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Lucas Watt brought a ball down after a flicked header from Lorenzo Boselli around UAlbany’s 18-yard box. Watt faced no pressure and had plenty of green grass ahead of him. Watt skipped past Nicholas Kaloukian, who couldn’t cut down the angle. The defender knocked the ball past Jeorgio Kocevski before picking his head up and dinking a ball over the top, looking for Mamadi Jiana. The UAlbany attacker made a run in behind as Jiana had a step on the SU backline.

The ball bounced at the 18-yard box before Josh Belluz recovered, going shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiana. Belluz muscled him out of the way as Jahiem Wickham scooped the ball up to avoid any further danger. UAlbany appealed for a penalty kick, but none was given.

Syracuse (3-0-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast) had to hold on in the second half against UAlbany (2-2-0, 0-0-0 America East), but the Orange’s defense stayed solid in a 1-0 win. Belluz’s recovery was one of many sequences where Syracuse’s defense was put under heavy pressure in the second half. Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said it wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Orange got the job done. Syracuse recorded its third straight clean sheet at home while holding the Great Danes to five total shots and two on target.

“We’ve got the quality that if we keep clean sheets we’ll win soccer matches,” McIntyre said. “I think that we’ve really limited them until that kind of craziness at the end.”

Like most games so far this season, Syracuse saw a lot of the ball and had to break down a low defensive line from UAlbany. As UAlbany played a deep line, it also tried plenty of balls over the top, trying to win second balls in dangerous areas and feed off mistakes from Syracuse.

In the middle of the first half, Belluz misplaced a pass that was picked off by Caleb Vallance. Vallance drove at the defense, but with limited attacking options, Buster Sjoberg and Pablo Pedregosa helped snuff out any danger.

The only time UAlbany got in behind the Orange in the first half was in the 43rd minute. Elias Ehlin controlled the ball at midfield before floating a ball for Vallance, who seemed to be offside. Vallance stopped before getting himself involved in the play. Jiana had snuck in behind Sjoberg, chesting the ball down and looking to chip Wickham. Jiana’s attempt looked to be goal-bound but glanced off the top of the crossbar.

“Jiana was sitting in that pocket pretty much all game, playing just off of those strikers,” SU defender Gabriel Mikina said. “So we (wanted) to get tight to him but (he’s a) quick player, nifty player.”

Mikina was the one to open up the scoring in the 51st minute. After a slew of Syracuse corners, Kocevski whipped the ball into the box where Mikina met it perfectly, heading the ball into the bottom left corner for his second goal of the season. It was the fourth goal scored by an SU defender this season.

Rotation on defense for Syracuse played a big part as well. The Orange started with a back three of Sjoberg, Mikina and Olu Oyegunle, but rotated in Pedregosa, Gavin Wigg and Noah Singelmann, who saw his first action of the year. Mikina said no matter who Syracuse brings in, there’s no drop in quality.

“We’re a little bit spoiled for choice back there,” McIntyre said. “We made the adjustment based on their formation to bring (in) Pablo (Pedregosa)…but we needed to bring Olu (Oyegunle’s) athleticism and pace at the end. It was a real collective shutout tonight.”

McIntyre mentioned Pedregosa was a little banged up from the Penn State game and should’ve played him fewer minutes, but noted that he performed well. Sjoberg got his first start of the year as he continues to get back to 100%. McIntyre called Sjoberg a “Rolls Royce” in the backline who calms things down with his passing. McIntyre also said that it was tough to leave Wigg out of the starting lineup, who he said has been exceptional through four games.

The last portion of the game was filled with chaos as UAlbany threw everything at Syracuse.

The Great Danes threatened in the 77th minute, trying to capitalize when Belluz slipped while dribbling the ball in Syracuse’s defensive third. Max Wilhelm drove at SU’s defense, spreading it wide to Alejandro Giner. At the top of the box, Giner cut back on his right foot and his shot went right at Wickham, who recorded a shutout in his first-career start.

Five minutes later, Jiana controlled the ball, approaching Syracuse’s final third. Already on a yellow card, Mateo Leveque couldn’t put in a challenge and risk getting sent off. Jiana skipped by him but was met by Belluz once again, who perfectly timed his slide tackle before Jiana caused any more trouble.

The Great Danes continued to push for an equalizer. In the dying moments, they won a corner. With five seconds on the clock, Giner whipped the ball that didn’t initially find a UAlbany player. At the edge of the 18, Santiago Frias fired a left-footed shot as the buzzer sounded. Kaloukian threw his body in the way blocking the shot, even though the goal likely wouldn’t have counted.

McIntyre credited UAlbany for hanging with Syracuse right until the end. He mentioned how chaotic those late-game corners and long throws can be, but he was happy with how the Orange finished things out.

“I’m very proud because maybe in other years, this becomes a 1-1 game and we’re having a different conversation,” McIntyre said. “Clean sheet when we can build on this going into Louisville on the weekend.”

Published on September 4, 2023 at 11:23 pm

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