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In 34 games before this season, junior Brendan Curry had notched more than two assists only once. Against Virginia on Feb. 27, he had four. And on Friday afternoon, he added another three.

It’s still March, and the Orange have played just four games, but the All-American and Tewaaraton Award Watch List member already has eight assists. He’s on pace to finish the season with 24 assists, nearly double his previous career-high of 14 in as many games in 2019.

“I don’t know if it’s a real surprise to me,” head coach John Desko said about Curry’s breakout season. “I think that whole group, especially Brendan in that first midfield, they’re no secret.”

Against Stony Brook, Curry tied for the team lead with five points in No. 6 Syracuse’s (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) dominant 17-9 win over the Seawolves (2-3, 0-1 America East). During Syracuse’s 9-0 run from the second quarter to nearly the end of the third, Curry contributed on four goal-scoring plays. He was part of the inverted offense in the second half, too, fueling Syracuse’s dominant performance alongside freshman Owen Hiltz (five points).

Curry took just two shots on Friday afternoon. Both were on goal, and both found the back of the net. But where Curry was most impactful was when he drew defenders, forcing slides that freed up teammates, Hiltz said.

“He’s really explosive on his dodge, so every deep ball has to slide early and often,” Hiltz said of Curry. “If you got a guy who’s drawing slides so easily, you’ll open up more of your offensive players to get wide-open shots like what happened today.”

On both goals, Curry showed that explosiveness. Minutes after halftime, the junior midfielder was matched up with Stony Brook’s CJ Trenkle and jogged just outside, near the right sideline. From the 20-yard line, he hesitated, then exploded into a full lateral sprint. Trenkle wasn’t even close to keeping up, and he could do nothing but extend his long pole out in a last-ditch effort to try and block the shot.

Yards behind the All-American, Trenkle watched and shook his head as Curry ripped a sidearm shot that touched the back of the net after beating Stony Brook goalie Anthony Palma.

“He’s got a very good first step, and he’s got the speed after his first step,” Desko said.

Later that quarter, Curry showed the explosiveness that Hiltz alluded to when he took his second and final shot of the game. Matched up against Wayne White, Curry paused at the 25-yard line, looking left before suddenly dodging right. White went with him but was a step too slow, and Curry fired an off-balance, sidearm shot, painting the bottom-left corner of the net as he went to the ground.

Desko said that Curry — now a junior captain — has strengthened his understanding of what he’s expected to do when defenders slide to him. The All-American, who is part of what’s arguably the best first midfield line in the country, naturally draws opponents’ attention, and that was particularly the case in the first half, Desko said.

Less than a minute after Curry charged across the field at lightning pace and dispatched his first goal of the night, he sprinted upfield once again, this time drawing two defenders on the left sideline. He lifted his head and picked out Hiltz in the middle.

Curry scored two goals on two shots against Stony Brook. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

For SU’s next goal, Curry inverted on SU’s offense. The midfielder trickled about 10 yards behind the Stony Brook net, waiting patiently. Hiltz made a run to the right of the net, and Curry lobbed him a soft pass. Hiltz did the rest, dodging his defender and sidearming one into the bottom corner as Curry spun around and pumped his fist in celebration.

Curry was growing more comfortable in the invert, something offensive coordinator Pat March has been working with the offense on, Desko said. Curry’s explosiveness proved dangerous in the invert because it tied up defenders, leaving “a lot of reads that were open,” he said. The midfielder admitted that he missed Stephen Rehfuss wide open on one, along with a handful of others, adding that he wanted to work on taking his time instead of “sprinting as fast as I can.”

For most of the first half, it was the attacks at X. Rehfuss connected a pass with Chase Scanlan from X. Minutes later, Scanlan found Rehfuss at X.

But with a minute left in the half, it was Curry, instead. He waited for his moment, then charged around the left side of the net to draw defenders. He flipped it to Jamie Trimboli for the captain’s only goal of the afternoon.

A minute into the second half, Curry was back at X. This time, he charged around the left and flipped it to Rehfuss, and the Orange’s lead was six. The assist marked his second of the afternoon, just two weeks after he notched four against UVA.

“And Brendan, just understanding the offense, knows where his looks are,” Desko said.

Published on March 12, 2021 at 6:12 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16