ITHACA — Bryan Scales hadn’t seen much of Jeff Evans or Rob Alexander.

Cornell’s men’s soccer coach had taken two trips to scout Syracuse, but Evans and Alexander merited less than a footnote each occasion.

But last night, after Syracuse’s 2-1 victory at Cornell, Scales rewrote his report. Alexander and Evans, both freshmen, scored their first career goals in the victory.

Still, the late-season scoring surge won’t help SU unless it can defeat No. 7 Connecticut this Saturday and keep its slim postseason chances alive.

‘We were a little surprised that it was those two that scored,’ Scales said. ‘You usually think about the other forwards they have, but when the (starters) went out, the guys kept coming.’

Evans broke through first, putting the Orangemen (8-7-2) ahead of Cornell (3-6-3), 1-0, in the 62nd minute. Evans, a matchstick of a forward, picked up a Guido Cristofori cross in the center of the goalie box and spotted it inside the left post.

After watching the ball brush the netting, Evans, with a mouth as wide as Pavarotti’s, took a running leap into the arms of Alexander and Alejandro Nuno on the sideline.

‘He was just yelling,’ Alexander said. ‘It felt great.’

Though Evans looked shocked, the freshman had a premonition he would break through last night.

‘I promised (Nuno) before the game that if I scored, I’d celebrate with him,’ Evans said.

After a goal by Colgate’s Andrew George tied the score at 1-1, Cristofori, the game’s most dominant player, set up another freshman goal.

Cristofori corralled a clearing attempt by defender Chris Aloisi and slid the ball past an onrushing Cornell defense to Alexander.

The Orangemen caught the Big Red in an offside trap, and Evans and Alexander approached two-on-none. Alexander fired the ball past charging Colgate goaltender Nate Dunlap, notching the game-winner.

‘For that to be his first goal, a huge finish in a 1-1 game, that shows me a lot,’ Cristofori said. ‘Kirk (Johnson) and I talked to them before the game and told them this was their time.’

It’s a good thing too. Alexander and Evans might not have been able to wait much longer.

Both forwards started the first two games of the year while Johnson and forward Jarett Park returned to playing shape. But the freshmen were held scoreless in both games.

Cristofori said in their first few appearances Alexander and Evans hung their heads after each missed scoring attempt, mumbling apologies as the team jogged back.

‘They’re starting to look comfortable,’ Cristofori said. ‘Now they know you can miss chances. Now they’re starting to fit in.’

Albeit a little late.

Soon after their two starts, Evans pulled his left hamstring. He missed two games, but the effects lingered for two months, and he failed to work his way back into the rotation. Alexander, meanwhile, was victimized by SU’s depth at forward.

Before the season began, Syracuse raved about its talented freshmen, but both Alexander and Evens were buried on the depth chart.

Last night, though, Park sat out with a strained back that wouldn’t loosen in the cold weather, forcing Alexander into the starting lineup and Evans into a major role.

‘It’s a hard thing, one of the hardest things to do,’ Syracuse coach Dean Foti said. ‘To not get consistent time and then get on the same page is very difficult.’

The freshmen admitted to difficulties in adjusting to Foti’s college offense and their new teammates.

But last night, the difficulties didn’t show. Alexander and Evans spearheaded an offense that outshot Cornell, 17-15, earned six corner kicks to the Big Red’s one and controlled the pace of the game.

‘It was tough to adjust at first, tough not to score,” Evans said. “It would have been nice to get a couple earlier. But hey, it’s better late than never.’

***

This and that

Last night’s meeting was scheduled for a week earlier, but was delayed so the Orangemen could make up a rained-out contest against Boston College.

Published on October 30, 2002 at 12:00 pm