Ryan Raposo kept repeating the words in his head. The freshman striker already had a goal as a member of the Orange, a game-winner in the 89th minute against Villanova in the preseason.

Nine days later in SU’s opener at Oregon State, the stakes were higher. The Orange had traded goals with the Beavers and were all knotted up midway through the second half.

“I’m going to get a chance,” Raposo thought to himself during the game. The words came back: “Be patient. Be patient …”

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For the past two seasons, the Orange have asked for anything but patience from its newcomers. This year, the Orange brought in 10 newcomers, many of whom have played a vital role in the team’s early production. Freshman accounted for nearly a quarter of Syracuse’s goals last season, with five players starting more than five games throughout the season.

Through three games this year, five new players have started every game. After bringing in 15 freshmen in 2017, the new contributors feature more experience than last year’s crop.

Of the five additions who have made starts, three are transfers — defender Len Zeugner, striker Severin Soerlie and midfielder Massimo Ferrin — and Roposo is a year older than his fellow freshmen. The striker could have been a part of SU’s 2017 recruiting class (he committed to the Orange in July 2017 following his senior year of high school), but a right ankle sprain caused him to postpone his recruitment.

He joined the Orange near Christmas, SU head coach Ian McIntyre said, along with Soerlie, and practiced with the team, officially enrolling in the spring. Because of the time off, Raposo dodged a medical redshirt. Both Soerlie and Raposo accompanied the Orange on a trip to Spain in December, when SU participated in a tournament and bonded as a team.

“For them to get up to speed and understand this environment is an advantage for both of them,” McIntyre said.

So far, the extra experience with the team has served Raposo and Soerlie well. The two have combined for three goals, with Soerlie contributing two of them. Both said they have developed a comfort zone with the players on SU’s roster.

“Ryan doesn’t really seem like a freshman to me because he’s been here,” senior Jan Breitenmoser said. “He seems very mature, and he knows his role.”

In SU’s 4-3 win over Hofstra on Sunday, Raposo saw a ball streaking toward the sideline, and his teammate Tajon Buchanan trailing quickly behind it.

“Don’t touch it! Don’t touch it!” Raposo yelled.

Buchanan listened and tiptoed the sideline, allowing the ball to cross the line as Raposo tried to break off down the field. Though a positioning issue caused the officials to award the Pride with possession, the freshman — who said the biggest adjustment he’s had to make was to the increased speed of the college game — thought quick and moved faster.

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Soerlie has a similar level of comfort in the Orange’s system. A transfer from Gardner-Webb, his previous school had the tendency to “get the ball to the guys up top and push through.” But at SU, the Orange play the ball more behind the defense, running much of their offense through midfield (namely, senior Hugo Delhommelle, Soerlie said). Soerlie excels on “the runs,” he said, evidenced Sunday when he crashed in toward the goal after Delhommelle fired a long clear shot down the field to Raposo and knocked in a sliding goal.

“I’m here to score goals,” Soerlie said.

Among the other additions is Ferrin, a junior transfer from University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has acted as a running mate in the midfield with Delhommelle, and McIntyre said SU hasn’t yet “seen the best” out of him after its 2-1 loss to Portland. On defense, Zeugner, a graduate student, played in the center of the defense in the absence of Kamal Miller against Hofstra. And Hilli Goldhar, a freshman, scored his first goal against the Pride.

With all the production coming from first-year players, Raposo knew his shot wasn’t far away against OSU. In the 73rd minute, Raposo was streaking down the field with the ball at the foot of Djimon Johnson. The freshman hovered the offside line.

“… Be patient,” Raposo repeated.

The cross came in. He stopped and stepped back. He received the ball and tipped it into the back corner of the net.

“A goal’s a goal,” he said.

Published on September 4, 2018 at 11:17 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary