi Salim’s head in the box, but it sailed wide.

The Orange only had one shot on goal all night, but they made sure it counted.

North Carolina’s senior Cameron Fisher’s shot in the second half was punched away by redshirt senior Russell Sheally. North Carolina’s corner was then collected by Shealy, and his eyes met with senior Levonte Johnson.

“As soon as I [saw] Russell grab the ball, I just looked at him, he looked at me, and I just sprinted,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s impressive effort and stunning finish, off of what Head Coach Ian McIntyre credits as a Shealy assist, put the Orange up with just four minutes left to play in regulation.

86’ | Johnson finishes it for the Orange.

Orange 1 - 0 UNC pic.twitter.com/ONsYYrNx06

— Sydney Staples (@sydstaples) November 7, 2022

It was Johnson’s eighth goal of the season, tying sophomore Nathan Opoku, Syracuse’s first ACC tournament win since 2019, and the first time the Orange will advance to the Semifinals since 2015.

Shealy and seniors Buster Sjoberg, Christian Curti and Abdi Salim recorded their first shutout since Oct. 7 against Wake Forest and ninth overall on the season.

It was the first time Syracuse beat North Carolina since 2019. This game represented the series’ 10th all-time meeting, still in favor of the Tar Heels, 4-2-4.

The Orange are now unbeaten in their last seven matches, and have been ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll top-10 for the past seven weeks.

Syracuse will host their first semifinal match since 2014 come Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. when Virginia comes to town for the second time this season.

Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for seniors and youth ages under 18 and free for Syracuse students with a valid SUID.

The winner will then play in the ACC Championship game at noon on Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.