Remember us? Syracuse lacrosse flexes its muscles in 20-10 win over Virginia

Syracuse, New York – Shocked last week by a stunning season opener loss, Syracuse offered an emphatic answer on Saturday night to anyone wondering where this team is in their quest for a national championship.

A clean, balanced attacking offense and a clear advantage in the X were the star of the No. 9 SU’s 20-10 victory over No. 2/3 Virginia in the Carrier Dome.

That defense that allowed easy point blank shots a week ago? He ended one of the country’s most explosive offenses by limiting it to just three goals after halftime.

With him, the Orange erased any doubt that he would retain his place as contender for the championship and sent a message to the ACC: Do you remember us?

SU stars in the midfield showed up, but depth on the second row and a solid outing from freshman Owen Hiltz in his first start unleashed the potential we all thought this team had since last season. .

Syracuse coach John Desko lamented the lack of training and scrums leading up to last week’s 18-11 loss to the Army, but in six short days the Orange appeared to be in mid form -season, running the offense through the X to give more space to his much-vaunted midfielder. to operate and capitalize on his chances during the break.

As expected, the game was marked by a breakneck pace before Syracuse broke up in the third quarter and clinched a decisive victory. The teams combined for 55 shots in the first half.

Brendan Curry (three goals, four assists), Stephen Rehfuss (three goals, three assists) and Tucker Dordevic (three goals) have all played like the All-America contenders they are.

Hiltz, the nation’s No.2 rookie who may soon win such accolades himself, made his first offensive start to the season in place of Griffin Cook and made a five-point outing, with three goals and two assists, including a nice feed to Rehfuss to cap a break started by goalkeeper Drake Porter at the end of the first half.

Syracuse took a 9-7 halftime lead that saw contributions from the second row, with Owen Seebold and Lucas Quinn both scoring a pair of goals early in the game. Jakob Phaup has dominated the X from the jump, winning 22 of 33 face-offs.

There was a streak early in the game when the SU bench tweeted a UVA player, telling him to hit the calf machine in the gym.

In the end, he assaulted goaltender Porter in celebration, capping a full beating on one of the nation’s darlings in this young lacrosse season, and reminding him that he will always be a force to be reckoned with. this spring.

Contact Nate Mink anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-430-8253

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