Two Duke goals in 16 seconds and a faceoff win to follow had Syracuse on its heels. A tied game had become a deficit, and the Orange was facing a steeper one as Case Matheis tried to maneuver along the sideline.

But soon Jay McDermott rushed up to face guard him and the Blue Devil attack lost his balance and turned it over. Just more than a minute later, McDermott again denied Matheis any space as he forced him out of bounds for the second straight time.

“He’s had that length since he’s got here, but he didn’t have a lot of muscle to go with his length. I think it’s starting to pay off,” SU head coach John Desko said. “I think he’s done a great job, especially one-on-one these last couple games going against some of the best attackmen in the country.”

McDermott has established himself as a starter this season after playing a garbage-time role in his freshman year and as a man-down specialist in 2014. He’s done so by honing in his footwork, increasing his size, and using lessons from his freshman year when he made the choice to not redshirt.

This year he’s picked up 13 ground balls, caused four turnovers and used his length to play strong team defense for a squad that ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference goals against. And he’ll likely get the call again when No. 1 Syracuse (11-2, 2-2) travels to No. 13 Colgate (10-4, 6-2 Patriot) for its final nonconference matchup of the season in Hamilton, New York on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

“It’s getting kind of over the stage fright, if you will, and getting some experience at the end of games,” McDermott said. “… And that transitioned to this year which has been really helpful. I’ve got obviously a bigger role this year.”

The 6-foot-2 defender has put on seven pounds since his freshman year and has bulked up in muscle. His quick foot speed helped him as a man-down specialist last year when he’d often have to rotate to different players on the offense.

During practice he goes one-on-one with Syracuse’s premier attack players. After practice he jumps rope and does ladder work. It results in — to him — a tangible difference in the way he moves.

There are situations that call for a better matchup player that can keep up with the shorter, more agile opponents on attack. When Syracuse traveled to play North Carolina on April 11, the 5-foot-10 Ralph D’Agostino — a player that McDermott calls a bulldog — made the start instead to defend 5-foot-5 Joey Sankey.

“I’m probably more of a matchup guy,” D’Agostino said. “… He’s a very vocal guy out there. A great leader even though he’s the young buck of the four of us.”

McDermott is the only junior on a stacked defense that includes fourth-years Sean Young, Brandon Mullins and D’Agostino. It’s a leadership role he developed when he decided not to redshirt as a freshman.

He wanted to be the guy that traveled with the team. He wanted to be the young guy in the huddle with all the seniors. He wanted to be the guy getting the experience that everyone else couldn’t get — even if it meant making just two appearances in blowout games.

But now, two years later, he’s gone from being in the huddle to leading them. He’s forced his way into a starting lineup where he’s the only player that isn’t in their fourth or fifth season.

“I knew when I was being recruited that I wanted to come to Syracuse,” McDermott said. “You know that you may not play right away, I understood that. I just wanted to work my hardest and now I’m out here and it’s worth it.”

Published on May 1, 2015 at 6:59 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3