He may only be a freshman, but Ben Ramin is no stranger to Syracuse soccer.

The Ramin family has been connected to the program for years. Ben’s father, Peter, played at SU from 1979 to 1980, while his uncle, Greg, played for the Orange from 1979 to 1982.

Continuing the soccer tradition played a key role in Ben’s decision to come to Syracuse.

“When originally I was making my decision I thought it would be cool to follow in my father’s footsteps,” Ramin said, later adding that while it wasn’t the deciding factor in his decision, “it was an added plus.”

Ramin is a product of C.W. Baker High School in nearby Baldwinsville, where fellow freshmen Alex Bono and Andrew Coughlin also called home. They all attended high school together. Ramin stood out in his senior year, tallying 16 goals and eight assists.

At C.W. Baker, his teammates noticed his work ethic.

“He works really hard on and off the field every single day,” Bono said. “It pays off for him. He’s a good player because of it.”

Not only has the work paid off for Ramin, but for his high school teammates as well. Ramin attributes part of his success to the fact that his C.W. Baker teammates were able to push one another in high school competition.

“Being able to compete with them on a daily basis helps me be at a higher level,” Ramin said. “And we really push each other to be as good so we are all prepared for the high intensity of Division-I soccer.”

Head coach Ian McIntyre has taken notice of Ramin’s dedication.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve,” McIntyre said. ”He’s a tremendously hard-working individual.”

Ramin’s work ethic landed him at Syracuse, where he is one of the members of a recruiting class that is unprecedented at SU. The class is ranked 14th nationally, the highest ranking for a recruiting class in Syracuse soccer history.

While many could not fathom this quick of a turnaround for the SU soccer program following an abysmal 3-12-1 record in 2011, Ramin and the rest of the class saw an opportunity to change the culture of the program.

They did exactly what they set out to do.

Syracuse, with major contributions from the freshmen, soared to 12-6-0 this year, with a 5-3-0 record in the Big East.

“This is our goal as a class coming in as freshmen to really help turn around the program,” Ramin said of his teammates.

Ramin was not a major contributor this season. He only logged 108 minutes and scored his only goal in Syracuse’s 6-0 rout of Colgate back on Sept. 3.

With a wealth of talented players contributing early in their collegiate careers, Ramin will only add more firepower to the Orange as it gets ready to prepare for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013.

McIntyre sees a bright future ahead of the young star.

“He’s a physical player, and we feel that he can score goals,” McIntyre said. “His best years are ahead of him.”

Published on November 15, 2012 at 12:03 am

Contact Danny: dacuneo@syr.edu