Men's Soccer Wins 3-2 Thriller at Syracuse

Sunday, August 23

Syracuse, N.Y.

5 PM

University of New Hampshire

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Syracuse

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
New Hampshire	0	3	3
Syracuse	0	2	2

Laurin Preuss

Photo by: Alex Miller

8/23/2026 10:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Laurin Preuss scores game winner

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Sophomore defender Laurin Preuss (Kirchheim Teck, Germany) broke a 2-2 tie with the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute to lift the University of New Hampshire men's soccer team to a 3-2 victory over ACC opponent Syracuse on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 2,144 at SU Soccer Stadium.

The Wildcats improved to 1-1-0, while the Orange fell to 1-1-0.

UNH is now 2-0-1 all-time against Syracuse. The Wildcats earned a 3-0 victory over the defending national champion Orange in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 19, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium and played Syracuse to a 2-2 draw on Sept. 8, 2019, at SU Soccer Stadium.

All five goals were scored in the second half. Trailing 2-1 with less than 11 minutes remaining, junior forward Cabot McLaren (Sugar Hill, N.H.) netted the equalizer in the 80th minute for his first collegiate goal. Junior forward David Davila (Elkhart, Ind.) gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute with his first goal as a Wildcat.

McLaren and Davila each finished with a goal and an assist for three points. The three-point performance marked the first points of McLaren's collegiate career.

THE COMEBACK. THE CELEBRATION. WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED 😤🔥#TheCollective pic.twitter.com/HqHCD11pW0
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) August 24, 2026

UP NEXT:

The home-opener for the 'Cats will be on Thursday, Aug. 27 against St. John's at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Score: New Hampshire 3, Syracuse 2
Records: UNH (1-1-0, 0-0-0 America East); SU (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC)
Location: Syracuse, N.Y. (SU Soccer Stadium)
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2026
Attendance: 2,144

BOXSCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Syracuse's Gabriel Oksanen was issued a red card in the ninth minute for a foul on junior captain Reed Cash (Hampton Falls, N.H.), forcing the Orange to play a man down for the remainder of the match.
After a scoreless first half, Davila opened the scoring in the 53rd minute (52:31), heading home a pass from McLaren from five yards out. Junior captain Max Voigt (Oberkotzau, Germany) also earned an assist on the play.

DAVID DAVILA SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON🙌

Match Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/9WyNAutfnW #TheCollective pic.twitter.com/ujjaKEXSYO
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) August 23, 2026

Syracuse answered with goals from Kristjan Fortier (70:26) and Jordan Grey (72:16) to take a 2-1 lead.
McLaren tied the match at 2-2 in the 80th minute (79:35), sending a shot from 16 yards through traffic and into the back of the net. Davila was credited with the assist.

CABOT MCLAREN TIES IT UP⬆️

Match Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/9WyNAutfnW #TheCollective pic.twitter.com/47m5i75Ru7
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) August 23, 2026

Preuss delivered the game winner less than three minutes later, blasting a shot from 30 yards out into the right side of the net in the 82nd minute (81:45). The goal was the second of his collegiate career.

WHAT A BLAST BY LAURIN PREUSS!!!!

Wildcats up 3-2!!

Match Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/VaQG8bfOJc #TheCollective pic.twitter.com/PClXfrrR3H
— UNH Men's Soccer (@UNHMSoccer) August 23, 2026

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Each team recorded 12 shots, while Syracuse held a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.
The Orange earned three corner kicks, compared to two for the Wildcats.
Sophomore goalkeeper Aaron Choi (Stow, Mass.) made two saves to earn his first collegiate win.
Syracuse goalkeeper Kyle Jansen recorded one save.

GO CATS TRAVEL:

Making the trip to cheer on the Wildcats? Book your hotel at GoCatsTravel.com — you'll get the same rate as Expedia or Booking.com, and 50% of proceeds goes straight back to UNH Athletics.