When Chris Makowski walked onto the field in the Syracuse men’s soccer team’s season opener against Colgate, the magnitude of the situation got to him. Not only was it his first-ever collegiate game, but he was thrust into the starting defense with two other freshmen.

‘Just seeing us all start together,’ Makowski said, ‘it just kind of hit us as soon as we walked on the field. And I think it just hit everybody that you know, we’re the starting block for this program. We get the chance to start what we want and how we want things to end up.’

Makowski was joined on defense by fellow freshman Skylar Thomas and Jordan Murrell. Sophomore Ryan Tessler is the only returning player starting on defense for the Orange (1-2, 0-0 Big East). But even with the youth movement on defense, SU’s backline has been arguably its strongest unit three games into the season. And going into Sunday’s match against American (1-2-1, 0-0 Patriot League), the unit will look to record its first clean sheet of the season and hopefully another SU victory.

The amount of new players on this year’s team isn’t a secret. It would have been normal to expect rocky results from a starting defensive unit that’s three-fourths freshmen, especially at the beginning of the season. And though the group hasn’t been perfect, it’s responded well to being thrown in the deep end, allowing no more than two goals in any game.

‘We’re learning quickly, and this is a very coachable group,’ SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. ‘We’ve done a good job against a couple of explosive teams.’

The Eagles only average one goal per game, not a particularly potent attack. And as always, the Syracuse defense strives to shut out every team it faces this season. That is its goal.

Communication has been crucial for the young group, and even though the freshmen defenders don’t have experience, the group hasn’t had any trouble directing the players in front of it. Thomas said age doesn’t matter on the field, only working with the offense and preventing goals does.

‘As freshmen we don’t have a lot of authority,’ Thomas said. ‘But we need to organize the backline and the people in front of us. So even though we’re freshmen we kind of boss around the players in front of us.’

Each defender has a specialty that makes them unique. Makowski can throw the longest. The 6-foot-3 Thomas has his height as an advantage. Others are good with free kicks or corner kicks. And their aerial prowess was a factor in propelling the team to its only win of the season against Canisius.

Defenders don’t always have the name recognition of the glamorous, goal-scoring offensive players. But it’s the defense that sets the offense up and leads to wins, said Makowski.

‘Offense starts with defense,’ Makowski said. ‘You don’t give up goals, you can’t lose games. To win games, you have to stop giving up goals. And if our offense scores one or two goals, then we’ll solidify a game (with our defense).’

It’s been getting those goals from the offense that’s been an issue so far in 2011. SU scored two goals in its second game after going scoreless in the opener, but only managed one against Siena in its third and most recent game of the season.

Against AU, the offense will need to score if it hopes to give the defense the chance to uphold a potential victory.

‘We know that we’re getting our chances,’ Thomas said of the offense. ‘So hopefully one game, we’ll stick a few in and we’ll be fine from there.’

If SU does manage to score a few, the Orange would arguably be in good shape with the way the backline has played. Makowski, Thomas and Murrell may be freshmen, but their youth hasn’t stopped them from producing in games.

‘We are young,’ Makowski said. ‘We’re a young backline. But I think Mac’s done a real good job of having us work together. And after every game we get more and more comfortable.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

Published on September 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu