Fourth-seeded Syracuse men’s lacrosse (12-5, 3-1 ACC) seeks a ticket to the final four against Denver (12-3, 5-0 Big East) on Sunday at noon. It’s been over a decade since these two squads met in the Final Four in 2013. The Orange won 9-8 over the Pioneers in SU’s final season in the Big East.
11 years later, it’s the classic tale of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object to go to the Final Four. Syracuse sports a top-five scoring offense in the country while the same is true for Denver’s scoring defense. SU Head Coach Gary Gait has a very blunt concept of just how good the Pioneers are on the defensive front.
“They just play good solid team defense,” remarked Gait.
In its past 9 matchups, Denver allowed just over eight goals a game, less than any other team in the nation. The Pioneers also sport the best man-down defense in the country, forcing a stop on over 83% of attempts.
Defensive Possession of the Week: @DU_MLAX #Lacrosse #FirstClassLacrosse pic.twitter.com/BkKQ5AYfdp
— First Class Lacrosse (@firstclasslax_) May 16, 2024
That situational defense could be tested frequently on Sunday. The Orange have scored more man-up goals than any other team in the country. Even when the ‘Cuse aren’t at an advantage, they still find the back of the net at a high clip. In its recent tournament matchup against Towson, SU had a tall task ahead of them as Towson sported the best scoring defense in the country. The Orange still managed to score 20 times, their highest NCAA postseason scoring total since 2004.
In the middle of a 9-0 third quarter run, attackman Owen Hiltz found the back of the net for the third time to help 4 seed @CuseMLAX take down @Towson_MLAX. @AndrewSelover had the call for the score.@waer883, https://t.co/BG0Q3sGq3P pic.twitter.com/Qyc4kdJgq5
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) May 13, 2024
“It’s a different defense,” said Coach Gait. “I think [Denver] packs it in a little bit more than [Towson] and they don’t worry about matchups so much.”
While Syracuse did enjoy a comfortable victory in the first round, the team has struggled with its consistency on the field this season. The ‘Cuse have lost three of their last six, including narrowly beating an unranked North Carolina team 10-9.
“We have to execute the gameplan that Coach March puts together, and if we stick to it, we’ll score goals,” said Gait.
So who will punch their ticket to the Final Four? Will the Orange pick apart another elite defense? Or will the Pioneers prove to be too much to handle?
We’ll find out when fourth-seeded Syracuse and fifth-seeded Denver play at noon in Towson on Sunday. WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Face-Off at 11:30.