Noah Rhynhart scored two goals in the 2011 New York state club championship for Blackwatch Midlothian. The moment serves as Charles Rhynhart’s favorite memory of watching his son play soccer, but also as an aspect of Noah’s game that he’s trying to recapture this season — his scoring touch.

“He was far above his peers in (speed and finishing ability), which made him a special player,” Jeff Rockmore, an assistant coach for Rhynhart’s club team said.

But in 46 games at No. 15 Syracuse (1-1), Rhynhart has converted just two shots and taken 12. A senior, Rhynhart is stepping into more playing time and an increased scoring role in his last season at SU.

The departure of about one-third of Syracuse’s offense from last season has left a void that Rhynhart will have to help fill. After coming to Syracuse as a Top 150 recruit in the ESPN Rise rankings, he’s started two games in parts of four seasons.

“Hopefully I can show (that I’ve improved my finishing) this year because, for a forward, I don’t have as many goals as I’d like in my career,” Rhynhart said.

Rhynhart’s transition to the college game flipped his role. In high school, his teammates pushed the ball to him to score, Roslyn Jefferson, Rhynhart’s mother said. At Syracuse, he pushes the ball to teammates and has come off the bench.

The transition wasn’t a simple one. Rhynhart enrolled at Syracuse early in the 2012 spring semester, but a misdiagnosed broken leg sidelined him, Charles Rhynhart said. Rhynhart missed practices, having to sit and watch his teammates play while he did core exercises on the sideline, but his mother doesn’t think the injury set her son back in his development.

After missing time in his freshman season, Rhynhart sat behind newer players like Chris Nanco and Emil Ekblom in his sophomore and junior seasons. Ekblom led SU in scoring and started every game in 2013, while Rhynhart played just 13 of 21 games.

“(Ekblom’s) a tough guy to try to knock out of the lineup,” Charles Rhynhart said.

Approaching this season with Syracuse, Rhynhart knows this is his last chance. When he’s gone home during the summer, he’s worked with local club teams that have college-caliber coaches and players, Rockmore said. Rhynhart has worked on his ball-striking ability, including the angle he approaches the ball when he shoots, according to Rockmore.

Rhynhart also said he’s learned to get shots off quicker, gaining confidence and shedding timidity that plagued him earlier in his career.  He was named team MVP after the spring season, his father said.

“I’m seeing the team put the ball up to him more readily and kind of more trusting relationship,” Charles Rhynhart said.

Adding finishing ability to his speed makes him a potentially dangerous pairing with Nanco, SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. Rhynhart said when the two are on the field, their speed can help stretch the defense.

Rhynhart’s father describes his son’s playing style as passing the ball to teammates and making off-ball runs instead of dribbling through the defense, which can help him play off of Nanco and vice versa.

Despite Rhynhart’s improvements, he is goalless in three exhibitions and two regular season games this season, and he knows his role could be diminished if he can’t produce.

“At the end of the day,” Rhynhart said, “for the forwards, it’s whoever’s scoring the goals is going to play.”

Published on August 31, 2015 at 9:06 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati