Ted Cribley’s run at the start of overtime against American on Sunday perfectly describes his style of play: fast.

After Syracuse forward Dan Summers dribbled the ball to the halfway line, Cribley, a junior midfielder for SU, came racing downfield.

He took a pass from Summers and saw a gap — a chance to give SU the win. He sprinted past the AU players into the open field, but his shot went into the hands of Eagles’ goalkeeper Matt Makowski.

Cribley didn’t score the goal, but that display and movement on the play has become typical of what the Orange has seen from him in his first season with SU.

‘His best thing that he does is how he gets in behind defenders,’ fellow midfielder Mark Brode said. ‘You could play it over the top, and if he gets in a foot race with the defender, he’s going to get it.’

Cribley’s speed and dribbling are crucial elements in SU’s (2-2, 0-0 Big East) offensive attack this season. A junior college transfer from nearby Herkimer County Community College, Cribley joins the Orange as a junior. He brings quickness and an ability to see the open field that lead to more goal-scoring opportunities for SU.

Originally from England, Cribley came stateside and spent two years at Herkimer. It was there that the midfielder stood out as arguably one of the team’s best players. SU head coach Ian McIntyre took notice, and now Cribley has started every game for the Orange so far in 2011.

He’s tied for fourth in the Big East in assists with two, which accounts for nearly half of SU’s five goals scored. But he’s quick to credit his teammates for being in the right place at the right time.

‘We’ve all sort of settled in,’ Cribley said. ‘We know what Mac wants us to play.’

As Cribley continues to adjust to Syracuse, he and the team expect shot attempts like his chance in overtime against American to end in goals. The Orange offense has struggled to convert its scoring opportunities. Three of SU’s four wins under McIntyre have come on free kicks in overtime.

The team wants that to change.

Thus, expectations are high for Cribley following two standout seasons at Herkimer. To McIntyre, Cribley has one of the bigger roles on the team. That’s to be expected, especially after McIntyre called getting a player of Cribley’s caliber a ‘coup.’

Cribley’s ability to both distribute the ball and run and dribble with it downfield have paid dividends not seen in the box score. He’s given McIntyre a reason to be pleased with his decision to invest in an experienced newcomer to the team.

‘We feel like we have some attacking threats, and he’s one of them,’ McIntyre said. ‘And when he’s running a play, he’s a real handful.’

The Orange has already matched its win total from last season with two victories just four games into the year. It’s also managed five goals in the process, which is a modest but noticeable improvement from 2010.

It’s a change that can be attributed to many of the newcomers, Cribley included.

And his downfield action against American last weekend proved that his play will keep the opposing defenses on their toes and the SU offense in games. In addition to his two assists, he’s also tallied six shots.

Despite a save by Makowski on Sunday, Cribley knows that everything leading up to the final shot was right. It just didn’t go in.

Another time, he said, it could be different.

‘In those situations, you try to just get it on target at least and hope the keeper isn’t set properly,’ Cribley said. ‘Most times it will go. That time it didn’t.’

But Cribley’s speed should keep providing him with opportunities to score. He constantly whizzes past his opponents and leaves them gasping for air.

Brode only had to think briefly before deciding who would win a foot race between the team’s two fastest players, Cribley and freshman defender Skylar Thomas.

His conclusion: Cribley would win.

‘He’s a really dangerous player,’ Brode said. ‘He’s probably the fastest kid on our team. He brings a lot of speed on the outside, and he’s good with the ball. Ted’s been real important.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

 

Published on September 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu