After a banging start to the season for No. 10 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) with three straight wins, things went downhill when the Orange dropped two straight to now No. 1 Maryland and No. 12 Harvard. However, since that moment things have turned around quite nicely. SU has powered forward to a three-game win streak. That stretch was capped off by a dominant 18-2 victory over Manhattan on Tuesday. However, now the ‘Cuse’s schedule becomes an absolute gauntlet. The first battle of the long journey ahead is Saturday against No. 18 Colgate (5-3, 2-1 Patriot League).
The strength of the Syracuse team as of late has been stellar defense. The Orange have allowed an average of just over five goals a contest in its last three matchups. That’s a mark that would be the second best in the NCAA, only behind 3rd ranked Army. The defense thrived last time out against Manhattan especially when SU gave up 2 goals, it’s fewest in a game since 2016. ‘Cuse head coach Gary Gait said.
“It was a combination of a great scout, great plan, and just great execution from the entire defense.”
To anchor the excellent defense SU goalie Jimmy McCool has taken his game to the next level. The junior has a .658 save percentage in the last 3 games.
However, the ‘Cuse has not faced an offense like Colgate yet this season. The Raiders score over 15 goals per game, 3rd in the country. A key piece to its offense that the Syracuse defenders have to be ready for is attackman Jack Turner. The 6-4 senior has caused problems to defenses all year with 3.5 goals per game, a mark tied for 5th best in the nation. The New Jersey native has already found the net 28 times this year, 10 more than SU’s leading goal scorer Owen Hiltz. The scary thing is the Raiders offense goes even deeper. Attackman Rory Connor finds the back of the cage three times a game, which is top 20 in the nation. Literally, everything and everyone clicks for Colgate. Despite all that success Gary Gait feels prepared,
“The defense is just getting better and a little more consistent and they're making plays,” Gait said. Syracuse certainly needs that improvement to keep them ready for a daunting Colgate offense.
On the other side of the ball though, Colgate is the complete opposite. Not only did Colgate have a questionable 18-17 loss to a below .500 Bucknell squad last time out, but that now marks two games in a row the Raiders have allowed over 18 goals. That bodes well for a ‘Cuse offense that is rolling right now after it hit the magic 18 number last time out. Even SU attackman Trey Deere had a season-high four goals. Despite the electric scoring ability from 10 different players against Manhattan, after the game Gary Gait said,
“I thought everything was awesome, with the exception of the shooting.”
Find out if SU’s offense is enough to fire past the blazing-hot Colgate scorers for the Syracuse's fourth straight win on Saturday. Game time is at noon in the dome. Be sure to tune in on WAER with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff at 11:30 a.m.