The Syracuse men’s soccer goalkeeper scenario seems to get more complicated by the day.

Heading into the Wolstein Classic last weekend in Columbus, Ohio, junior and two-year starting goalie Rob Cavicchia was nursing a hip injury and was listed as day-to-day. Shortly before the season opener against Penn State on Friday, SU head coach Dean Foti decided to start Robert Smith, his backup goalie who had seen only 45 minutes of action in two years, opting for inexperience over injury.

The team continues play this weekend at the Mayor’s Cup in Oneonta, N.Y. The Orange will take on Seton Hall tonight at 5 p.m. and James Madison on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The decision paid off as Smith shined in his first start, recording a shutout and three saves in a 4-0 win. He continued his solid play on Sunday, playing 79 minutes of shutout soccer against Ohio State. It appeared the goalkeeper issue had become a non-issue.

Then it got complicated.

An elbow to the back of the head on a crossing throw-in play gave Smith a bloody nose and knocked him out of the game. Cavicchia had to come off the bench – something he had never done at Syracuse – to play the last 30 minutes, despite his injury. He gave up no goals and the game ended in a 0-0 double-overtime tie.

So after the uncertainty before and during the weekend, the Orange emerged with one win, one tie and two goalies who have yielded zero goals, all coming against teams SU had gone 1-31-4 against before Friday. For Foti, Smith’s success came as no surprise, despite his inexperience.

‘He’s a good goalkeeper,’ Foti said. ‘We have every bit of confidence in him as we do any of the keepers, just like any of the substitutes on the field. We tell them that when they go in, the level can’t go down. That’s how you justify your spot on the team.’

Foti will have to choose between his two day-to-day keepers, a decision he said will once again be made shortly before gametime. Smith did not practice on Tuesday while he waited to be cleared for play by medical staff. Cavicchia was able to return to practice immediately after feeling healthy on Sunday.

‘I’m pretty good right now,’ Cavicchia said. ‘I feel almost 100 percent so I’m able to move everywhere. So there aren’t really any restrictions.’

Regardless of who gets the start tonight, the lingering question as the season progresses will be whether Smith has earned himself the opportunity to split time in net. That type of scenario would be nothing new to Foti, who said he has gone through seasons using three starting goalies.

‘You can’t really go by ‘we’re more comfortable with this guy or less comfortable with that guy’,’ Foti said. ‘At the end of the day, they’re both guys that have been here for at least a couple of years, and the players are comfortable with either one. I think it’s the same thing, like, no one gets uncomfortable when we take a starter out and put another sub into the field, so it’s kind of the same idea.’

That leaves Cavicchia and Smith, who both hail from Ontario, Canada, with the uncomfortable situation of hoping for playing time while wanting the best for their teammate at the same time. Smith has spent the last two years soaking up all the pointers he could from Cavicchia. He said that he has gained more confidence, and Cavicchia often gives him pre-game ‘chats’ that have helped him become a better goalkeeper.

Both goalies are hoping to see their respective shares of time but stressed that in the end, the team’s performance comes first.

‘As an athlete, you always want to be playing no matter what,’ Cavicchia said. ‘It’s tough to watch, but you know, I just sit there and support Rob and hope that he does well, which he did very well, and wait for my chance to get back out there.’

Published on September 8, 2007 at 12:00 pm