Matt Pratt and Steve Ianzito both came to Syracuse as offensive-minded midfielders. Pratt scored 71 points during his second season in Onondaga Community College’s high-scoring system. Ianzito scored 42 goals during his senior year at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

But when Syracuse needed someone to slide back to a more defensive role, both took the new assignment in stride.

“You get recruited to be here to be a midfielder, so you should be able to play both ends of the field,” Ianzito said. “Offense and defense.”

Pratt and Ianzito, along with long-stick midfielder Matt Harris, have formed a dynamic defensive midfield line for the Orange this season that has locked down opposing midfielders while also creating offense.

Though their focus lies on the defensive end, getting out in transition gives them an opportunity to get back into the scoring column they dominated earlier in their careers.

“Our mindset is every time the ball’s on the ground, we’re running to push it and to go,” Pratt said. “It’s cool to score when you don’t get the opportunity as much.”

It’s a part of the style SU prides itself on. Syracuse has long had a reputation of getting out and running to fuel its high-powered offense. Few on this year’s team do it better than Pratt and Co.

Pratt has scored three goals this season, all in unsettled situations. Ianzito hasn’t found the back of the net himself, but he’s dished out a pair of assists in clearing plays. Even Harris, a long pole, has scored a pair of goals.

It’s the scenario in which attack Derek Maltz feels the Orange operates best. Historically, it’s what SU is known for and, with this year’s personnel, it’s often the best bet to score.

“Those two, pretty good chemistry coming down the field, always looking for each other,” Maltz said. “They do a great job of getting the ball down the field and our coaches give them freedom because they have the abilities to make plays on the offensive side of the ball.”

The offensive side of the position comes naturally to Pratt and Ianzito, but both went through some growing pains while becoming more accustomed to the defensive side. Pratt’s side-to-side speed makes him a natural fit to defend shifty midfielders, but basics, like positioning, were a bit more difficult.

Fortunately for him, he had Ianzito, a player who went through a similar transition, to lean on. At the end of last season, Syracuse needed a third short-stick defensive midfielder to slide in with Ianzito and Kevin Drew. After initial indecisiveness, Pratt made the move, leaning on advice from Ianzito and defender Brian Megill to help make the transition smooth.

But their familiarity with the offensive side of the ball lets them slide into the flow of the attack seamlessly in unsettled situations.

“We think of ourselves as a little bit of playmakers,” Ianzito said. “We have the ability — with me and Matt playing offense in the past — we have the ability to go down and create something on offense from defense.”

Ianzito said he expects his unit to score two or three times per game. When it does, it’s tough to beat the Orange. Though the half-field offense is playing as well as it has all season — shooting at a nearly 50-percent clip in the past three games — getting in transition helps maintain that level of efficiency and create more opportunities.

Even Megill has gotten up into the offensive end this season, scoring a goal on three shots. He admittedly prefers to play long-stick midfield, as he often does in fall ball, so the offensive zone isn’t entirely unfamiliar territory, but it’s still a testament to the plethora of offensive weapons on the SU roster.

Syracuse doesn’t need to lean solely on its attack and offensive midfielders. It can win games with them, but the Orange is at its best with more.

“We can come down, we can change, we can spark momentum by doing that,” Ianzito said. “It’s a quick game-changer to take it coast to coast.”

Published on April 3, 2013 at 1:10 am

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