Syracuse men’s soccer dropped its first ACC road match of the season, falling 2-0 to No. 19 Duke on Friday night.
The Blue Devils (3-0-3, 1-0-1 ACC) grabbed an early lead in the seventh minute when Jose Ortega’s shot deflected off the left post and in, with Max Simpson and Trevor Burns credited with assists.
Syracuse (2-4-2, 0-2-0) held Duke scoreless the rest of the half despite a dangerous free kick after a yellow card on Kristjan Fortier. Goalkeeper Tomas Hut kept the Orange in contention with three saves.
Duke doubled its advantage in the 78th minute as Ulfur Bjornson finished off a setup from Simpson and Thomas Vold.
The Orange were outshot 15-8, marking the second consecutive game in which they trailed their opponent in attempts. Both teams combined for 32 fouls in a physical match.
Syracuse returns to SU Soccer Stadium on Tuesday to host Central New York rival Colgate at 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.