The first thing junior midfielder Jonathan Hagman highlighted about Hugo Delhommelle was his red beard that has hung low from his chin for four years now.

Syracuse’s new anchor on set pieces grew it out after losing a bet with his friends back in his home country of France over FIFA, an EA Sports video game. The loss required Delhommelle to grow the beard out for six months. After he paid his dues, the beard stayed. It’s become a staple on Syracuse’s midfield line.

“It started to be like my personality,” Delhommelle said.

In his first season since transferring from Lander University, where he tallied 35 points in two seasons, Delhommelle has become No. 21 Syracuse’s (5-3-2, 0-2-1 Atlantic Coast) go-to option on set pieces, where he’s totaled five points in the last five games. While possessing the ball, he utilizes his creativity to evade defenders and push transition from the middle third. That earned him 2016 NCSAA All-American honors.

On Friday, when Syracuse travels to Pittsburgh (3-5, 0-3), Delhommelle will continue to be a centerpiece for the Orange, which looks for its first ACC win of the season.

Delhommelle’s nine points ranks second among SU players, trailing the team leader, Hagman, by one. But it’s often what the junior does in the middle third of the field that jumpstarts the offense.

“His set pieces have been exceptional, his dead ball service, but also he’s lively. He’s got athleticism, he’s got personality,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said. “He makes us different. He’s very unpredictable in the final third which, from a defensive perspective, it’s tough to matchup with him.”

Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer

His creativity with the ball is displayed often. On Sept. 3 against Northwestern, it came in the form of a backheel. He gathered the ball using a touch with the back of his foot to skirt past two charging Wildcats defenders and advance the ball forward. Against Princeton two days prior, he used his feet to distract the opposing defenders in a different way. In two quick movements he exchanged his right foot then his left in front of the ball before bursting past two tangled Tiger defenders.

“It’s the reason I play,” Delhommelle said, “to enjoy the way I play.”

He credits his nifty plays to watching stars like Ronaldinho growing up. Employing his idols tactics is simple: see it, practice it ad-nauseam, then bring it to games. Thus far, the creativity has led to opportunities for SU, leading to set pieces.

From the set piece, he bends the ball. In a game against Oregon State on Sept. 12, Delhommelle sent a long ball from the right side of the field about 10 yards into the attacking side. It curved toward the far left post where his teammates failed to finish the opportunity. Later that game, Delhommelle served Syracuse’s first corner kick goal of the season. From the right corner, the ball traveled near post where John-Austin Ricks stood waiting. Ricks flung the ball to nylon with his head for the eventual game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining in the match.

“(He is) a really technical guy, good on the ball, his services on set pieces have been terrific,” Hagman said. “Ricks has scored twice now because the ball has been perfect from the corner from (Delhommelle).”

Early in the season, Syracuse goalkeeper Hendrik Hilpert commended Delhommelle’s free kick ability. He said the way Delhommelle shoots makes it difficult to tell where the ball is headed. Trying to stop his kicks in practice helps Hilpert get better reads on balls he’d otherwise miss.

Now, 10 games into the season, Delhommelle has put Syracuse on the board before its opponent twice. The first came against then-No.11 Virginia, when Delhommelle called off his teammate, junior defender Kamal Miller, to take a penalty kick. The ball tucked inside the right post to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead in an eventual 2-2 tie.

“The only thing I have to work on is not just showing up for the crowd,” Delhommelle said. “Dribbling helpful for the team, be more decisive score more goals and get more assists too.”

Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer

Monday night, in a 2-0 victory at Colgate, Delhommelle scored the game-deciding point in the 9th minute. He approached the free kick slowly, with short choppy steps.

Earlier this year, the shot was often blocked. Against Princeton it dropped to the bottom left before being saved by a diving goalkeeper. Against Louisville he went short side to the right post. Louisville’s goalkeeper wasn’t fooled and shoved the chance away with two hands.

On Monday, he finished. The ball curved into the top corner of the net and Delhommelle casually walked away. Over 20 minutes later, he bent a corner into the box for Johannes Pieles, who guided the ball in, completing SU’s 2-0 victory over Colgate.

“I think there is more there too,” McIntyre said. “We are just scratching the surface with him.”

Published on September 27, 2017 at 7:39 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44