In a season of twists and turns, Syracuse opens postseason play on Wednesday night against unranked Pittsburgh in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The No. 7 Orange (10-3-3, 3-2-3 Atlantic Coast) tied second-ranked Wake Forest last Friday, 1-1, to secure the ACC tournament’s No. 5 seed. Pittsburgh is the No. 12 seed.

The ACC tournament ends No. 13 and the NCAA tournament kicks off Nov. 19.

Here are five things that could make the difference between an early exit and a trip to next month’s College Cup in Houston.

1. Scoring first

The surefire way for Syracuse to win: Score early. The Orange is 8-0 when it scores two or more goals and 7-1-1 when it scores in the first half. When SU doesn’t score in the first half, it’s only 1-2-3.

About 70 percent of Syracuse’s scoring comes from inside the 6-yard box, according to SU head coach Ian McIntyre. Close chances on goal early in the game set the tone. Games are decided early and preserved late.

If the last four games are any indication, Syracuse can hang with the best. But to pull away with a win, it’ll need to score.

2. Long-awaited breakout?

Last year, Julian Buescher and Ben Polk ripped apart opponent defenses, scoring in almost every game. Ten weeks into this season, there’s still questions as to whom Syracuse can rely on for scoring. Early on, it was a bevy of newcomers. It’s been that way of late, but should Syracuse maintain its defensive consistency the rest of the way, the offense will need to pick up the slack.

The Orange could wind up advancing or going home on penalty kicks after a low-scoring affair in regulation and overtime. Regardless, who will step up and give the Orange a stable option?

Chris Nanco’s 44 shots rank fourth in the conference but the senior forward hasn’t scored since Sept. 9 — the longest drought of his career. Over the last four seasons, Syracuse is 15-0 in games Nanco scores. A breakout from him could lift the Orange to victory.

Kamal Miller, Mo Adams, Sergio Camargo and John-Austin Ricks all have scored recently. Since their early-season outbursts, Johannes Pieles and Kenny Lassiter have not scored Sept. 13 and Sept. 16, respectively.

3. Defensive consistency

At the core of Syracuse is its defense. The unit ranks atop college soccer in two main defensive categories: 10th in goals against average (.59) and tied for eighth in shutout percentage (.56).

The Orange came out in a four-man back at Hartford, and while it’s unlikely that’ll happen again, it can’t be ruled out. Syracuse showed at Hartford and home against Wake Forest, when Miles Robinson went down with a red card in the sixth minute, that it can deviate from its standard 3-5-2 just fine.

Kamal Miller, this week’s ACC Defensive Player of the Week, has shined this year in shutting down opponents’ top threats. His defensive lapse cost SU in a one-goal loss to Louisville, but he has proved to be one of the ACC’s best backs.

4. Weather

Cold and sometimes wet weather are in store.  Warmer weather favors SU’s offense, and SU needs any advantage it can get.

Syracuse’s 2015 final four run included a handful of games in cooler temperatures, but this year is expected to be one of the coldest Novembers in Central New York in recent years. If Syracuse secures a high seed in the NCAA tournament, it could play games in less-than-ideal conditions at home. Add rain or snow into the mix and offense could come at a premium, like it did in SU’s scoreless tie against North Carolina last month.

Slickness favors the defense, already Syracuse’s strength. Where it would hurt SU is offensively. Players can skid the ball more on a wet and faster field, but first touches easily slip from possession. Steady wind can lessen players’ tendencies to kick the ball in the air and force them to work short passes rather than longer balls in space.

5. Home field advantage

It’s not as big an advantage as you see in other sports, but the ACC’s top teams have dominated at home this year — Syracuse included. The Orange is undefeated at SU Soccer Stadium and has not lost at home in its last 15 games dating back to last season. On the road this year, Syracuse is only 3-3-1, including a 2-1 upset loss to unranked Albany.

Published on November 2, 2016 at 12:20 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21