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Syracuse midfielder Luke Rhoa’s sticks are strung by former SU midfielder Jake Stevens — Rhoa’s former teammate at St. John’s College High School (Maryland) — and current Navy attack Mac Haley.

“They put some magic in (my sticks),” Rhoa said.

Though Stevens, who graduated last season, didn’t start any games, he scored 21 goals. With Finn Thomson moving to attack following Christian Mulé’s graduation, Rhoa has started all three of the Orange’s games at midfield after not starting once in his first two seasons at SU. Rhoa scored three goals against Jacksonville in SU’s lopsided opening win, highlighted by a one-handed finish with his weaker left side while falling down. He tallied one goal Friday against Vermont.

Monday versus No. 16 Towson (0-2, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association), Rhoa tied a career-high with four goals en route to No. 2 Syracuse’s (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 18-7 win over the Tigers. Three of those goals again came as Rhoa, usually right-handed, shot with his left hand.

No matter which hand Rhoa used, Towson had no answer. He repeatedly blasted goals past a hapless Luke Downs in net.

“He’s actually a more fundamental shooter left-handed,” Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen said of Rhoa postgame. “And he shoots a fast shot, so it’s hard for goalies to pick up.”

Nadelen added that to stop Rhoa, you have to slide to him and not allow him an open look out of the midfield. But the head coach also admitted if you step too hard to Rhoa, you could leave another deadly Syracuse attack open.

Midway through the first, the Tigers tried to step to Rhoa as he picked up an errant Michael Leo shot that flew back into the midfield. Towson’s Sam Morin attempted to close down Rhoa, but the midfielder blew past him, cutting to his left.

As the clock dwindled below five seconds, Rhoa entered the attacking zone and unleashed a scorching effort with his left hand that flew into the top right corner of the net. All Downs could do was look behind, bow his head and pick the ball out of his net as the Orange extended their lead to 4-1.

Nadelen said Rhoa converting as the shot clock near expires “deflated” his team but praised Rhoa’s ability to get separation versus his defender to open up shooting lanes.

Rhoa believed his shooting ambidexterity postgame, saying he tries to work on both hands every day at practice to improve his shooting on either side.

He converted again on his left at the 12:04 mark of the second quarter. Rhoa drove downhill on the left alley and before reaching the extended goal line, he zipped a scorcher on net that found the upper left corner, beating Downs at his near-post glove side.

Syracuse outscored the Tigers 7-0 in the fourth quarter, and Rhoa tacked on two more scores. The Orange swung the ball to Rhoa at midfield, and he put his foot on the gas pedal to drive toward the net. He cut left, aided by a Wyatt Hottle screen, then uncorked another rapid shot that nestled into the upper-90.

Rhoa’s final tally of the day didn’t look like his first three. Instead of dodging downhill or firing a long-range tracer bullet, Rhoa converted from close range. Attack Owen Hiltz floated a pass from the left alley to Rhoa, who was cutting on the right side of the crease.

Rhoa leaped to meet the pass, spiking his shot into the ground and into the goal before his feet could hit the crease. It was like an alley-oop, and Rhoa slammed the door on Towson for SU’s final goal of the game to make it 18-7.

Postgame, Hiltz joked he possibly practiced the routine once with Rhoa.

“We’ve tossed around the ball after practice a few times. We got a good connection, so I guess he saw me and tried to get me hurt,” Rhoa cracked, citing Towson defender Conor Spagnolli shoved him in the back while he was airborne and landing in a heap amid Downs and two Towson defenders.

But Rhoa could laugh it off. He’d just completed his best game since he registered four goals in Syracuse’s 13-12 overtime loss to then-No. 4 Maryland last season. This time, however, the Orange were on top. Towson had no answer for his dodging, shooting power, pinpoint accuracy and ambidexterity.

“He’s a guy that you got to understand what he’s capable of, support early if you can, try to get him to make a play by moving the ball and not just getting a hands-free shot,” Nadelen said of Rhoa. “And he definitely made us pay.”

Stevens’ graduation left a gaping hole in SU’s midfield entering the season. There were also preseason questions of who would step up as a downhill dodger. Though Rhoa is a different player than Stevens, he has provided a scoring boost from midfield SU lost with Stevens.

Even though Stevens is no longer with the Orange, his impact is still apparent. He set Syracuse up for success by stringing Rhoa’s sticks.

And with each blistering shot, Rhoa proves Stevens might have woven a little magic into the sticks, too.

Published on February 10, 2025 at 10:11 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal