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ALBANY, N.Y. — Last season, then-No. 1 Syracuse was tested by UAlbany, with the Orange eking out a 1-0 victory despite the Great Danes’ late push. Tuesday night, it was much different.

In just the fourth minute, SU grabbed the advantage right away. UAlbany goalkeeper Daniel Shannon attempted to clear, but Braedon Smith came steaming in toward the net.

The freshman intercepted the goalkeeper’s weak clearance, dribbling further before drilling the ball short-side, out of the reach of Shannon for the first tally of Smith’s career.

Five minutes later, Elton Chifamba lined up the Orange’s first corner of the evening. Chifamba found Sam Layton, who put a strong header on net, but Shannon made a point-blank save. Though Michael Acquah deposited the rebound into the back of the net to give Syracuse its earliest two-goal lead since a 6-1 win over Loyola on Oct. 22, 2022.

“For our guys to show that response on the road, I thought was terrific,” head coach Ian McIntyre said postgame.

The red-hot start powered Syracuse (4-4-3, 0-2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a 3-1 victory over UAlbany (2-8-1, 0-1-0 America East). SU snapped its second three-game winless streak, and extended the Great Danes’ winless streak to five games.

“I’m just delighted for our guys,” McIntyre said. “They’ve been close, and they keep leaving it all on the field, so to come away with a win in a traditionally tough place to play against a well-coached team, I thought we were very good tonight.”

Ander Castillo was quickly fouled in the first minute, allowing the Great Danes to generate their first opportunity of the evening. Though, the forward missed his free kick just high.

After SU took a commanding 2-0 lead, the Great Danes then had back-to-back corner kicks in the 14th minute. Yet, neither kick got anywhere near goalkeeper Tomas Hut.

The Orange continued to generate dangerous opportunities, as Carlos Zambrano gathered the ball 10 yards from midfield. He sent a long ball and led Acquah perfectly down the left sideline. Acquah cut in and fired, but Shannon dove to his left, denying Acquah a potential second goal.

Smith created another chance for Syracuse by holding back two UAlbany defenders from the ball, earning a corner kick for the Orange. Nathan Scott’s first attempt was stopped, and on his second, he rifled the ball off the side of the net.

Timo Jansen’s 20th-minute free kick attempt went right to Hut, who cut it off before any harm could be done. Two minutes later, Nassim Nouajaa flew down the middle of the field and whistled a shot, but missed well high.

Neither team gained any edge for around 20 minutes, with both sides trading sloppy neutral-zone play without any scoring chances. SU finally settled the ball up top to Layton in the 38th minute, but a failed free kick by Sachiel Ming cut the possession short.

In the 43rd minute, the Great Danes’ best chance was generated after a free kick knocked off the Orange’s wall right to UAlbany’s Zach Lind. Lind quickly attempted to get a shot off, but he forced it just wide.

UAlbany had an attempt to cut into its deficit minutes into the second half, as Nouajaa had wide open space in the middle of the field. He crept down to the top of the goalkeeper’s box, then quickly fired toward goal. Great Danes’ forward Pedro Lucas blocked the shot, thwarting the attempt.

After continued pressure from UAlbany, defender Ethan Cook chased in on a rebound in the 55th minute after a Great Danes corner kick, but the Orange caught a break. Cook was positioned offside, causing the score to be wiped away.

Syracuse caught its breath, and set up shop in UAlbany’s defensive third. The Orange worked the ball around, with nearly every SU player getting a touch. Though on its best chance to Zambrano in the box, the ball was knocked away just before he could get a shot off.

“They started winning some areas in midfield, and so we brought both Elton and Nate back on, and I thought they calmed the game down,” McIntyre said.

In the 61st minute, Daniel Burko sealed the contest for Syracuse. Ming fed through to Burko, who controlled the ball on his left foot. He drilled a perfect shot with his weaker left foot, banking it off of the far post and in.

The Great Danes continued to push the Orange in the 66th minute, with Elias Ehlin switching field directly to Lucas’ head. Yet, his header trickled wide, right into Hut’s arms.

Jansen got into the final third in the 70th minute, as he worked down the left sideline. He fired a surprising shot on Hut, but he was up for the challenge. Moments later, Dominic Bell took down Santiago Frias in the box, forcing a penalty kick.

“We showed a little bit of naivety to just give them a little bit of air and a little bit of oxygen with a penalty,” McIntyre said.

Jansen was called upon to take the kick, and cashed in. Hut dove low, but Jansen shot top middle to deposit his fourth goal of the year and end Hut’s shutout bid.

UAlbany continued to push the pace, and kept the Orange in its own end. Despite holding possession, the Great Danes could not attack scoring lanes effectively. In the 85th minute, Frias sat on the end line and passed the ball to the middle of the field. But no UAlbany player was there, and Hut corralled the cross.

Syracuse controlled the final two minutes to close out its fourth victory of the season.

“I’m very happy for our guys. The bus ride home will be far more enjoyable now, and they deserve that,” McIntyre said. “And I’m excited for them to enjoy this moment.”

Published on October 1, 2024 at 10:36 pm

Contact Nick: nsjepson@syr.edu