After a 3-2 double-overtime win over Vermont last Sunday, Syracuse head coach Phil Wheddon made a joke about assistant coach Neel Bhattacharjee in front of the team.

“Phil overheard someone say ‘Neel’s so cute’ after the joke,” said freshman Jessica Vigna, laughing. “So then on the white board afterward, the team put up, ‘Neel equals cute.’”

Whether it’s Bhattacharjee’s personality or looks that has the team deeming him “cute,” Wheddon is mostly impressed with the recruiting coordinator’s immediate success. Bhattacharjee has been on the SU staff since 2012 and the team’s newest class is the first that he is mainly responsible for.

The 11 freshmen were ranked the 17th-best class in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com, and a handful have been in the mix in Syracuse’s (3-2-3) second year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. So far this season, eight of the 11 freshmen have started in at least one game, and first-year goalie Courtney Bronson, who was expected to start prior to the season, is sidelined with an injury.

“I think we have a very well-balanced class where we addressed some very specific positional needs,” Bhattacharjee said. “A number of them have made strong contributions, with starting time and playing time.

“We’re excited because we know they’re just going to continue to grow and develop.”

Bhattacharjee’s work is contributing to results.

Freshmen Alex Lamontagne, Jessica Vigna and Alexis Muraco have all recorded their first collegiate goals. Lamontagne is second on the team in goals, with three, this year, and second in points, with seven.

“His personal touch on emails and attendance at my games was really cool,” said Vigna, who scored her first goal and collected an assist in SU’s 2-2 tie at Drexel on Sunday. “It definitely played a role on me choosing SU.”

Responsibilities as recruiting coordinator include evaluating talent, emailing recruits up to three times a week, attending games and giving tours when recruits visit campus. But Bhattacharjee reduces the recruitment process into two simpler categories: evaluation and formal recruitment.

Bhattacharjee heads recruiting and is also the only assistant coach listed on the team’s roster, and Wheddon recognizes the effect he has while juggling roles.

“He’s invaluable to our success,” Wheddon said. “Having a top-20 class in his first real year in recruiting is unbelievable.”

The No. 17 ranking is no stroke of luck for Bhattacharjee. Prior to joining Syracuse in January 2012, Bhattacharjee worked as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the women’s soccer program at Boston College, where he said he brought in top-10 recruiting classes.

After Syracuse tied BC in 2011 — a year after BC reached the final four — Bhattacharjee took notice of Syracuse, and was impressed with the progress the program was making.

“I told Phil I could continue to get him even better players,” Bhattacharjee said. “This is a place where we could do some special things and have an impact.

“I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Aside from recruiting, Bhattacharjee specializes in goalkeeping, like Wheddon, but is responsible for coaching all of the team’s units in practice and in games — with Wheddon and him splitting time with the Orange’s goalies and positional players.

While he stays busy on the field, his most noticeable contribution to the program is the talent he’s recruited and his commitment to pushing the program forward.

“We are trying to improve our stature within the conference and also nationally,” Bhattacharjee said. “If we can do some good things in the ACC, success just leads to more success.

“Everyone’s attracted to a winning program, we just need to build on that.”

Published on September 17, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu