Something seemed off with Syracuse at the start of the game.

One of Alex Bono’s warmup pumps hit a ball boy from SU’s youth program standing on the sidelines. When the game started, Skylar Thomas passed the ball directly at the Syracuse bench with no teammates in sight.

Pleas for better play echoed throughout SU Soccer Stadium. Fans groaned each time the Orange clumsily lost possession.

Both Bono and head coach Ian McIntyre yelled for the team to pick up its play, but nothing registered for the players on the field.

Those on the bench, though, primed themselves to have an immediate effect on the game when called upon.

No. 17 Syracuse (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) beat Manhattan (0-3) 4-1 at SU Soccer Stadium on Monday night. After a lethargic start, McIntyre turned to his bench for a kick of energy. Freshmen Mike Koegel and Chris Nanco, and sophomore Noah Rhynhart answered their coach’s call and helped the Orange to the lopsided win.

“With my pace I looked to take advantage, because the guys had been on the field longer than me,” Nanco said. “I was fresh legs coming off the bench, which made me want to create something.”

Even after freshman midfielder Alex Halis gave SU a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute, the Orange didn’t have much going. Syracuse had trouble possessing the ball in the midfield, and scoring chances were virtually nonexistent.

Displeased, McIntyre called for reinforcements.

“We were sluggish tonight,” McIntyre said. “You’ve got three new young guys to use, and they all responded great.”

First it was Nanco, who spelled Grant Chong in the 22nd minute. Then Koegel subbed in for Juuso Pasanen seven minutes later. Neither took long to affect the game.

After Koegel flirted with his first collegiate goal with a rocket-like shot, his distribution to Halis started SU’s next scoring play. Halis danced around Manhattan defender Samuel Howard before finding Nanco, who gave the Orange a 2-0 lead.

Two minutes later, Rhynhart entered the game for forward Emil Ekblom and assisted the Orange’s third goal on the next play. Rhynhart used his speed to blaze ahead of the Jaspers’ defense and slot a pass to Halis who notched his second of the game.

With the Orange now leading 3-0, it looked like a brand-new team.

“Coach wanted us to come in and bring a lot of energy to help the team pick itself up,” Koegel said. “We saw that as our responsibility once we got in the game.”

When the team jogged out with a 3-0 lead for the second half, four starters sat on the bench. Koegel, Nanco, Rhynhart and sophomore defender Trevor Alexander replaced Ekblom, Pasanen, Chong, and freshman Oyvind Alseth.

And it was more of the same. In the 51st minute, Nanco tallied his second goal of the match after a Halis through ball gave him a clear look at the goal.

Koegel grew more and more comfortable with each play, helping the Orange possess out of the back and exuding uncharacteristic physicality for a 5-foot-10 freshman. And Rhynhart, replacing one of SU’s primary offensive targets in Ekblom, continued to give the Jaspers headaches with his speed.

In its next two games, the Orange will face No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 3 Connecticut, both at home. After being noticeably unhappy with the way his team started Monday night’s game, McIntyre won’t forget the way his bench energized an otherwise listless team.

“Everyone is fighting for their spot out here,” Nanco said. “And that makes everyone better. We’ll continue to work hard for sure.”

Published on September 10, 2013 at 1:27 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse