ALBANY, N.Y. — There was little celebration. There was no signature mob in the corner of the field. But as soon as Jonathan Interiano connected with the ball, there was no doubt.

Interiano’s 75th-minute goal stunned Syracuse. A cross from the right corner booted around until it landed on the turf, right at Interiano’s foot. After the Albany senior forward poked home the eventual game-winner, he ran toward midfield and kissed his bicep muscle.

The score lifted the Great Danes (5-3-2, 0-0-1 America East) to a 2-1 upset victory over No. 3 Syracuse (8-2-1, 2-1-1 Atlantic Coast) Tuesday night at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. What could have been a tune-up for Syracuse’s high-octane offense against Albany’s mediocre defense — the Great Danes entered Tuesday ranked last in their conference with a 1.67 goals-against average — was anything but.

“We didn’t get anything right tonight,” senior midfielder Oyvind Alseth said. “Everything was off.”

The Orange, since starting the season 8-0 for the best start in program history, has gone its last three games without a win — something that had not happened since October 2013. It’s just the third time in 30 regular season nonconference games since joining the ACC in 2013 that SU didn’t win.

Tuesday’s matchup could have doubled as a jump back into the win column for Syracuse, and a primer for Mo Adams, who slotted into Miles Robinson’s spot after Robinson left for the United States National Team. Instead, Albany prevailed.

The Great Danes didn’t make it easy for Syracuse. They scored less than three minutes in, applied defensive pressure all game and kept Syracuse’s defenders on their toes.

“We just weren’t ready for it,” Alseth said.

Syracuse has played Albany in each of the last four seasons, and entering Tuesday had outscored the Great Danes 8-2. This time, Albany finally broke through.

The Great Danes’ defense was sharp, denying runs toward the goal, cutting off passes and blocking attempted shots. Until Orange defender Kamal Miller scored before the half, Syracuse had generated a few quality looks but hadn’t capitalized.

With Miller’s score came optimism. He struck a rebound into the net from straight away for just his first goal of the year and fourth of his career. The sophomore galloped in excitement. It was Syracuse’s first goal in 158 minutes of game time, its longest such streak in two years.

“I thought we’d go back and win the game,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said.

But that was all the Orange could do. In the closing seconds of the first half, Sergio Camargo didn’t square up a ball on a quality look from the left side. It fell softly into the hands of Albany goalie Danny Vitiello.

As players walked off the field, Camargo stood in that spot for several seconds, hands on his head. He pressed his hands to his thighs.

“Just didn’t get the right power on the ball,” the senior said. “Hit it over him. That’s the way my night went. Couldn’t put it in the back of the net.”

Since its historic start, Syracuse has lagged. And it won’t get easier. On Friday, Syracuse travels to No. 8 Louisville to play yet another top 10 team — what will be its third in two weeks. A trip to No. 5 Clemson comes at the end of the month.

After the game-winner, Syracuse goalkeeper Hendrik Hilpert fetched the ball and boomed it down field.

Interiano looked at the ball he had just drilled home, held his arms out wide and jogged to celebrate with his teammates — a sight that was painful enough itself for Syracuse.

Published on October 4, 2016 at 10:53 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21