#8 Wildcats Advance to Round of 16 with 3-0 Win over Defending National Champs Syracuse

Sunday, November 19

Durham, N.H.

2 PM

University of New Hampshire

13-2-4, 4-0-3

Syracuse

9-5-7, 2-1-5

Syracuse

New Hampshire

Photo by: Katharine Hamel

#8 Wildcats Advance to Round of 16 with 3-0 Win over Defending National Champs Syracuse

11/19/2023 5:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

UNH will take on No. 9 seed Clemson or Charlotte at Wildcat Stadium on Sunday at 5 p.m.

By: UNH Wildcats

DURHAM, N.H. – Three different Wildcats scored as the No. 8 seed University of New Hampshire men's soccer team defeated defending national champions Syracuse, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 2,750 at Wildcat Stadium in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the win, the Wildcats advance to the Round of 16 and will play No. 9 seed Clemson on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium on ESPN+. Tickets are on sale now at UNHWildcats.com/Tickets.

The Wildcats improve to 13-2-4, while Syracuse concludes the season 9-5-7.

This is the third time in program history that UNH will be playing in the Round of 16. UNH also made the Round of 16 in 2017 and 2021.

Score: New Hampshire 3, Syracuse 0
Records: UNH (13-2-4); Syracuse (9-5-7) 
Location: Durham, N.H. (Wildcat Stadium) 
Date: Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023  
Attendance: 2,750

BOXSCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

The 'Cats took an early lead in the sixth minute (5:52) when sophomore Taig Healy (South Hampton, N.H.) slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net from the top right of the box. Grad student Georgios Koliniatis (Athens, Greece) and grad student Liam Bennett (Concord, N.H.) were each credited with an assist.

Taig Healy scores first to put the 'Cats in the lead! Match Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/OYPxQQv1eI Watch Live on ESPN+ ➡️https://t.co/EEG5cd8WwM#NewEraSharedPurpose pic.twitter.com/t0tT2385x5
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) November 19, 2023

in the 37th minute (36:44), grad student Dylan Maxon (Clifton Park, N.Y.) received a deflected ball in the middle of the box and fired a shot into the ride side of the net to extend UNH's lead to 2-0. Junior Ibrahim Conde (Montreal, Quebec) was credited with the assist.

Dylan Maxon scores his first collegiate goal to make it a 2-0 game! Match Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/OYPxQQv1eI Watch Live on ESPN+ ➡️ https://t.co/EEG5cd8WwM#NewEraSharedPurpose pic.twitter.com/bR8SH7ENcm
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) November 19, 2023

In the 61st minute (60:33) grad student Eli Goldman (Minneapolis, Minn.) received a cross from sophomore Isaac Heffess (Brookline, Mass.) in the box and blasted the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 3-0. Grad student Atila Ashrafi (Cologne, Germany) was also credited with an assist.

Eli Goldman makes it a 3-0 game to extend the 'Cats lead! Match Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/OYPxQQv1eI Watch Live on ESPN+ ➡️ https://t.co/EEG5cd8WwM#NewEraSharedPurpose pic.twitter.com/D4kHI3Sfmb
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) November 19, 2023

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

The Wildcats kept the Orange off the scoreboard as UNH outshot Syracuse, 9-4, while the Wildcats tallied four shots on goal and the Orange took one.
UNH took four corner kicks, while Syracuse posted two.
Grad student Joseba Incera (Santurtzi, Spain) recorded one save to post his sixth shutout of the season and improve to 11-2-3.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE: 

UNH is now 5-6-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats are 2-2-2 all-time in the Second Round, making it to the Third Round in 2017 and 2021.
UNH is 5-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament at Wildcat Stadium.
UNH is 61-4-9 all-time at Wildcat Stadium, outscoring the opposition, 146-28.
The Wildcats have outscored the opposition 36-12 this season.
UNH is 1-0-1 all-time against Syracuse.