Syracuse 3/16

[LILax]

History
This Saturday afternoon Hen’s sophomore Brendan Powers will head down to Chantilly Virginia to avenge the back-to-back losses that his dad Randy suffered at the hands of his hometown Syracuse Orangemen in 1985 and 1986. Syracuse’s Tim Nelson, Brad Kotz, Todd Curry and Co. beat the Hens in back-to-back years by scores of 12-6 and 14-8 during all-American Randy Powers (West Genessee HS) last two years at Delaware. The 1985 version of the Hens was no joke either. They were coming off an NCAA quarterfinal loss to Hopkins in 1984 and lost the opener to Syracuse before beating Duke and running off four straight wins against Maryland, Bucknell, Princeton and Drexel to end the season just outside the NCAA tourney. The 1986 team was loaded too, and ended the season winning 10 of its last 12 games over UMBC, Hofstra, Duke, Lehigh, Lafayette, Penn, Towson State, Bucknell, Princeton and Drexel. And most of those games were blowouts. Yet the Hens were left out of the tourney, again. Still stings to this day.

What to look for if you haven’t seen Syracuse this year (I imagine that is a small population)
The 2024 Hens will have their hands full trying to contain the 2024 version of Syracuse. The 6-2 Orange squad is LOADED with talent on both sides of the field. It all starts with super-soph Joey Spallina at attack. He often gets criticized for his flashy style of play, but there is no denying his immense talent, scoring 23 goals and dishing out 29 assists (6.4 points a game – 2nd in NCAA) on 37% shooting. Spallina is joined at attack by lefty sniper Owen Hiltz (15g, 12a – 33% shooting) and Lehigh transfer Christian Mule (16g 9a - 41% shooting). The Orange also have crazy talent at midfield where coach Gait can confidently trot out two lines that include Michael Leo (14g 3a – 33%), Luke Rhoa (10 goals – 28%), Finn Thompson (8g 8a), Jackson Birtwistle (8 goals) and Princeton transfers Jake Stevens (8g 3a) and Sam English (9g 1a). LOADED.

So the offense is virtually unstoppable scoring 16.25 goals a game. What could possibly make this tougher on the Hens? Well, Cuse has two FOGOs that win a boatload of faceoffs. Tufts transfer Mason Kohn wins 65% of the draws but also presents a quick-strike offensive threat with 4 goals and 5 assists through eight games. His backup is beastly freshman John Mullen who has won 43-66 draws (.652).

Finally, Syracuse has a very strong defense that is anchored by a mostly-hot transfer goalie Will Mark who has a 52% save percentage. While those stats don’t look crazy good, he seems to make the big saves during the big moments in a game. He has had two sub-par games this year against Maryland (41% in OT loss) and Army (44% in OT loss). Syracuse defense gives up just 10 goals a game and is helped by ball-hunting defenders like Saam Olexo (6 CTs), Carter Rice (7 CTs), Billy Dwan (5 CTs) and Riley Figueras (8 CTs).

What the Hens need to do to stay competitive
I would imagine that Coach DeLuca will want to be very deliberate on offense with the possession disadvantage that they will most likely be facing. I am not sure that this is a good idea. In the last couple of weeks the Hens were better when they played fast and loose on offense. When they played conservatively with a lead against Michigan, Penn and Monmouth they drained the shot clock and almost never got the shot that they were looking for before dumping the ball into the corner. That is the conundrum that they will face against Syracuse. Do you play fast and hope to outscore this prolific offense, or do you try to control the clock and hope that you can win 40%+ of faceoffs and have your goalie makes 18-20 saves? Kevin Ellington has been terrific in goal (.566 save % and just 8.76 goals a game), but to ask him to stand on his head against such a great passing and shooting offense is asking a bit too much. If the Hens hold Syracuse to 13 goals they have a chance. Anything more than that, they are dead in the water.

So how do the Hens get to 14 goals
While the Syracuse defense is super-athletic, they are not always the most patient nor disciplined defense. If Delaware can keep the ball moving quickly and avoid turnovers they will find open players from over-zealous slides and double teams. Some of the Cuse defenders are not super-fast either. Against Maryland, the Terps Braden Erksa and Jack Koras used their elite speed to win the one-on-one battles at GLE and up top that caused some indecision on the part of Cuse D on whether to slide or not. Delaware has some nice speed dodgers that could invert and cause similar mayhem. Not saying it is going to happen, but that is probably the only way that Delaware can get into double digits on the scoreboard.

The game will be broadcast on FloSports at 2PM. I am hoping for a competitive game, but the Hens will need to play an almost perfect game for that to happen. Win +40% of the faceoffs, be nearly perfect on clears, limit turnovers to 14 (Hens avg), get off at least 40 shots, shoot over 35% as a team and make 15-20 saves. That is asking a lot, but you can always hope. Should be fun. AVENGE THE 80’s LOSSES!

[BlueHenBill]

LI Lax, Thanks for the always great scouting report. About thoseUD 1985 & 1986 squads, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the number of teams in the Men's Div I Lax Championship back then significantly smaller? Of course there were also a significantly smaller number of Men's Lax Div I programs back then. There has (and continues to be?) an amazing growth in college Lax since the mid-80's.

[BlueHenBill]

LI Lax, Thanks for the always great scouting report. About thoseUD 1985 & 1986 squads, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the number of teams in the Men's Div I Lax Championship back then significantly smaller? Of course there were also a significantly smaller number of Men's Lax Div I programs back then. There has (and continues to be?) an amazing growth in college Lax since the mid-80's.

P.S. I saw most of the Home and local Away games played by those mid-80s teams as I have regularly followed Men's Lax since 1979. I saw a few games here & there since 1971.

[dchen]

From Inside Lacrosse:

No. 6 Syracuse -4 vs. No. 20 Delaware

Money Line: Syracuse -575; Delaware +360
Game Total: 26.5
Saturday at 2.5
BIG+
The Hens and Orange head to Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., for this weekend's neutral-site game hosted by Corrigan Sports. Syracuse looks to build on its one-goal victory against Johns Hopkins. Delaware plays its third Top 20 team in four games before starting CAA play next weekend. Delaware’s defense has held opponents to seven goals or fewer in its three wins this season.

[77HEN]

LI Lax, Thanks for the always great scouting report. About thoseUD 1985 & 1986 squads, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the number of teams in the Men's Div I Lax Championship back then significantly smaller? Of course there were also a significantly smaller number of Men's Lax Div I programs back then. There has (and continues to be?) an amazing growth in college Lax since the mid-80's.

P.S. I saw most of the Home and local Away games played by those mid-80s teams as I have regularly followed Men's Lax since 1979. I saw a few games here & there since 1971.

So you remember when they played on the grass field out in front of the FB stadium then. I really became a fan at that time sitting on the post and rail fence taking the action in. We stayed in SoutGate Garden Apts and it was real easy to go watch.

Looking forward to the game against the Orangemen (is that allowed?) tomorrow. Lots of hope but not really expecting a win. This is still a team in development.

[77HEN]

Oooops, on to the CAA.

[Cluck U]

Didn’t see the game, but Lil’ Cluck was texting the score.

Things looked good up 5-4…then, the wheels came off. Outscored 10-1 over 2 and 2/3rds periods.

As 77 said, on to the CAA…win and in.

[UDPat]

LI Lax, Thanks for the always great scouting report. About thoseUD 1985 & 1986 squads, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the number of teams in the Men's Div I Lax Championship back then significantly smaller? Of course there were also a significantly smaller number of Men's Lax Div I programs back then. There has (and continues to be?) an amazing growth in college Lax since the mid-80's.

P.S. I saw most of the Home and local Away games played by those mid-80s teams as I have regularly followed Men's Lax since 1979. I saw a few games here & there since 1971.

Bill,

Do you remember goalie Jimmy Rourke? He lived next to me freshmen year and we become good friends. Played 82-85

[LILax]

Hens got killed by penalties (Cuse went 4 for 7 and it could have been worse if not for Ellington standing on his head) and an anemic second half offensive performance.

Interestingly, they hit almost every metric I listed for success in this game.

Faceoff goal 40% - they hit 39% (close)
Nearly pefect on faceoffs - They were a perfect 20-20!!!
Make 15-20 saves - Ellington made 20 saves!
Keep turnovers to 14 (season avg) - They only turned it over 10 times!!
Take at least 40 shots - Uh oh they only took 37
Shoot over 35% as a team - YIKES! The Hens shot 16% as a team. Even if they made 35% they would have only had 13 goals - not enough.

So there were some positives to take away from this game.
Ellington is a special goalie. He will help tremendously in the CAA
Clearing problems look like they are in the rearview mirror.
Faceoff differential might not be as bad as we think. There are only two very good faceoff guys in the CAA (Patterson Hofstra and Constantinides at Towson) and they are not close to Syracuse skill level.
And the Hens don't turn the ball over a ton. Very disciplined for the most part.

Hens need to get the offense back in gear this weekend. Hopefully, Kolar is back after missing the last two games. I HATE this year's schedule. Not sure why DeLuca only scheduled 12 games with no midweek games, but the team doesn't always look ready to compete for 60 minutes. And the fact that DeLuca plays so many middies, the guys look a little rusty and anxious at times. Playing in real games is the only solution to getting better. Hopefully, they learned something from these three losses. Three more losses and they will not make the CAA tournament.

[Hens79]

Sounds like better metrics are needed. 14-6 is a pretty big loss in lacrosse, especially only scoring 6 goals.

It appears it doesn’t take much analysis to figure out the Hens are still a notch below the top programs.

The Hens may get still get in the NCAA’s as a play in and beat some stiff badly. And then even play a close game to a national contender and most will consider that a success, because it is. That is likely the best outcome.

I don’t follow lacrosse closely, but that is pretty much what I see.

[Cluck U]

16%!

Didn’t watch the game…won’t bother to look back.

But, early in the season, I mentioned that some of our guys were shooting and couldn’t hit the side of a barn. Some of those shots were not even close to being anywhere near the goal…just launching shots that would be 4-5 feet, sometimes more, off target. Those were not just the result of being pressured by defenders or the shot clock…the guys were simply missing badly, even on clear shots. Thought that was some early season rust, but it appears not.

Hens’ shooting % for the season is .252 while our opponents are at .260. But, our Shots on Goal are at .539 versus our opponents’ .616. McCurry is at .500, on 46 shots (second most on the team). Half his shots can’t go in. We just aren’t putting the ball on the target, let alone in a good spot on target. Can’t score if you aren’t giving the shot a chance to go in.

As LILax says, we have a lot of things to like about this team, but we definitely have to improve our shooting. That might mean finding ways to get guys into positions for their favored shots, or simply guys relaxing more and finding their Zen zone (think of a pitcher solving problems finding the plate). And yes, no mid-week games is a head scratcher. Kids get rusty. Our defense seems to be solid enough…just have to find ways to be more productive on the O end.

[77HEN]

The offense definitely looked lost in the 2nd half. Syracuse just closed the door on them and most efforts were individual. The team needs to move the ball around more crisply and find openings for shooting. I think Ty Kurtz is missed. His laser shots helped to bring the defenses out and open things up more. Let’s see how it goes in the CAA.

[BlueHenBill]

LI Lax, Thanks for the always great scouting report. About thoseUD 1985 & 1986 squads, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the number of teams in the Men's Div I Lax Championship back then significantly smaller? Of course there were also a significantly smaller number of Men's Lax Div I programs back then. There has (and continues to be?) an amazing growth in college Lax since the mid-80's.

P.S. I saw most of the Home and local Away games played by those mid-80s teams as I have regularly followed Men's Lax since 1979. I saw a few games here & there since 1971.

So you remember when they played on the grass field out in front of the FB stadium then. I really became a fan at that time sitting on the post and rail fence taking the action in. We stayed in SoutGate Garden Apts and it was real easy to go watch.

Looking forward to the game against the Orangemen (is that allowed?) tomorrow. Lots of hope but not really expecting a win. This is still a team in development.

Yes, I remember those days. The Men's Lax field was close to the intersection of Route 4 and Route 896. Once a game was played on that field when it was wet, the field became a quagmire for the rest of the season to the point that it wasn't unusual to have home games moved to other fields in the area/region.

[BlueHenBill]

LI Lax, Thanks for the always great scouting report. About thoseUD 1985 & 1986 squads, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the number of teams in the Men's Div I Lax Championship back then significantly smaller? Of course there were also a significantly smaller number of Men's Lax Div I programs back then. There has (and continues to be?) an amazing growth in college Lax since the mid-80's.

P.S. I saw most of the Home and local Away games played by those mid-80s teams as I have regularly followed Men's Lax since 1979. I saw a few games here & there since 1971.

Bill,

Do you remember goalie Jimmy Rourke? He lived next to me freshmen year and we become good friends. Played 82-85

UDPat, I am sorry to say that I don't remember goalie Jimmy Rourke, but then there are an increasing number of people, places, events, and other things I don't remember either.

[Cluck U]

Syracuse just beat Duke 10-4.

Wow. Duke had the best offense in the country.