ITHACA, N.Y. — After Syracuse earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, SU goalkeeper Alex Bono knew his team still had more to accomplish. It was the Orange’s second-ever NCAA tournament appearance – and first since 1984 – but Bono wasn’t ready for the season to end.

“At first your name pops up and you’re excited and happy to be in,” Bono said. “But the main message from Coach (Ian McIntyre) was that you can’t be content with getting in. You have to do something in the tournament to really make a mark on the season.”

That’s exactly what Syracuse (13-6) did with a 1-0 win over Cornell (15-2) in the first round of the NCAA tournament Thursday night at Berman Field in Ithaca, N.Y. Behind a stellar performance by Bono and the SU defense, the Orange pulled the upset for its first NCAA tournament win in program history. Syracuse now travels to Richmond, Va., to face No. 14-seed Virginia Commonwealth in the second round Sunday Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.

“I felt that, on a pretty cold night, it was an exciting soccer match,” McIntyre said. “I’m very proud of our guys to come to a difficult environment and eke out a result tonight.”

The result was possible thanks to Lars Muller’s goal in the 10th minute. The senior forward saw teammate Tyler Hilliard with the ball near the right sideline, burst toward the box and corralled a pinpoint pass. After his first shot was deflected, Muller placed the rebound in the top right corner.

Muller grew frustrated throughout the waning stages of the season, as he was limited with a groin injury during the final months. After weeks of rehab, though, he was finally healthy – just in time for the postseason.

His training paid off with his decisive goal in Syracuse’s landmark victory.

“I put a lot of effort in to get back on the pitch,” Muller said. “Now I was back on the pitch, and I scored the winner in a national tournament game. It’s just great for me.”

Following Muller’s early goal, Syracuse fended off a slew of Cornell attacks throughout the game to preserve the program-defining win. Cornell’s dynamic offense didn’t make things easy for the Orange, yet SU held on for the victory, thanks in large part to Bono.

Despite constant pressure from Cornell’s explosive offense and frequent heckling from a rambunctious, overflowing crowd, Bono thwarted a slew of Big Red attacks, particularly in the final minutes.

With less than two minutes to go, Big Red defender Jake Rinow had a small window to unleash a cannon in the direction of the net. Bono dove to his left, as the ball flew just right of the goalpost.

Moments later, Cornell goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer sprinted downfield as a last resort, his team needing one goal to keep its season alive.

Pflasterer almost delivered the equalizer.

He headed the ball forward and it was loose for a few seconds. Cornell forwards Daniel Haber and Tyler Regan jockeyed for position, but Syracuse defender Jordan Murrell cleared the ball in the nick of time.

Cornell controlled possession for much of the game, yet the Syracuse defense and Bono calmly turned away each attempt.

“Another great game from Bono,” Syracuse midfielder Ted Cribley said. “Another clean sheet. In the last five minutes they got a lot of bodies in the box and it was difficult. Overall, a great performance from the back four and Bono as well.”

McIntyre said he is proud of his team for battling and coming away with the momentous win. He gave credit to Cornell, but said his team flourished in a game with high stakes.

“For me personally I’m just very proud of this group of young men,” McIntyre said. “They put their bodies on the line.

“I asked them to enjoy it. I’m not sure if they enjoyed it, but they certainly left everything out there.”

Published on November 16, 2012 at 12:14 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass