Nick Roydhouse stood near Cincinnati’s goal with his head in front of the faces of the Cincinnati goalkeeper and a few Bearcat players. With the game tied and UC on the verge of losing its cool, Roydhouse went to a tactic he’s used multiple times this season — getting inside his opponents’ minds.

‘There’s no need for me to stand in front of him,’ Roydhouse said, ‘but it helped slow the game down. It got them losing their heads.’

Roydhouse knew Cincinnati could crack at any second. Moments earlier — in the 50th minute — the Bearcats bench was issued yellow and red cards. The referee told a Cincinnati assistant to ‘be quiet or you’re leaving.’ The assistant chose the latter. In a game in which Cincinnati failed to keep its cool and unraveled in the second half, Syracuse (3-10-1, 1-5-1 Big East) maintained composure to pull away for a 4-2 win.

Following the confrontation in front of the goal, Roydhouse again remained cool midway through the second half. After getting tangled with Cincinnati’s Matt Remaley, Roydhouse received a free kick. There he stood at midfield, hands on his hips, waiting patiently to take the kick while Remaley argued with the referee.

Syracuse’s patience would pay off just minutes later when SU forward Lars Muller scored the first of his team’s three straight goals. It was a game that featured two bottom-dwelling teams in desperate need of points in the Big East’s Red Division.

Tensions were high, and the Bearcats committed 13 fouls on the night compared to only seven for SU.

‘They were like us,’ SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. ‘At this time, there’s a few teams scrapping for the final couple of playoff spots, and the team winning this game realized they would get a step up on the remaining two games. And now, it’s been a while, but we finally get ourselves off of the bottom of the Red Division.’

With both teams going scoreless in the first half and then trading goals early in the second half, another stalemate seemed imminent. But while the Bearcats succumbed to their emotions, SU countered with focus and an unusual burst of offense unseen in McIntyre’s tenure.

With the game tied 1-1, junior midfielder Mark Brode entered the game in his first action since spraining his ankle against Pittsburgh on Oct. 1. Brode provided a veteran presence that would aid SU in its run of three straight goals. His experience in Big East play helped SU keep its cool during a run when the Orange completely demoralized Cincinnati, McIntyre said.

‘Coach tells us in the beginning we have to be classy soccer players,’ Brode said. ‘So I think that probably helped. We weren’t getting crazy when we were tied 1-1. We were a better side, and we could have easily kind of snowballed by not playing our game against a team like that. But we ended up pulling it out.’

Being up in the game certainly didn’t hurt. Despite having played just 48 hours earlier in a weather-delayed game against Rutgers, SU was able to put the loss to the Scarlet Knights aside and make the Bearcats appear to be the more tired team.

With more than a one-goal lead, SU played with confidence. The Orange wasn’t looking for ways to score a goal. It wasn’t in desperation mode. Syracuse was able to turn the tables on Cincinnati and make the Bearcats lose their composure.

‘We tried really hard to keep our heads and not get involved in what they were doing,’ Roydhouse said. ‘And at the end of the day, you don’t act like that if you’re winning and if you’re playing well. That’s what the difference was. We were playing good and were on top of them. And that’s why they were getting frustrated.’

Toward the end of the game, with SU up 4-2, there was another scuffle, this time in front of the Syracuse net. But for the Orange, it wouldn’t matter. SU proved its ability to take over a match with its strong play rather than uncontrolled emotion.

And for Roydhouse, his acts of messing with the opposing team are all in good fun. So long as it keeps his team fired up and frustrates the opponent.

‘It’s just to annoy them,’ Roydhouse said. ‘It’s nothing personal. I still shook their hands after the game and wished them well.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

Published on October 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu