No. 14 Syracuse (3-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) beat No. 18 Johns Hopkins (2-2), 14-10, in 2019’s rendition of the historic matchup between the Orange and the all-time winningest team in college lacrosse. SU played sloppy with the ball and turned the ball over 15 times. But in the end, the Orange were able to capture the win.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Mixed effort at the X

Syracuse struggled for possessions for a majority of the game and looked to the faceoffs to find some chances. After falling to a 5-1 deficit early in the game, the Orange switched in Danny Varello for extended run in the X. Jakob Phaup, who started for the second-straight game after leading the Orange’s faceoff unit for the previous three matchups, lost his first three attempts and nearly turned the ball over following his first win.

After the switch, Syracuse resorted to a balanced effort. Varello stayed in for a few in a row and started to win. Then Phaup returned and entered a rhythm of his own. Prior to the season, SU head coach John Desko said it would ride the “hot hand” with its faceoff unit, but Phaup’s recent play had Varello sidelined for the majority of attempts. But Saturday, Syracuse needed both.

By the end of the game, the Orange got good production from both players in their two-headed unit. After losing six of their first nine attempts, the Orange left the game with a 17-11 lead at the X.

Cancelling the slow start

Syracuse fell to an early 5-1 deficit, and the Orange played a lot like they did in the season-opening loss against Colgate. The Orange misfired on passes, were dominated at the X and couldn’t string together possessions, leaving the Orange defense without time to reset after Blue Jays goals.

But, when the Orange needed big plays, Brendan Curry sprinted on a dodge to the left side of the net and scored an unassisted goal. Right before the end of the quarter, after some strong defensive stands from Syracuse, Bradley Voigt received a pass in front of the net and twirled a shot behind his head and into the goal.

In the season-opener, despite Syracuse runs and short spurts of momentum, Colgate always had an answer on offense. But Syracuse allowed just five goals after the first quarter, and its offense played well enough to keep it within striking distance, going into the fourth quarter trailing by just one goal.

Fourth quarter explosion

All game, the Orange waited for the run to push them ahead. To give them a lead they could hold onto. A goal by Jamie Trimboli gave the Orange a chance to push ahead, but throughout the game, an equalizer was often followed by a Blue Jays answer.

But Jacob Buttermore fired a bouncing shot into the goal, and Syracuse took control. Its offense led a 4-0 run before JHU scored again. When Johns Hopkins got on the board, Syracuse scored two more goals. For one quarter, Syracuse’s possessions were clean, and its offense held the ball and attacked.

By the end of the quarter, Syracuse outscored the Blue Jays 6-2 and took ownership of a game that it trailed for a majority of the contest.

Published on March 9, 2019 at 3:12 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary