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Olu Oyegunle controlled Penn’s Stas Korzeniowski all match. As part of Syracuse’s man-marking defensive system, Oyengule tailed Korzeniowski when the attacker came into SU’s half of the pitch.

Less than a minute into the first overtime, with the Orange and the Quakers tied at 1-1, Korzeniowski actually held the ball within UPenn’s own zone. Regardless, Oyegunle approached the forward.

Korzeniowski tried to turn to his left with the ball in an attempt to move up the pitch, but Oyegunle came crashing down on him alongside Amferny Sinclair. The ball popped free from Korzeniowski’s possession, setting up a Giona Leibold cross and a Levonte Johnson game-winning goal. Through Oyegunle’s stop in the midfield, the Orange had the lead.

Oyegunle played in all 110 minutes of Syracuse’s (15-2-4, 5-1-2 Atlantic Coast) second round matchup against Pennsylvania (13-3-2, 6-1 Ivy League). He went up against some of the Quakers’ top attackers — Ben Stitz and Korzeniowski in particular — and shut them down in the open field throughout the 2-1 win.

While UPenn scored on a set piece, Oyegunle was critical in limiting the Quakers to send the Orange to the third round of the NCAA Tournament against Cornell. His defense also set up counter attacks during a freezing afternoon between the Orange and the Quakers.

“He’s a handful,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said of Oyegunle. “I thought he was terrific.”

Just under 20 minutes into the match, Penn tried to be aggressive against SU’s high backline. The Orange also had some early trouble making sound clearances as a wind was blowing right in the defense’s face. But Oyegunle was able to make stops despite the wind.

Once Korzeniowski entered the box on the right side of the pitch, Oyegunle lowered his shoulders and started holding onto Korzeniowski, someone McIntyre called a “direct runner.” As the attacker pushed more forward, Oyegunle knocked him to the ground, getting the ball back for SU. Immediately, he passed to Giona Leibold, who set up Jeorgio Kocevski for a chip shot on the other end of the field.

McIntyre said that Oyegunle did a good job of connecting passes through the midfield. But he also pointed out that the Orange would cough up the ball at the same place in the pitch, particularly in the first half.

“As aggressive as our guys played, you want to win,” McIntyre said. “But sometimes the best thing you can do is try to be patient.”

Oyegunle’s role in the Orange’s man-marking system frustrated the Quakers all game.

“Their defending has some unique setups,” Pennsylvania head coach Brian Gill said of the Orange’s defense. “They trust their strength and athleticism to take plays away from us.”

Oyegunle would also go after attackers like Stitz, who led the Ivy League in both goals and points this season. After a Leibold attack fizzled out with 15 minutes left in regulation, Stitz attempted to set up a counter. But Oyegunle followed Stitz, and just like with Korzeniowski in the first half, he tackled him hard, causing the attacker to fall to the turf.

In the last 10 minutes of the second half, Oyegunle had to stop Stitz again after Sinclair nearly got called for his second yellow card of the game for hitting Aaron Messer. Stitz was set up with a free kick just above the 18.

Stitz had sent three low balls on set pieces earlier in the match, so he got a little more elevation on his fourth free kick. But Oyegunle, standing in the middle of the five-person Syracuse wall, got his head on the shot, ricocheting the ball up and over Russell Shealy’s net.

“He did a good job being physical and really applied pressure,” Shealy said of Oyengunle.

Oyegunle’s most important stop came within the first minute of overtime, setting up Johnson’s sixth game-winning goal of the season to set the Orange up with a date with Cornell.

Throughout the season, Oyegunle had gotten some of the criticism from his head coach during matches. McIntyre would harp on players like Oyegunle, telling him to move up or not foul an opposing player.

In Syracuse’s opening game of the season against Iona, the sophomore defender had been giving balls away to the Gaels and he had struggled to keep up with Iona’s attackers. It prompted McIntyre to frustratingly shout one simple line to Oyegunle late in the second half.

“Olu can you please do your job,” McIntyre screamed from the sidelines.

But three months later, McIntyre, standing in that exact same spot, changed his tune. Korzeniowski charged into the box, looking to give the Quakers a 2-1 lead. Oyegunle grabbed on Korzeniowski’s jersey and made two quick steps to box him out from the ball. He kept Korzeniowski away from the ball for just enough time to give SU a goal kick.

And from the bench, McIntyre turned to him and exclaimed, “Well done, Olu!”

Published on November 20, 2022 at 6:42 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com