Men's Soccer

Syracuse men’s soccer backup goalkeeper Austin Aviza announces transfer to Connecticut

Daily Orange File Photo

Avisa started the first nine matches for Orange his freshman year.

Syracuse backup goalkeeper Austin Aviza will transfer to Connecticut, he announced via Instagram on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore did not appear in any games last season for an Orange unit that finished the 2016 campaign at 12-4-4 before losing to North Carolina in the Sweet 16.

Hard to leave Cuse but excited for the future, UConn 2019 ⚽️?

A photo posted by Austin Aviza (@austinaviza) on

For the first half of the 2015 season, Aviza was at least a temporary solution to the Alex Bono void. As a freshman, Aviza started the first nine matches of Syracuse’s 2015 season, recording three shutouts with a 0.97 goals-against average. His final game was a 2-0 shutout against Colgate on Sept. 29, 2015. He did not see the field again in SU’s next 34 matches spanning the next one and a half seasons.



Fellow sophomore goalie Hendrik Hilpert tore his quadricep before the 2015 season, forcing him to miss most of the preseason and start of the season. When healed, Hilpert was named the starting goalie against Duke on Oct. 2, 2015. At the time, Aviza told The Daily Orange he had “no clue” if or when he’d start again.

“Maybe the easy decision is to go with Austin, but I have a lot of faith in both of our goalkeepers,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre told The Daily Orange in October 2015. ” … The only way you’re ever going to get an opportunity is to play.”

Hilpert has held the starting position ever since. His 11 shutouts in 2016 topped the Atlantic Coast Conference and his 0.55 goals-against average ranked third.

Aviza is Syracuse’s first player to transfer this offseason and joins Miles Robinson and Chris Nanco, two likely picks at this weekend’s Major League Soccer SuperDraft, among players who will not return to SU next season.





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