Last February, Syracuse assistant coach Jukka Masalin traveled to Bekkestua, Norway, to see a player the Orange was interested in.

Masalin and head coach Ian McIntyre had watched Emil Ekblom’s film, but wanted to see him play in person before extending an offer.

Two training sessions and a friendly match later, Masalin sat down with the Ekblom family over dinner, and told them that Syracuse was the perfect fit. The Orange was fresh off its best season in program history and Masalin knew right away that Ekblom was a necessary piece moving forward.

“He was a dynamic goal scorer,” Masalin said. “When I spoke to (McIntyre) about it and reported back I was basically saying this guy is one of the most aggressive players I’ve seen inside and outside the box.”

Before Masalin made the trip, Ekblom was considering a handful of other offers, most notably Kentucky. But after Masalin’s visit, the Norwegian etched SU into his future plans.

Currently, the Orange (9-6-1, 2-6-1 Atlantic Coast) sits two points outside of an ACC tournament berth, and Ekblom’s right foot could be its ticket to the postseason. The freshman forward’s nine goals rank him first on the team and second in the conference, as his strength and innate scoring ability have made him a juggernaut on the Syracuse attack.

“I’m not done yet, that’s for sure,” Ekblom said. “Scoring goals is one of the best things about soccer and I love it.”

The coaches were always wary of how Ekblom would adapt to the American game. Game play is distinctly slower in Norway. That was one thing that Masalin and McIntyre discussed leading up to the freshman’s arrival in the states.

When Ekblom did arrive, he didn’t remedy the concerns right away.

“The first day of training he was last in the running test,” McIntyre said. “I knew he could score but I was hoping he was ready for everything else.”

Then the season started and Ekblom asserted himself as an integral part of SU’s front line. Lars Muller and Ted Cribley graduated last spring, Louis Clark is now an undergraduate assistant, Jordan Vale transferred and Tony Asante tore his ACL. So as the Orange transitioned into its first season in the ACC, it looked to the freshman to fill a void left by the team’s top five goal scorers from a season ago.

And he did.

In Syracuse’s first game of the season at Colgate, Ekblom netted two goals in a 4-0 win. He never looked back and has become one of the ACC’s most prolific scorers while collecting national accolades along the way.

In the week of Oct. 7, days after setting an SU Soccer Stadium record with seven points against North Carolina State, Ekblom was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Division I player of the week, and was also named to the national team of the week by TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News.

“He’s a hard-working guy,” freshman midfielder Oyvind Alseth said. “He’s a target man but also a goal-getter and a good finisher who is good at finding spaces.”

Ekblom is calm and unassuming on the field. When he scores, his celebrations are subdued. When he falters, he quickly shakes it off. The result is a tranquil intensity that exudes little-to-no emotion during games.

The only time Ekblom has been bothered this season has been when the crowd hasn’t understood the rules.

“There have been times that we score but were offsides and the crowd keeps cheering,” he said, laughing. “Americans just don’t get that rule.”

After practice on Tuesday, Ekblom and McIntyre walked side-by-side toward the team’s locker room. When McIntyre looked up to see a group of reporters waiting for the striker, he made a proclamation of his own.

“When this guy scores we win games,” McIntyre shouted, pointing at Ekblom. The forward bashfully looked straight into the ground. “If you’re here to ask him questions that’s all you have to know.”

When asked if McIntyre’s vote of confidence places pressure on him, he smiled. Syracuse has two games left and needs to leap frog a handful of teams if it wants to play past the regular season, and Ekblom knows what he has to do.

“Pressure’s good,” he said. “It’s my job to score goals.”

Published on October 30, 2013 at 12:02 am

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