Skylar Thomas has started all 24 games he's played at Syracuse.
Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski
The Road Back
8/16/2013 8:46:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- When Skylar Thomas couldn't continue, Ian McIntyre knew it was bad.
The Orange head men's soccer coach had just watched Thomas, his 6-3 defender and the anchor of Syracuse's back four, challenge a Cincinnati player for a 50-50 ball during the second half of a match on Sept. 29, 2012.
The two players were shoulder-to-shoulder. Thomas' right leg was stretched out behind him as he raced for the ball. There was a collision. The leg twisted and Thomas went down. He tried to get up, but couldn't put any weight on it.
"Skylar is a pretty tough kid. So for him not to be able to carry on we feared the worst," McIntyre said.
The "worst" was later confirmed by the Syracuse doctors and athletic training staff. Thomas had a broken right foot. He would miss the remainder of the season.
It was terrible news, both for Thomas and the team. Syracuse was in the midst of a stellar turnaround from a 2011 season in which it won three games. Even with the eventual loss to Cincinnati, the Orange was 8-3-0 and it wasn't October yet.
The hot start was in large part thanks to Thomas and a stingy defense. Thomas teamed with fellow backs Chris Makowski, Nick Bibbs, Jordan Murrell and goalie Alex Bono to pitch eight shutouts in the first 11 games of the season. Against NJIT and St. Bonaventure at the Mayor's Cup, Syracuse didn't allow a goal and Thomas was named the Garth Stam Defensive MVP of the tournament. He also chipped in offensively with a goal against NJIT. Thomas added another goal at Massachusetts two-and-half weeks later.
"He was arguably our best player when he got hurt," McIntyre said. "He was getting more and more confident. He was influencing the players around him. Skylar's an athletic player. Physically he matches up well. He's an exceptional one-on-one defender and he has the pace to recover."
Thomas, now a junior, came to Syracuse from Pickering, Ontario Canada, a city located just east of Toronto, with impressive credentials. A staple of Canada's youth national program, Thomas was part of a 2011 SU recruiting class that ranked in the top 40 nationally. Collectively, that group was pressed into service right away as McIntyre looked to infuse the program with young talent. Thomas, Murrell, Makowski and Nick Perea all started at least 12 games as freshmen. They played well for long stretches. They also fouled too much for McIntyre's liking, but there was no denying their ability.
Their talent, combined with the experience they gained as freshmen, paid dividends last year. Syracuse went 14-6-1 in 2012, posted 12 shutouts, earned an NCAA Tournament at-large berth, and won a pair of postseason games. Tyler Hilliard and Ryan Tessler filled in for Thomas, who was forced to watch the remainder of the most successful season in team history from the sidelines.
"It was one of the toughest things of my soccer career," Thomas said of viewing SU's last 10 games as a spectator. "They (the team) did well. I'm proud of them."
Thomas could have felt sorry for himself, lamenting the fact that he couldn't be on the field for Syracuse's postseason run, but he didn't. Instead he encouraged Hilliard and doled out defensive words of wisdom to his teammates.
"Skylar and Matt Stith, they both had broken bones and they were hobbling all over the place to help the team," McIntyre said. "One of the vivid images from last year is seeing their crutches at national tournament games with Syracuse flags attached to them. They found a way to have important roles even if it wasn't on the practice field or the game field."
After the injury, Thomas was in a boot for several months. His rehab consisted of exercises designed to increase his hip mobility and strengthen his leg while keeping his foot stable. It also included upper-body workouts. Finally, just before the Orange began its 2013 spring matches, Thomas was given the OK to begin running.
"I just had to build up," Thomas said. "I started off real slow. First, walking with no limp. Then jogging. Then sprinting. Then cutting."
With his sights set on being 100 percent for the fall, Thomas stayed in Syracuse this past summer instead of returning home. He took classes and continued his rehab with SU Director of Rehabilitation Services Brad Pike and strength and conditioning coach Ryan Cabiles, both of whom work with the men's basketball team.
"It can be quite a lonely existence when you're grinding and you're rehabbing and you're here the whole summer," McIntyre said. "But Skylar made that commitment because he wants to be back, and thanks to Brad and Ryan. They didn't need to make themselves accessible, but they did and Skylar really benefitted from that. They're two of the best in their fields."
After not competing in a game or participating in a practice in almost 11 months, Thomas was out there Wednesday when the Orange opened preseason training.
Said Thomas: "It's been a while since I've done a lot of these activities, but I'll get through them."
McIntyre plans to bring Thomas along slowly. He wants to make sure he doesn't push his star defender too hard too soon.
"It's a long road back. We've ensured that we are building him up for our games this fall," McIntyre said. "To have a player like Skylar coming back, every team in the country would love to have a player like him in their back four. He's someone, that when he's playing at his full ability, can be a dominant player in our league."
The Orange head men's soccer coach had just watched Thomas, his 6-3 defender and the anchor of Syracuse's back four, challenge a Cincinnati player for a 50-50 ball during the second half of a match on Sept. 29, 2012.
The two players were shoulder-to-shoulder. Thomas' right leg was stretched out behind him as he raced for the ball. There was a collision. The leg twisted and Thomas went down. He tried to get up, but couldn't put any weight on it.
"Skylar is a pretty tough kid. So for him not to be able to carry on we feared the worst," McIntyre said.
The "worst" was later confirmed by the Syracuse doctors and athletic training staff. Thomas had a broken right foot. He would miss the remainder of the season.
It was terrible news, both for Thomas and the team. Syracuse was in the midst of a stellar turnaround from a 2011 season in which it won three games. Even with the eventual loss to Cincinnati, the Orange was 8-3-0 and it wasn't October yet.
The hot start was in large part thanks to Thomas and a stingy defense. Thomas teamed with fellow backs Chris Makowski, Nick Bibbs, Jordan Murrell and goalie Alex Bono to pitch eight shutouts in the first 11 games of the season. Against NJIT and St. Bonaventure at the Mayor's Cup, Syracuse didn't allow a goal and Thomas was named the Garth Stam Defensive MVP of the tournament. He also chipped in offensively with a goal against NJIT. Thomas added another goal at Massachusetts two-and-half weeks later.
"He was arguably our best player when he got hurt," McIntyre said. "He was getting more and more confident. He was influencing the players around him. Skylar's an athletic player. Physically he matches up well. He's an exceptional one-on-one defender and he has the pace to recover."
Thomas, now a junior, came to Syracuse from Pickering, Ontario Canada, a city located just east of Toronto, with impressive credentials. A staple of Canada's youth national program, Thomas was part of a 2011 SU recruiting class that ranked in the top 40 nationally. Collectively, that group was pressed into service right away as McIntyre looked to infuse the program with young talent. Thomas, Murrell, Makowski and Nick Perea all started at least 12 games as freshmen. They played well for long stretches. They also fouled too much for McIntyre's liking, but there was no denying their ability.
Their talent, combined with the experience they gained as freshmen, paid dividends last year. Syracuse went 14-6-1 in 2012, posted 12 shutouts, earned an NCAA Tournament at-large berth, and won a pair of postseason games. Tyler Hilliard and Ryan Tessler filled in for Thomas, who was forced to watch the remainder of the most successful season in team history from the sidelines.
"It was one of the toughest things of my soccer career," Thomas said of viewing SU's last 10 games as a spectator. "They (the team) did well. I'm proud of them."
Thomas could have felt sorry for himself, lamenting the fact that he couldn't be on the field for Syracuse's postseason run, but he didn't. Instead he encouraged Hilliard and doled out defensive words of wisdom to his teammates.
"Skylar and Matt Stith, they both had broken bones and they were hobbling all over the place to help the team," McIntyre said. "One of the vivid images from last year is seeing their crutches at national tournament games with Syracuse flags attached to them. They found a way to have important roles even if it wasn't on the practice field or the game field."
After the injury, Thomas was in a boot for several months. His rehab consisted of exercises designed to increase his hip mobility and strengthen his leg while keeping his foot stable. It also included upper-body workouts. Finally, just before the Orange began its 2013 spring matches, Thomas was given the OK to begin running.
"I just had to build up," Thomas said. "I started off real slow. First, walking with no limp. Then jogging. Then sprinting. Then cutting."
With his sights set on being 100 percent for the fall, Thomas stayed in Syracuse this past summer instead of returning home. He took classes and continued his rehab with SU Director of Rehabilitation Services Brad Pike and strength and conditioning coach Ryan Cabiles, both of whom work with the men's basketball team.
"It can be quite a lonely existence when you're grinding and you're rehabbing and you're here the whole summer," McIntyre said. "But Skylar made that commitment because he wants to be back, and thanks to Brad and Ryan. They didn't need to make themselves accessible, but they did and Skylar really benefitted from that. They're two of the best in their fields."
After not competing in a game or participating in a practice in almost 11 months, Thomas was out there Wednesday when the Orange opened preseason training.
Said Thomas: "It's been a while since I've done a lot of these activities, but I'll get through them."
McIntyre plans to bring Thomas along slowly. He wants to make sure he doesn't push his star defender too hard too soon.
"It's a long road back. We've ensured that we are building him up for our games this fall," McIntyre said. "To have a player like Skylar coming back, every team in the country would love to have a player like him in their back four. He's someone, that when he's playing at his full ability, can be a dominant player in our league."
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