In the 68th minute of Syracuse’s 1-0 loss to Maryland on Oct. 26, defender Oyvind Alseth sent a free kick on net that clanked off the right goal post and deflected aside.

A few days later, SU head coach Ian McIntyre said he chastised Alseth, in jest, for not being able to control the shot enough to have it deflect in the opposite direction and into the goal.

“If he can improve that by about two or three inches, that would help,” McIntyre joked.

That is the kind of season it has been for Alseth, the freshman right back who has started all 17 games for the Orange (10-6-1, 3-6-1 Atlantic Coast) and is second on the team with four assists. His play has been so exceptional that the only thing McIntyre has to nitpick is the direction in which one of his free kicks ricocheted.

“I think he’s already demonstrated that he’s one of the better right backs in our conference,” McIntyre said. “And that’s saying a lot.”

While Syracuse freshmen Emil Ekblom, Alex Halis and Chris Nanco are the top three point scorers on the team and were each named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Men’s Freshmen Top 100 list, Alseth has quietly been one of the Orange’s most consistent players.

“They’re getting a lot of credit, but they’re also scoring goals to help us win games,” Alseth said. “I’m not a guy that strives to get the credit for winning games. Of course it’s hard to win games from the defense. You can play a good game with nobody even noticing.”

As a freshman, Alseth is the youngest defender on an otherwise all-junior back line. Regardless, the Norwegian has been a major component of a defense that has paved the way for goalkeeper Alex Bono to share the ACC’s lead in shutouts.

Alseth has also started a few games in the midfield. In the 105th minute of SU’s game against Binghamton on Oct. 1, Alseth capped a spectacular performance with a 30-yard strike that set up Halis’ game-winning goal.

After the team’s 2-1 overtime win that night, midfielder Nick Perea called Alseth one of the best players on the entire team.

“He’s a quality soccer player,” McIntyre said. “He’s a specialist right back, but he also played in the midfield when he was younger. He’s a good soccer player and when asked, he did very well in there.”

Three days later against North Carolina State, Alseth slotted a through pass into the box for Ekblom, who beat the goalkeeper for his third goal of the night.

Against Albany on Oct. 22, Alseth sent a corner kick into the box that was directed off the head of Juuso Pasanen into the far right corner of the net. The goal gave the Orange a 1-0 advantage after not being able to capitalize on eight shots and seven corner kicks in the first half.

“He’s great with his feet, great technique and he sees the field really well,” junior defender Chris Makowski said. “I expect a lot of things from him because of the level he’s played at.”

Alseth said the major difference between Norwegian and American soccer is playing two games every week. But with the help of junior defenders, especially Jordan Murrell, he has gotten used to American collegiate soccer.

Not only has Alseth seamlessly fit into the Syracuse lineup, but he has also become a mainstay and someone the team relies on to contribute strong defense on a nightly basis.

Said Makowski: “If he keeps his fitness up and keeps doing things right, I think he’ll be a crucial part of our team (for the next few years).”

Published on November 6, 2013 at 2:33 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu