Syracuse Women Survive First Test of 2016, Northwestern

By Kerry Bretti 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The No. 2 Syracuse women hosted No. 5 Northwestern Sunday afternoon for the team’s first real test of the season. The Orange outlasted the Wildcats throughout changing leads, winning 16-12. Northwestern entered today’s game having not played a game since February 13.

The Orange led early, scoring the first three goals only to go silent for nearly 17 minutes, while Northwestern took its turn during a 5-0 run in the middle of the first half. The teams went back and forth scoring for a while before Syracuse went on a 5-0 run in the second half to seal the win.

Kayla Treanor and the draw are constant factors in Syracuse’s success. Treanor won 11 of 15 draws in the first half. Before play resumed for the second half, both coaches Kelly Amonte Hiller and Gary Gait were having a conversation with the officials regarding the legality of both Treanor’s and Devon Parker’s draw sticks. The officials ruled the sticks to be illegal as they determined it gave the Orange an unfair advantage due to the stringing. Treanor used a different stick for the draws in the second half when she won 9 of 16.

“We have a rulebook full of interpretations and it was just a matter of the officials making a call on their interpretation of the rule,” Gait said. “Our sticks meet all the specs.”

Treanor led the Orange in scoring, netting four goals and adding one assist. Halle Majorana had four assists while adding three of her own goals and Nicole Levy ended the day with a hat trick. Eight different players scored for the Orange, once again proving their depth as a team.

“All their key people stepped up,” Amonte Hiller said. “Treanor is unreal. Majorana. They all played really really well and they played together and they have seven threats. They really deserved to win.”

Sheila Nesselbush led the Wildcats in scoring with four goals followed by hat tricks from Christina Esposito and Kaleigh Craig, who also added an assist. Northwestern’s top scorer, Selena Lasota, was face guarded by Syracuse’s Alexa Radziewicz who held her to no points.

Syracuse played its most aggressive game of the season thus far, tallying 53 fouls and giving eight free position shots; Northwestern only scoring on three. Northwestern gave up three free position shots; Syracuse capitalizing on each. Syracuse began the second half down two women for two minutes (unreleasable) for the stick infractions. The Orange only gave up one goal during that two minute span of being down players. The Orange caused eight turnovers and turned the ball over 18 times. Northwestern had 13 turnovers and caused six.

Allie Murray played the full 60 minutes for the Orange, saving four of 16 shots on cage. Murray made a great save in the first half and when rolling the ball back into the cage to clear, accidentally rolled it into her own goal. Mallory Weisse played the full 60 minutes for the Wildcats, saving seven of 23 shots on cage.

“I think [Murray] played a great game,” Gait said. “She made them miss she made them hit the post I think she did a great job of putting pressure on the shooters.”

With the win, Syracuse improves to 5-0 on the season while Northwestern falls to 1-2.

Syracuse Hangs On, Sneaks by Army

By Kerry Bretti

SYRACUSE, N.Y.- Syracuse held off a fighting Army West Point in a one goal game on Sunday evening at the Carrier Dome. The No. 4 Orange beat Army 9-8 and improve to 3-0 on the season.

Army scored first and took a 3-1 lead late in the first quarter. Syracuse then went on a 4-0 run, holding the Black Knights scoreless in the second quarter and leading 5-3 at the half. 

The Orange extended the run to 6-0 in the third before Army stopped the bleeding with a goal on a man-up opportunity. The Black Knights continued to fight, going on a 5-1 run and tying the game at eight apiece with just under five minutes left to play.

Syracuse scored one last time with three and a half minutes remaining and kept a knocking Army scoreless thereafter.

“The game went almost as expected,” Syracuse head coach John Desko said. “We knew Army was going to come in and play for 60 minutes. As expected Army crawled back into the game, ended up tying it up and turning it into a game that could have went either way.”

Derek DeJoe and Sergio Salcido each scored twice for the Orange, while Dylan Donahue added one goal and one assist. 

Ben Williams helped the offense gain possessions by winning 13 of 19 faceoffs. Tim Barber’s lone goal proved to be the game winner with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter. Seven players scored for Syracuse.

“The way our offense works you’re never gonna know who is shooting,” Donahue said. “We’ve got that team offensive game.”

Army’s offense kept the pressure on all game with 34 shots. Connor Cook led the Black Knights with two goals and one assist followed by Cole Johnson with one goal and one assist. Army capitalized on three of four man-up opportunities.

Late in the fourth and down by one, Army pulled its goalie to double the ball and regain possession. After causing a turnover on the defensive end, Army kept firing. Johnson took the final shot on cage before it ricocheted off the goal post, spoiling any chance of a comeback.

“I actually felt it hit off the tip of my stick,” goalkeeper Warren Hill said. “As soon as I heard it hit off the pipe I got scared for a second. Luckily it popped out and didn’t go in. That was the best feeling ever.”

“To play a game like this, you can’t practice that,” Desko said. “You can’t prepare for that.”

Hill finished with 10 saves on 18 shots on goal during his 60 minutes of play. Army’s freshman goalkeeper AJ Barretto saved 11 of 20 shots on goal.

“He walked onto campus with a lot of poise,” Army Coach Joe Alberici said. “He’s a little beyond his years.”

“For a freshman to walk into the Carrier Dome and play; it’s not easy,” Desko said. “I thought he was really up for the task.”

Syracuse’s defense caused seven turnovers and tallied 26 ground balls. Army caused four turnovers and recorded 19 ground balls.

With the win, Syracuse improves to 3-0 while Army falls to 2-2.

Orange Men Hold On To Topple Army West Point 9-8

By James Anderson

Photos by Kerry Bretti

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse men’s lacrosse team got all it could handle Sunday afternoon, but hung on to a 9-8 victory over Army West Point at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse goalie William Hill made the difference in the closing seconds, getting a piece of a Cole Johnson screamer, a last chance attempt for the Black Knights to tie it and send it to overtime. Instead, Hill’s deflection, and the post, kept a tying goal off the board and sealed the victory for the Orange.

"I actually felt it hit off the tip of my stick, but as soon as i heard it hit off the pipe, I got scared for a second there." said Hill. "But it popped out and luckily it didn't go in." Asked to clarify if it hit his stick first, he added, "Yeah, it just nicked off the top...yeah, it was the best feeling ever."

Hill had ten saves on the day for No. 3 Syracuse, with Derek DeJoe and Sergio Salcido both recording two goals for the Orange. Connor Cook led the goal charge for Army West Point with two. It was Tim Barber’s fourth goal of the season that was the difference maker with 3:27 left, putting the Orange back into the lead and starting off the finishing sequence, with Syracuse trying to hang on and the Black Knights furiously attacking. Army scooped a ground ball with two minutes to go, and unleashed two shot attempts, before turning it over at :49 to Syracuse. The Orange could not run out the clock, and led to a frenetic final 20 seconds.

Army Starts Off Strong, But Syracuse Locks Down 2^nd Quarter

The Black Knights jumped out to the early 3-1 advantage, with goals from Johnson, Cook and Tim Coll pacing them in the first quarter. DeJoe and Dylan Donahue countered with goals for Syracuse, but trailed 3-2 at the end of the period.

"It took us a little while to adjust to that, fortunately, some of these guys made some big plays and made some good shots, enough of them anyways, to put us in position to win the game." Syracuse head coach John Desko said. 

The second quarter belonged to the Orange, however. Hill locked down with three of his ten saves on the day in the period, and Syracuse ripped off three goals to swoop in front of the Black Knights. Nick Mariano, DeJoe and Salcido notched the scores, and the Orange went into halftime having adjusting to Army and taking command.

Up and Down 3^rd Quarter Leads To Stalemate

Syracuse carried that momentum directly into the second half, extending to its biggest lead of four with Salcido and Nate Solomon connecting in the first minute of play. Army stayed resilient, and started up a run of its own. Strikes from Jimbo Moore, Conor Glancy and Ted Glesener narrowed the deficit to one, 7-6, at 8:25 in the third. It led to a drought of nearly eight minutes until Jordan Evans of Syracuse broke through with a tally to put the Orange back up two at the end of 3. All told, both teams ended up with three goals each in the period after runs from both squads.

"As we knew, they were gonna keep playing in the 2nd half," Desko said. "We became a little bit comfortable, being up by four goals in the third period, and as expected Army crawled back into the game and ending up tying it up and turning it into a game that could have gone either way." 

Photo Finish

Army’s Cook and Nate Jones got into the action and tied up the contest with goals, setting the stage for the final few minutes and the tight finish. For Syracuse, it was a completely different offensive output than against Albany the week prior; Syracuse outshot the Great Danes 59-25; however, it was the Black Knights outshooting the Orange 34-30. But the four extra shots from Army West Point were not enough, especially the last shot of the 34, bouncing off of Hill and the post and sailing away.

Notes

Syracuse and Army West Point have a long history with each other, dating back to their first matchup in 1921. In fact, the Black Knights lead the series against the Orange 39-24, including Sunday’s Syracuse victory. And the winner of that first matchup in ’21 was Syracuse, 6-5.

Syracuse improved to 3-0 for the young season, as Army West Point evened out to 2-2. It is a slightly shorter week for the Orange men, as they host travel to Charlottesville to take on ACC foe Virginia at 5:30 Friday.

Syracuse Men's Lacrosse vs Army Photos

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The No.3 Syracuse University Men's Lacrosse team held on to beat Army 9-8 at the Carrier Dome on Sunday to stay unbeaten. Here is a look at the game in pictures by Kerry Bretti. Click on any photo to start slide show.

Syracuse Women's Lacrosse vs Northwestern Photos

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The No.2 Syracuse University Women's Lacrosse team stayed undefeated Sunday, beating No. 5 Northwestern,16-12 at the Carrier Dome. Here is a look at the game in pictures by Kerry Bretti. Click on any photo to start slide show.