Treacherous snow forced the Boys’ Latin High School varsity team to spend its second practice of the season in a gym. Balls flew around and bounced off the hardwood. One skidded underneath Devin Shewell’s foot.

He stepped on the ball and the ankle injuries that had plagued Shewell’s career resurfaced. He sat out the first few weeks of his junior season. He lost his starting attack spot and his fitness remained a weak point.

“He was never able to play a complete year,” Boys’ Latin (Maryland) head coach Bob Shriver said. “He had this black cloud that followed him around it seemed like.”

But what slowed his high school career kick-started his college career.

Shewell provided a spark off No. 3 Syracuse’s (3-0) bench when attack Nick Piroli and midfielder Tim Barber went down with injuries. Piroli hasn’t played since SU’s season-opening game against Siena, while Barber missed the second half of the Orange’s second game against Albany. And despite the injuries that have hampered him in the past, Shewell already has four goals and could have more chances to contribute during his freshman season.

“It’s pretty annoying. I don’t really know,” Shewell said of his past injuries. “I just take it day by day and knock on wood that I don’t get hurt.”

Since getting to SU, Shewell’s worked with trainers to improve the strength in his ankles. He’s considering surgery on his left ankle over the summer. But in the meantime, he adds a dimension to Syracuse’s offense that other backups don’t.

His off-ball movement is his best skill. He’s naturally right handed, making him a good fit to play on the attack alongside lefties Dylan Donahue and Jordan Evans. He understands the offense well, making him invisible when SU head coach John Desko re-watched last week’s Albany game for mistakes.

“He’s a smart kid. He knows what the heck he’s doing,” Shriver said. “It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest bit (that he’s gotten early playing time.)”

 

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When Piroli suffered a lower-body injury before Syracuse played Albany, Barber moved from midfield to attack, and Matt Lane subbed in for him at midfield. When Barber got hurt at the conclusion of the second quarter, the Orange needed another player on attack. Donahue told Shewell to be ready, and he was.

Just over a minute into the third quarter, Donahue picked up a loose ball behind the goal and caught Albany goalie Blaze Riorden out of the net. Shewell cut from the top of the offensive zone to in front of the crease.

Catch. Shoot. Score.

About seven minutes later, Lane backed his defender down, cradled toward the goal and drew a slide. Shewell lined up parallel to him 10 yards away from the net, slid toward open space and opened up his hips before Lane delivered a pass to him.

Catch. Shoot. Score.

“He can see plays happen before they actually happen,” Donahue said. “He can see it two passes ahead of time. He knows where to put himself in the off-ball position to either get his man to slide or clear through for someone else.”

When Barber returned to the lineup on Sunday against Army, Shewell’s playing time decreased. His fitness became a weakness with the time he missed in high school, and he’s doing extra running after practice on a treadmill to fix that.

There’s still a lot of room for Shewell to grow, but he’s capitalized on his chances so far.

“He seemed to fit very well,” Desko said. “It wasn’t like we noticed him out there he was doing everything wrong, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was in the right place at the right time.”

Published on March 1, 2016 at 10:49 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds