HAMILTON, N.Y. – A trio of Orange players recorded their first collegiate goals to lead the 20th-ranked Syracuse men''s soccer team (1-0-0) to a 4-0 victory against Colgate (0-1-0) on Friday, Aug. 30 at Van Doren Field. Freshmen Emil Ekblom (2), Alex Halis (1), and sophomore Noah Rhynhart (1) combined for SU's four goals.

"Tonight was a great way to start our season," said Orange head coach Ian McIntyre. "We can do better, but it is always nice to get a shutout to begin the year. I was impressed by the production from the younger guys as well."

The Raiders were the aggressors early in the match, creating two chances in the opening minutes. However, an offsides call thwarted the initial opportunity and Colgate forward Geinda Smith's shot went wide in the seventh minute.

SU's first scoring opportunity came in the 10th minute when a Stefanos Stamoulacatos corner-kick service found the foot of Ekblom, but the rookie's shot went wide.

The Orange would not be denied much longer.

With the first half winding down, junior Jordan Murrell sent a ball into the box from the left side and Halis capitalized, heading the ball into the net for the Orange's first goal of the season. The tally gave the visitors a 1-0 advantage at the intermission.

In the the second half, the Orange continued to impose themselves on the game. The team's persistence finally paid off with three goals in less than eight minutes. In the 69th minute, Rhynhart collected a loose ball at the top of the Colgate box and rifled it past Raiders' goalie Liam Stapleton for his first career goal. Less than a minute later, Ekblom gathered a through-ball from Nick Perea and scored his first SU goal to give the visitors a 3-0 advantage. Another Eklbom strike off of a sensational cross from classmate Oyvind Alseth in the 76th minute closed the scoring barrage.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Bono earned the victory between the posts, making one save to record his 11th career shutout.

Stapleton stopped three shots for Colgate before being replaced late by Christian Quinttus.

Syracuse outshot the Raiders, 16-6. The Orange also held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

The Orange returns to the pitch on Monday, Sept. 2 to host Hartwick in its home opener. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. a the SU Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.

Match Notes: Syracuse has won three of the last four against Colgate and has outscored the the Raiders 10-0 the last two years … The Orange improved to 40-34-5 all-time in season-opening games …In the last nine years, Syracuse is 6-3 incampaign starters ... SU is now 223-16-7 all-time when scoring at least three goals in a game, including 36 straight wins … Junior back Skylar Thomas started and played all 90 minutes in his first game since Sept. 29, 2012 when he suffered a broken foot that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2012 season.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys

Midwest High School Roundup - Nov.