As Guido Cristofori’s second-half shot sliced into the net, Loyola defenders Niall Lepper and Scott Barnett each stood 10 feet from him, doubled over, struggling to catch a breath.

In Syracuse’s 2-1 victory over No. 8 Loyola (3-2) yesterday, the Orangemen (4-2) shuffled 16 players into their lineup, running around the Greyhounds’ midfield and defense.

‘In the second half we definitely wilted,’ Loyola coach Mark Mettrick said. ‘We tried to press the issue in the first half. We were tired.’

Mettrick used 18 players during the game in an effort to counteract his team’s weariness. His situation was made worse 10 minutes in when starting defender Steven Graham sprained his left ankle in a collision with SU goaltender Alim Karim.

The Orangemen’s possession-based method of play was successful early, a rarity for SU, which now has three first-half goals this year. The Orangemen completed 17 passes in the first two minutes, including a string of 11 consecutive passes on their initial possession, while Loyola touched the ball twice.

‘You want to wear another team down, especially on a hot day,’ Foti said. ‘On a hot day it’s doubly important. If you don’t have it, that means your chasing it. We tried to stress that.’

Twenty minutes into the game, SU’s bench showed that it not only had plenty of players to run at the Greyhounds, but that it could contribute as well.

Kirk Johnson assisted SU’s swift start in the 19th minute with a quick throw-in to backup midfielder Ilias Calaitzidis. The freshman danced around one defender, darted down the endline and slipped a pass across the goal mouth. Sophomore Jarett Park slid in and deposited the ball in the net, barely beating a Greyhound defender and goaltender Rob Beatty to the loose ball.

Calaitzidis’ assist was the first point from a Syracuse freshman and the first from the bench this year. More important, it forced Loyola to continuously chase the ball, trying to secure the game-tying goal.

‘We tried to press the issue early and come out after Syracuse a little bit,’ Mettrick said. ‘Then Syracuse scored first and then we were chasing the game. We ended up trying to press for 90 minutes really.’

The Greyhounds chased down the ball and, eventually, the lead in the 36th minute. MIdfielder Juliano Oliveira scooped the ball high into the air with the top of his foot. As Syracuse seniors Eric Chapman and Kevin Boyle scurried under it, they collided with Loyola’s Steven Coleman. The crash left midfielder Bill Law wide open and he placed the ball just inside the right post.

‘This was the closest we’ve come to a complete game,’ Cristofori said. ‘I wouldn’t say we even got there today. We ended the first half slow and we came out of the second half slow.’

By midway through the second half, however, Syracuse had already forced Beatty to make a pair of diving stops. And its possession game, at times, bordered on dominant.

The game-winning goal came with 15 minutes left, after freshman Jed Schenkier split the defense with a through pass. Cristofori controlled the ball between Lepper and Barnett and unleashed the ball into the net.

With an exhausted Loyola squad still pursuing, Syracuse repeatedly earned scoring chances. After allowing a corner kick, Beatty yelled in frustration for his defense to return to the box. Brian O’Connor and Nate Lyden wearily jogged into their positions while Oliveira ignored the order and maintained his position at midfield.

Despite the Orangemen’s numerous scoring chances, Loyola had a chance to tie the game in the final minute after a Mike McCallion handball. The Orangemen needed a diving save from Karim, off a swerving drive, for their first win over a quality opponent.

‘It gives us a lot of confidence,’ Schenkier said. “All week, coach has been saying ‘You guys haven’t beaten anybody. Don’t go thinking you’re the best just because you win a couple games.’ So we played a rated team and beat them.’

Published on September 18, 2002 at 12:00 pm