CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Syracuse hadn’t been in a situation quite this bleak all season — down five goals on the road to the defending national champions with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Orange responded by piling all of its hopes onto a redshirt freshman who has not started a game this year.

Stephen Rehfuss was not a top concern out there with better known weapons, so North Carolina rotated short sticks on him. That’s all his teammates needed to see. Late in the third, the redshirt freshman dished an assist to cut the lead to three, then to three once more when he did it again early in the fourth after a UNC goal. He scored the next two on his own and suddenly, within 20 minutes, the Orange was on the doorstop with four minutes to go, down one.

“For the amount of time he played, that was huge for us,” said SU head coach John Desko. “Maybe the difference in the game.”

Rehfuss’ team-high four points buoyed the top-ranked Orange (10-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast) long enough to complete the comeback and beat the No. 17 Tar Heels (6-6, 1-2), 12-11, on a Sergio Salcido overtime game-winner and clinch the ACC regular-season crown. The Holy Cross transfer played a lot more than normal on Saturday at Fetzer Field and his most valuable contribution came in his efficient late-game spurt (two shots, two goals). That raised his season total to nine goals on 11 shots.

“I was just taking advantage of the opportunities, trying to go at the right times, staying smart,” Rehfuss said. “The short stick… I would see what I could do with it. Either draw a slide or go to the goal.”

The Tar Heels countered the Latham, New York, native’s heating up by shutting him off, but Desko forced the issue by picking to free up the attack. He green-lighted the hot-handed Rehfuss, who found himself one-on-one with UNC’s third defender, Tate Jozokos. On Rehfuss’ first goal, he juked, the senior fell down and Rehfuss waltzed by the crease to score. On his second, Rehfuss flat-out beat Jozokos curling to the top left and pocketed a lefty shot.

It was a performance, according to a half-dozen teammates, Rehfuss regularly displays in practice. Desko noticed early in the fall Rehfuss had the soft skills — good speed, good IQ, ability to play midfield and attack, unfazed by pressure — but needed to spend more time in the weight room.

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Rehfuss familiarized himself with the Manley Field House facilities and became one of Desko’s most trusted bench players when spring arrived.

Against North Carolina, Rehfuss nearly mirrored his production almost two months earlier against Army. His fourth quarter goal capped an Orange run and brought SU to within one. Though Syracuse lost, 14-13 on a last-second goal, Rehfuss had legitimized practice productivity.

“I was actually screaming at him to dodge more and more,” senior midfielder Nick Mariano said of the Army matchup. “That’s the game that built his confidence. I kept telling him ‘go to the cage, go to the cage, go to the cage.’ He’s a feeder first. Now, look for him to get a dodging goal or a couple. … As long as he keeps doing what he’s doing, we’ll head in the right direction.”

Though the redshirt freshman ho-hummed his own performance — “I’m still learning” and “I want to stay in the flow of the offense” — others said what he wouldn’t.

“Huge upside,” ESPN lacrosse analyst Paul Carcaterra tweeted. “Kid always has his head up and his game is 2 prong…dodger and feeder.”

Desko described him as a “plug-in guy,” like Brad Voigt, able to jumpstart whenever. He beat one-on-one matchups consistently, particularly against the third defenseman.

In a month-long, five-game stretch after Army, Rehfuss had only three assists and two ground balls to his credit. Yet his teammates continued praising his play and senior attack Jordan Evans cited Rehfuss as the team’s most improved player this season.

He received occasional minutes with the first-line attack but played in the biggest minutes of his young career on Saturday. As Syracuse chipped away at the enamel of North Carolina’s lead, it was two transfers from Holy Cross, a small Patriot League school in Worcester, Massachusetts, leading the way. Faceoff specialist Ben Williams won at the X and the ball then eventually ended up in Rehfuss’ stick. He handled it from there.

“He really stepped up when we needed it,” said Williams, who won 10 of the last 12 faceoffs. “He’s always making plays in practice. … We looked at him and said, ‘This is your day to just do it. Take your guy to the rack.’”

Published on April 16, 2017 at 11:16 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR