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Syracuse men’s soccer (4-2-3, 1-1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) dropped to No. 18 in Week 6 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Orange fell 11 spots after previously being ranked No. 7.

On Sept. 29, Syracuse fell 5-3 to No. 14 Duke. It was the Orange’s first ACC loss since Sept. 24, 2022, when they fell 1-0 to Virginia. SU struggled on the defensive end, conceding its most goals since a 5-4 loss to Louisville on Sept. 17, 2021.

Jason Smith struggled in net with multiple errors, letting in five of Duke’s six shots on target. Syracuse led 1-0 early through a Nicholas Kaloukian header before Smith conceded a penalty after tripping an attacker in the box. Nick Pariano scored the penalty and another error from Smith resulted in a second goal. Forster Ajago blocked one of Smith’s clearances, leading to an open net for the striker to put Duke up 2-1.

After going down 3-1 before halftime, Syracuse’s Gabriel Mikina scored his third goal of the season before Duke responded to make it 4-2. The Orange cut Duke’s lead back to one with a Nate Edwards goal, but the Blue Devils sealed the game when Ruben Mesalles cut off another one of Smith’s clearances to score their fifth.

The No. 18 ranking is Syracuse’s lowest since Sept. 7, 2022, when the Orange moved down to No. 24. They started out the season as the No. 1 team in the nation, holding the ranking for two weeks before their descent.