With a corner kick looming on the right sideline, Syracuse called an audible.

Instead of Jordan Murrell taking the Syracuse corner from the right side of the field, the Orange elected to use freshman midfielder Julian Buescher. Buescher — who played with a right shoulder injury that he suffered on Sept. 16 against Cornell — swung a cross into the box, and 6-foot-3 defender Skylar Thomas headed it into the net.

Buescher’s assist highlighted a stellar night for the freshman, as his elusiveness in the final third was vital to No. 18 Syracuse’s (8-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) 1-0 victory over No. 2 Virginia (4-3-1, 1-1-1) at SU Soccer Stadium on Saturday night.

“I think he showed he’s one of the best players out there,” Syracuse midfielder Liam Callahan said. “He definitely stepped up for our team tonight.”

Entering the match, Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said he knew the midfield matchup of Buescher, Nick Parea and Juuso Pasanen against Virginia’s Todd Wharton and Eric Bird – a senior he called one of the ACC’s top midfielders – would be “crucial to who got on top of the game.”

But in 70 minutes played, it was Buescher who dominated the middle two-thirds of the field. The freshman recorded two shots and wreaked havoc with his quickness and slick passes. His combination plays with Callahan especially bothered Virginia right back Kyler Sullivan.

“Me and Jules always have a little thing going on,” Callahan said. “We like to get in the corners and just play simple passes back and forth that hopefully opens up space. Jules is obviously a great player. Playing off him is very easy. I know when I play the ball in to him I can get in right back in space.”

Buescher first touch came three minutes into the match, as he put on a dribbling exhibition and sped by Cavalier defender Sheldon Sullivan.

The freshman also initiated the Orange’s second-best scoring chance. Buescher slid a crisp through ball for midfielder Chris Nanco on the right side of the box. Nanco then flicked a back heel pass to Nick Parea, who sent a shot over the cage.

“Julian, he’s so elusive. He kind of wriggles out there,” McIntyre said. “His combination with Liam, when he was tucking balls in to Emil (Ekblom) and Alex (Halis) and Chris (Nanco). The tempo of our game was very good.”

In the 31st minute, Buescher was awarded with the corner kick that set up Thomas’s goal, but exited six minutes later for Stefanos Stamoulacatos.

Buescher replaced Stamoulacatos with 33 minutes to go in the match, and assumed more of a defensive role. He pressured Virginia midfielder Jake Rozhansky and forced several Cavalier miskicks.

Despite not being 100 percent healthy, Buescher’s international experience played dividends for the Orange in its biggest match of the year.

“Some people would get nervous, but I’m used to it,” said Buescher, who has been a member of both the U-16 and U-18 German national teams and was named the top midfield player in the U-19 German Bundesliga in 2011-12. “I think I can help the team with my experience. I know how it is to play the last 10 minutes, to hold the ball, and to not make mistakes.”

When the final seconds ticked away, Buescher let out an exuberant roar, did a double fist pump and bear hugged Syracuse midfielder Korab Syla.

Syracuse had knocked off the nation’s No. 2 team and Buescher recorded his first collegiate point, and he and McIntyre said there’s more to come.

Said Buescher: “If we keep this up, we can go a long way this season.”

Published on September 27, 2014 at 11:43 pm

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu