Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse (2-3) nearly drowned in a cacophony of unforced errors against Hobart (2-2) on Sunday afternoon. The 14th-ranked Orange outlasted the Statesmen 18-16 at the Carrier Dome to hoist the Kraus-Simmons trophy for the eighth consecutive time, thanks to a massive performance from attack Tucker Dordevic.
The Portland, Oregon, native and redshirt junior captain led all players in total points (7) and co-led the team in goals (5). After passing up on clean looks against Army, Dordevic netted a hat-trick in the first half while turning the ball over just twice. Today marks the Edison High School graduate’s third game of the season with five goals. In his two other games, Dordevic scored just one goal in each outing.
But Dordevic wasn’t alone in his pursuit of Syracuse’s second win. Fellow captain Brendan Curry emerged as a true number-two, netting five goals of his own while tacking on a single assist. In particular, Curry’s blazing speed and tantalizing body control gave SU’s attack a pair of titans.
The Orange had ample opportunities to put a stamp on this game early thanks to the much-improved face-off routine of Jakob Phaup. The FOGO helped Syracuse dominate possession with 25 face-off wins in 38 attempts. But the SU offense, save for Dordevic and Curry, didn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
Syracuse turned the ball over a whopping 16 times as a team, including an errant pass from Phaup that segued immediately into a Hobart goal.
For the Statesman, John Herlihy scorched Syracuse’s defense with four goals. In total, nine different Hobart players found twine.
The Statesmen received a bit of help from the Orange, too. Syracuse’s man-down defense was horrendous, allowing five goals in six opportunities. The Statesmen post the Northeast Conference’s best man-up scoring offense, and they certainly took advantage of a prime matchup.
After a gauntlet of a schedule and a brief break from the ranked slate, Syracuse plays fellow 14th-ranked team Johns Hopkins this coming Sunday. The Orange have fared well against the Blue Jays of late, winning three of the last four matchups. WAER’s coverage begins at 3:30 with GZA Countdown to Face-Off; opening draw is at 4.