With a little less than 12 minutes left, Julian Buescher took his arm and wiped it across his mouth.

Buescher’s jaw stopped chomping on the food Oskar Sewerin had just fetched for him from the locker room after Buescher had just helped sink the final bite into the Albany defense.

“Thank you to Oskar,” Buescher said. “Good thing he’s that fast and got me something.”

Even a tired, hungry and even a bit distracted Buescher was able to extend his point streak on Tuesday night. Taking a swig from a Gatorade and grabbing a bite to eat on the field helped SU’s leading point scorer finish his ninth consecutive game with a goal or assist.

For the fifth straight game, SU tallied multiple goals. Buescher’s assist on a Ben Polk goal with less than 15 minutes left helped the No. 22 Orange (8-2-1, 2-1-1 Atlantic Coast) sneak past Albany (5-5-1, 0-1 America East), 2-1.

“Julian (Buescher) was a little off color tonight, but we also hang our mast on him a little bit and so it’s a little tough for your attacking players to be cooking every night,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. “Having said that, when we needed him, he stepped up with a quality ball in the box.”

Buescher wasn’t dribbling through defenders or making the deft cuts he normally makes. At one point, he walked back onside while the Orange was still playing the ball. McIntyre yanked Buescher for one of the first times this season with 7:23 left in the first half.

The midfielder contributed on all of SU’s three goals in what McIntyre called a “quagmire” on Friday at Duke, where the rain-soaked field was streaked with patches of mud.

One week ago, after the Orange played at Colgate, a staffer asked Buescher if he needed anything. He joked that he wanted two days off.

For the first time all season, against Albany, the fatigue Buescher joked about was apparent. The midfielder said he hadn’t eaten enough Tuesday. In the locker room at halftime, players typically get a quick banana.

“Even at halftime I didn’t eat, so not that smart today,” Buescher said.

When he came back out for the second half, he could feel a stomachache coming on. He sent Sewerin back into the locker room quickly to grab the chocolate bar and banana.

Periodically, Buescher ran over to the bench and grabbed the food, even playing the ball with food in his hand or fighting defenders on headers while chewing.

With the game tied at one with 17:13 left in the game and players battling for the ball on the sideline, Buescher drank from an orange Gatorade. Midfielder Juuso Pasanen yelled, “Hey,” to get Buescher back into the game.

“He can yell at me all day,” Buescher joked.

He may not have swiped any sustenance at half, but Buescher and Polk talked adjustments. Polk asked for earlier balls into the box because Albany’s defenders were playing up higher.

Polk split two defenders as Buescher gave the forward just the type of ball he wanted. Polk flicked the ball up and into the net, giving SU the lead for good.

“We do well when we do early crosses before the defenders can get set,” Polk said. “… when defenders are running back to their own goal it’s an easier chance.”

During the team’s postgame cool down, Buescher swung his leg less emphatically than teammates. He was the only player clutching two blue Gatorades and carried another three purple Gatorades in the plastic holder six packs typically come in.

He staved off fatigue just long enough to assist on the winning goal. And while he may not have been what SU’s come to expect, he was just enough of what the Orange needed.

“Maybe (he’s gassed). You can’t always be at your best,” McIntyre said. “We just went down to North Carolina, we just came back … he’s come out here and it’s tough to be cooking every night. He’s been outstanding for us.”

Published on October 6, 2015 at 11:03 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati