Some of Nate Solomon’s most important goals this season have come as a direct result of things he did without the ball. The SU attack has earned nods from more than half of the Orange’s coaching opposition this season for his work. His acrobatic goals against the likes of Hobart, Notre Dame and Cornell — 10 tallies in a three-game stretch, typically shooting and scoring seconds after receiving the ball — have cemented him as one of Syracuse’s top weapons despite sharing an offense with other players who need the ball in their sticks far more often.

“He’s pretty sneaky,” said Binghamton coach Kevin McKeown. “He’s opportunistic when he cuts. … He’s a good cutter off ball and takes advantage of you if you’re ball-watching too much.”

The sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia, has had coaches saying similar things all season, and Solomon didn’t even score on any of his five shots against Binghamton. Hobart head coach Greg Raymond, who watched the SU attack score four times in an Orange win on April 5, shook his head at the mention of Solomon’s name.

He’s found the back of the net 22 times this season, second-highest on the team, along with six assists for the top-ranked Orange (11-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast) that starts the ACC tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. against North Carolina in Durham, North Carolina.

“He’s very good off-ball,” SU head coach John Desko said. “He’s a pretty courageous player. He puts himself in those spots where he can catch it and finish, and some of them you know he’s going to get hit. The whole defense collapses in front of the crease. He’s got a lot of moxie.”

Prior to the season, Desko and assistant coach Lelan Rogers stressed heavily that

Solomon, the fourth attack in 2016, had the physical capability to be an important piece for the Orange, but needed to learn the offensive systems and spacing. In practices, Rogers threw different slide packages at Solomon, sometimes faking him out, and, he said, generally confusing Solomon.

But three months later, it seems to be the other way around, and the key has been his improved dodging. Teammates, coaches and Solomon himself have praised his dodging progression this season. He keeps his head up during them, makes them into open space, feels more confident in them and looks for the ball.

“I can feel where I am on the field, even when I’m not even looking at the goal,” Solomon said. “I know where I’m shooting. I’ve tried to look, but I just know when I’m open so I’ll take that shot.”

In SU’s matchup against North Carolina, the Tar Heels put defender Austin Pifani on Solomon to lock him down. Desko praised Pifani as one of the best close defenders Solomon would face this season, but said his player beat the UNC defender two or three times going to the goal. The sophomore wriggled free for a goal and two assists by evaluating his opponent — Pifani is 6-foot-2, 215 pounds to Solomon’s 5-foot-10, 177 — and exploiting his advantages: speed and change of direction. “Off-ball movement was really huge,” Solomon said.

On his only goal of the day, the one that started a 7-1 run to save the game for SU, he dodged Pifani on the left side of the goal, curled up toward the middle and unleashed a shot with his momentum going all right, mirroring his process for off-ball work.

“He’s really good at moving around,” sophomore defender Tyson Bomberry said. “He’s able to find the open spaces, follow the slide and get to the open spot, where you know he’s going to be. It’s hard for the second slide to get to him.”

When Bomberry switches onto him in practice, he keeps his stick in Solomon’s chest so he can feel where the attack is going and follow. Solomon recognizes that strategy employed by defenders and credits his off-ball prowess to practice time against those defenders. Scott Firman covers him most practices, Solomon said, and he’s limited nearly every opponent’s best player to below his season average.

As Firman puts his stick in Solomon’s chest, the attack feels where that is and tries to lead him one way and cut back the other. His best ability is change of direction, Solomon said, which also comes in useful in an offense typically piloted up top by senior midfielders Sergio Salcido or Nick Mariano. He looks to those two to dictate where he should go. And goalies are aware of where he is on the field.

“He’s always moving, you have to be aware of where he is, telling defenders,” Syracuse goalie Evan Molloy said. “A lot of guys catch the ball, wait, analyze the situation. Mariano is like that. But Nate catches and goes right away. … So, he’s pretty hard to guard in that sense.

“He always keeps you on your toes.”

Published on April 26, 2017 at 12:22 am

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR