Wow. That sums up Syracuse’s 16-15 overtime loss to No. 4 Cornell Monday night. SU dominated early, jumping out to a 7-2 lead after the first quarter and leading by as many as six in the second half. But the Big Red came storming back. A 5-1 third quarter run set the stage for a knick-for-knack fourth quarter where each goal was met with a response. Ultimately, 60 minutes wasn’t enough. In the extra period, Hugh Kelleher zipped the winner past Bobby Gavin to propel the Big Red (10-1) past the Orange (4-7).
“They’re a very good team,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said. “It was an unbelievable game and they came back in the end, but I thought our guys played well.”
A Flaming Hot Star
Remember the line “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be” from Avengers: Infinity War? That is the perfect phrase to describe Syracuse’s offensive attack in the first half. The Orange had NINE goal-scorers in the first half, including a lot of names who haven’t exactly stuffed the stat sheet this season. Matteo Corsi, Saam Olexo, Jacob Buttermore, Brandon Aviles, and Jackson Birtwistle all entered the game with fewer than five goals, yet all of them found twine in the first half. Birtwistle had two — the first multi-goal game of his young career. The performance was so strong that Cornell starting goalie Chayse Ierlan was pulled after allowing seven goals without recording a save.
The pole goal will ALWAYS be the best goal in lacrosse pic.twitter.com/hbfqc4oq9M
— Brian (@BrianKnowsLax) April 11, 2022
“We had other guys scoring, and it was nice to see,” Gait said. “Hopefully that’ll build their confidence and hopefully we can continue to get more out of all the players, not just our go-to guys.”
However, that’s not to say the go-to guys didn’t perform. Tucker Dordevic didn’t score until there were less than four minutes left in the half, but a goal with 14 seconds left sent the Orange into the locker room with an 11-6 lead and very positive vibes.
Second Half Slumps
The second half wasn’t as sparkling as the first. The balance before the break wasn’t there after halftime: only two players scored for Syracuse in the second half. That was in large part due to improved goalie play from Cornell. Backup goalie Wyatt Knust made six saves in the second half while allowing just four goals. With that, Bobby Gavin wasn’t on his A-game after halftime. The UVA transfer made just four saves and allowed 10 goals in the second half.
Piatelli’s Power
Syracuse had no answers for John Piatelli. The attack tied season-highs with six goals and three assists, and he saved his best for when it mattered most. His 40th goal of the season gave Cornell its first lead of the game, and a flashy assist to Michael Long tied the game with 23 seconds left.
“John’s one of the leaders on the offensive end, no doubt about it,” Cornell head coach Connor Buczek said. “Certainly a guy that does so much and contributes so much to the success of our team.”
The Last Three
Syracuse must win its final three games to avoid finishing under .500 for the first time since 2007. But those three games are daunting. Every opponent is ranked and in the ACC: at No. 15 North Carolina, No. 6 Virginia, and No. 10 Notre Dame. The Orange were already shellacked by both the Cavaliers and Irish this season, and the Tar Heels beat them 21-9 a year ago. It’s gonna be an uphill battle.
Syracuse and North Carolina will square off in Chapel Hill at 4:00 Saturday. Our coverage begins with GZA Countdown to Faceoff at 3:30.