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ALBANY, N.Y. — Syracuse entered Tuesday’s match at UAlbany without its top striker.

Nicholas Kaloukian, who had scored two goals and started the first 10 games of 2024, was suspended for yellow-card accumulation after he picked up his fifth of the season in SU’s 2-1 loss to Wake Forest Friday.

Syracuse was going to need to look elsewhere for production at the No. 9 spot.

In Kaloukian’s place, SU saw immediate dividends from two players who notched their first goals of the season. Freshman Braedon Smith opened the scoring in the fourth minute on a misplay out of the back by the Great Danes. Five minutes later, transfer Michael Acquah grabbed a second score to spearhead a 3-1 Syracuse (4-4-3, 0-2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) win over UAlbany (2-8-1, 0-1-0 America East) Tuesday.

Smith, a freshman from New York City, has played in all 11 of SU’s matches this season but was handed his third start versus UAlbany. He didn’t take long to make an impact.

The ball rolled to UAlbany goalkeeper Daniel Shannon, but he failed to gather it, spilling it in front of the net. After a soft clearance by UAlbany, Smith corralled the ball on the left outside of the 18-yard box. He saw an opening at the near post and snuck his shot to Shannon’s right.

“I took a touch, and then I saw an opening,” Smith said. “So I took my chance, and it went in.”

Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre praised Smith for his strong finish and his ability to see the opening in the net and get his shot off quickly.

“(I’m) so delighted for Braedon,” McIntyre said. “Our freshmen were terrific and they have good moments, and they have moments where they’ve got to learn.”

Another newcomer, Acquah, a junior transfer from NAIA school Lindsey Wilson College, cleaned up the scraps of a corner kick in the ninth minute to double Syracuse’s lead. The service by Elton Chifamba found the head of Sam Layton but clattered off the crossbar. The ball stayed in play, floating back in front of the goal. Acquah was the first to respond, heading the ball home from the doorstep.

Both Smith and Acquah continued to threaten the Great Danes’ net following their goals. Carlos Zambrano fed a lofted pass to Acquah in the 16th minute. He cut in on his right foot, sending a curling shot through two defenders toward Shannon, but the keeper parried the effort away.

In the 20th minute, Smith was backed into the left corner with two UAlbany defenders on his back. The freshman shielded the ball, holding off the Great Danes to earn SU a corner. On the ensuing set piece, Nathan Scott’s cross was directed at the near post and forced Shannon to scramble to punch the ball out for another corner.

Fifteen minutes into the match, Syracuse had already registered five shots on goal — the same amount the team totaled in the entirety of its last game. The front three of Smith, Acquah and Daniel Burko were making runs off the ball and sharp passes on it, forcing UAlbany’s backline off-balance.

Smith ended up playing 60 minutes while Acquah saw 36 minutes of action. The early lead allowed the Orange to rotate their attackers, according to McIntyre. He mentioned Zambrano, Kristjan Fortier, Gabe Threadgold, Sachiel Ming — who assisted Burko on SU’s third goal of the night — and Kelvin Da Costa as offensive players who gained valuable time on the pitch Tuesday.

Defender Chimere Omeze, who has started the previous 10 games for SU, was also suspended Tuesday due to yellow-card accumulation. Freshman Dominic Bell filled in his place and played the full game. McIntyre said Bell grew tired over the course of the game and looked over at the sideline to call for a substitution. But McIntyre and his coaching staff did not make eye contact, keeping Bell out there.

“We didn’t let (Bell) know he was tired at the end,” McIntyre said. “But that’s his first 90 minutes in a long time. So we needed him. We needed his size.”

Bell’s size at 6-foot-5 helped address UAlbany’s threat on set pieces — long throws, corners and free kicks — something McIntyre said Syracuse pinpointed before the game.

Syracuse secured a road win without two of its most-reliable pieces, ending a three-game winless skid. Smith said the team knows that when someone is out, others need to step up. That is what the Orange did Tuesday without Kaloukian in attack and Omeze on defense.

“All the boys, we’re really close,” Smith said. “We’re all gonna support each other no matter what. Nicholas is a really talented player. (He) means a lot to our group. And we just did our best, and we got the win.”

Published on October 1, 2024 at 11:40 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu