Chris Nanco wishes he had some missed opportunities back. He wishes he could redo long runs in which he split defenders and generated quality shots on goal but failed to finish. He wishes he could remake past dribble moves that started with a breakaway but ended in a turnover or wide shot.

Throughout his career, Nanco has dazzled fans, burned defenses and attacked opposing defenders with an extraordinary play-making, shot-creating ability. He has earned his 67 starts and 16 goals in his four years. Where he has not been as effective is his finishing. Too often, the senior admitted, he’s had nothing to show for glaring moves on fast breaks.

Last year, Nanco scored only four goals off 33 shots on goal. His sophomore year, he scored five goals and tallied two assists in 19 shots on goal. His freshman year, he had four goals.

“If I was more composed in my previous years,” Nanco said, “I would have scored a lot more goals.”

But that has changed this year. Through four games, the forward is leading the team in goals, with three, tied for second place in the NCAA’s top scorers. He’s not only putting himself and his teammates in position to score — he’s now converting. That finishing ability has helped lead No. 6 Syracuse to a 4-0 start to the 2016 campaign.

How Nanco has already put up three goals — two shy of the career high he set as a sophomore in 2014 — lies in keeping the end result of plays at the forefront of his drives. His aggression and fearlessness to attack the net have been the hallmarks of his play. When he gets the good look, he’s now converting.

Nanco, who’s responsible for taking Syracuse’s penalty shots this year, is focused on having an end result to his runs and openings, be it an assist or shot attempt. That starts in practice, where Nanco is one of the first to arrive at practice to get extra work in, players said. He has increased his one-on-one work with SU assistant coach Matt Verni on tucking balls into the corner, keeping the ball from the goalie and converting.

He’ll work on specific targets in the net, rather than just a move to set up the shot. While Syracuse has not altered its pregame warmup, Nanco sometimes works extra on targeting shots and finishing before games. He picks a corner, receives a ball and focuses on keeping his head up to shoot the ball. When practicing runs, he mimics plays in which players are finding space. He either feeds them or attacks the front post.

The results: Nanco has three goals on just nine shots on goal and leads the team in game winners, with two — half of Syracuse’s total.

“There are times he wishes he could have finished,” senior midfielder/defender Liam Callahan said. “This year shows how hard he worked on improving that.”

Erik Ronning, Colgate’s head coach, has been tasked with preparing for Nanco three times. In the teams’ last two meetings, Nanco notched at least one goal. Last year at Colgate, he followed up his own shot with a game-winning goal. Last Thursday, he scored twice in SU’s 3-0 win over the Raiders.

“Nanco’s quick and fast and can make something happen every time he touches the ball,” Ronning said.

In that game against Colgate, Nanco focused on not rushing passes and shots. On runs in the past, he has sometimes rushed the shot, especially after a frenetic break. Nanco’s quick — sometimes too quick. On Thursday night, though, Nanco waited to use a defender as a screen on the goalie. Then he tucked the ball into the right corner.

“That’s exactly what I did,” the 5-foot-6 Nanco said last week of slowing it down. “Getting it on target. If you don’t get the ball on goal, you don’t give yourself the chance.”

He’s improved in his decision making, but until this year had not converted at the rate teammates and opposing coaches say he’s capable of. It’s this ability to convert, or “getting an end result to what I’m trying to do in and around the box,” that he said could push him from good to great.

“The runs and decisions I’m making on the way to the goal is alright, feeding players and what not,” Nanco said. “It’s just the final pass, the final shot and the decision on where I’m placing the ball. That’s the end result. What I’m going to do when the ball leaves my foot.

“I’ve been working on it and it’s been showing in practice,” Nanco added. “I just gotta make it show in the game.”

Published on September 5, 2016 at 11:57 pm

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