Alex Bono was in trouble. A North Carolina State cross was dangerously close to leading to a goal.

The Syracuse goalkeeper couldn’t make a play on the pass, and the Wolfpack had a player wide open at the back post. A tap-in was all he needed to do to put NC State on the board on Oct. 4.

But defender Tyler Hilliard came out of nowhere, slid across the goal line and cleared the ball away to protect Syracuse’s net.

“He puts his body on the line,” Bono said, “and that’s what we need from the back four.

“He’s a terrific one-on-one defender. He’s quick, he gets up and down the line and that’s what we look for in a right back.”

Due to an injury, Hilliard has only appeared in five of the Orange’s games this season, but his contributions have been greater than that figure implies. The sophomore has made two starts and adds depth to Syracuse’s roster — particularly its back line, which has been plagued with other injuries throughout the past two seasons.

Syracuse (8-4-1, 2-4-1 Atlantic Coast) may look to Hilliard’s services when it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a 6:30 p.m. matchup on Friday with No. 21 North Carolina (4-2-5, 1-1-5).

“I’m one of the guys that’s not necessarily as technical,” Hilliard said, “but I’m one of the guys that will fight and scrap for the team.”

Hilliard was essential to the Orange’s efforts in replacing center back Skylar Thomas, who missed time both last season and this one due to leg injuries.

Although Ryan Tessler initially started in Thomas’s absence in 2012, Hilliard played 74 minutes to Tessler’s 18 in the first game without Thomas. From then on, Hilliard didn’t sit out a single minute until SU’s Sweet 16 matchup against Georgetown.

The Orange defense, thanks in part to Hilliard’s play, refused to let Thomas’s injury impede the team from the most successful year in program history. Syracuse’s 12 shutouts were the most the school had posted in one season since 1982.

Hilliard even found ways to contribute on the attacking end of the field. He scored a goal in SU’s 2-0 win against DePaul last October, and recorded an assist on the game-winning goal that advanced the Orange to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“Tyler’s coming off a very good year last year, when he was called upon,” said head coach Ian McIntyre. “We’re expecting big things from him.

“Unfortunately, he’s had his own injury this year … Skylar and Tyler are a little bit away from being fully fit, but these have been important games and important minutes to kind of get them back in the groove.”

After Hilliard proved his worth as a redshirt freshman a year ago, he said he came into this year expecting to start, but a few “bumps” in the beginning of the year limited his role. He saw just 29 minutes of playing time through Syracuse’s first nine games.

Still, the coaching staff entrusted Hilliard with significant time against Binghamton on Oct. 1 — while a hamstring injury sidelined Thomas — and then rewarded Hilliard with starts at right back against NC State and Boston College.

“We have great defenders and obviously, it’s a tough thing for Mac to figure out who to play and where to play them,” Hilliard said. “It meant a great deal that they thought I could go ahead and prove myself on the field, although I hadn’t practiced much and played much previous to that.”

Against the Wolfpack, Hilliard was constantly active on the defensive end, in addition to his goal-saving heroics. Timely slide tackles and clears helped the Orange cruise to its most dominant victory of the season.

Hilliard didn’t see the field against Pittsburgh on Saturday, but McIntyre knows he has depth at defender in Hilliard.

Said McIntyre: “He’s worked in back slowly, and he’s an important part of what we’re looking to do the rest of the way.”

Published on October 17, 2013 at 1:52 am

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb