In Syracuse’s biggest games, Paolo Ciferri has found himself in the spotlight, doing what he does best: pushing transition.

Down one with just over a minute remaining against North Carolina on April 15, Ciferri picked up a ground ball after a scrum near midfield. The redshirt senior took off toward the crease, scanning the area to see if he could dump a pass off. With no viable options, he fired a shot over his left shoulder and past UNC goalkeeper Brian Balkam. Ciferri’s second goal of the game set the Orange up for an overtime win.

“If I’m gonna shoot, it means no one picked me up,” Ciferri said. “If someone slides to me, I move the ball to the attackmen because that’s their jobs.

“But if the sea parts and the opportunity is there, I take it.”

Ciferri has been the engine in top-ranked Syracuse’s transition game. The Orange (11-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast) ranks third in clear percentage, converting on nearly 91 percent of its attempts. Quick ground balls or easy saves from goalie Evan Molloy jumpstart transition. Once the ball goes into Molloy’s stick, Ciferri and the defensive midfielders start bolting upfield — looking to pursue a counterattack. And most of the time, Molloy favors Ciferri.

In the fourth quarter of a March 18 matchup with Johns Hopkins, Molloy made a sliding save on a Joel Tinney shot. The goalkeeper jumped up and fired a 50-yard pass ahead of Ciferri. Still running over midfield, the redshirt senior caught up to it and corralled the ball on a bounce.

For a moment it looked as if Ciferri would pass to Nick Mariano beside the net. Instead the midfielder realized he had the best look at an open shot, so he took it.

Other times, Ciferri is forced to make an audible like he did against Binghamton on Saturday. After a weak shot from Tom Moore softly arced toward Molloy, Ciferri dashed toward midfield. Just like against Johns Hopkins, the bouncing three-quarters-field pass ended up in Ciferri’s stick. This time, a defender marked the redshirt senior. So he found a wide open Brendan Bomberry cutting toward the net and he scored with ease.

“It’s just him anticipating the breakout,” sophomore defender Tyson Bomberry said. “A lot of times when you really want to push transition, you’re able to read when the person is going to shoot. When he starts to shoot, you move the opposite way. When Molloy looks up, (Ciferri’s) already got a couple steps.

“Easy outlet pass and he’s gone.”

In his first four years, Ciferri played 40 games and accumulated just two goals. But in 11 games this season, the redshirt senior has four goals and 11 ground balls. Each goal has come in his team’s biggest wins: Johns Hopkins, defending champion North Carolina (two) and then-No. 1 Notre Dame. Last year, Syracuse finished eighth in the nation in clearing percentage. But this year, Ciferri provides an extra boost to SU’s counterattack that’s been vital in nine one-goal games.

Transition offense is emphasized in practice by SU head coach John Desko. The team works on odd-man situations in transition, like 6-on-5s and 5-on-4s. Prioritizing transition led to Ciferri refining his skills and being able to find open space near midfield.

After getting across the halfway mark, Ciferri has an unusual advantage than most defensive midfielders. Back at Ithaca (New York) High School, he focused on being an offensive midfielder rather than his normal defensive position at Syracuse. He developed into a two-way player and was “no stranger going to the goal,” Desko said.

Playing offense in high school has led to Ciferri reading the opposing defenses easier. He knows the angles he has to play and operates comfortably in odd-man situations.

“When you play offense, you’re just trying to find the 2-on-1,” Ciferri said. “Draw a slide, move it. Eventually you’re going to have two guys, one defenseman. It’s the same thing in the transition game.”

Published on April 24, 2017 at 10:39 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco