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Syracuse versus Duke has long been one of the best rivalries in college lacrosse, dating back to the 1930s. This year’s iteration, featuring a top-10 matchup for the first time since 2021, was one of the most anticipated battles between these Atlantic Coast Conference foes in recent memory.

The Blue Devils’ attack features two of the nation’s top scorers in reigning Tewaaraton winner Brennan O’Neill and corner-magnet Dyson Williams (who had a goals-to-assist ratio of 31:1 coming in). Yet, the SU defense was infallible, allowing just four goals against an offensive juggernaut.

Here’s some observations from No. 6 Syracuse’s (8-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 10-4 win over No. 4 Duke (8-2, 0-1 ACC), its second-straight top-five victory:

Goalies show out early

Both starting goalies, Syracuse’s Will Mark and Duke’s Patrick Jameison, had four saves each in less than nine minutes of play. By the end of the first quarter, they totaled a combined 11 saves at a 73.3% rate.

The very first shot of the game saw Mark drop to his right for an acrobatic save on a quick inside shot from Williams, who ranked fifth in the nation in goals per game (3.44) coming in. Mark only allowed one goal on six shots, and the second quarter brought more of the same.

Minutes later, on the other end, Jameison denied Owen Hiltz on a rollback on the right wing by cutting off the angle and then smothering the five-hole. Syracuse still hadn’t scored to that point. Despite being a good half-foot shorter than Mark, Jameison also commanded the top of the goal well, stuffing Joey Spallina near the crease in the second quarter.

Similar to the first, the Blue Devils began the second quarter with another immediate shot opportunity. But, Mark closed the gap on a driving O’Neill – one of the scariest sights in the sport – for a body save. The first half featured 11 saves at a 77.8% rate for Mark and 14 saves at a 58.3% rate for Jameison.

Defensive dominance

Syracuse held the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation – which averaged 17.9 points per game coming in – to an outrageous four points. Duke’s 19 turnovers, although not out of the ordinary for a team that averages 15 per game, evened up the possession battle for Syracuse and led to subsequent surges of momentum.

SU quietly had the 11th-ranked scoring defense in the nation, allowing 9.6 points per game. Today was a completely different unit than anyone had seen in past games. All three previous top-ten opponents scored at least 12 goals against the Orange. But against what most consider the best offense in college lacrosse, the Orange were immaculate. The slides were almost always on time. O’Neill was swarmed at every turn. Williams, who ranks fifth in the nation in goals per game, was blanked, and Josh Zawada managed just one assist.

Billy Dwan and Nathan LeVine, who forced two turnovers, were up to the challenge against an extremely physical attack unit. But Mark, of course, was the star of the show, pumping out highlight-reel saves what seemed like every other minute. This was a clear turning point for the Syracuse defense.

Silencing stars

Two of the best attackmen in the NCAA – O’Neill and Spallina – combined for one assist in the first half and four points in total. Together, they totaled 12 missed shots and one goal.

O’Neill was draped by Dwan for most of the first quarter, and the LSM altered multiple shots by the big right-hander. The slides were timely but didn’t expose alternate scoring lanes, and Kaden Kol picked up O’Neill well when necessary. The Orange had a plan for the most dominant player in college lacrosse and executed it.

In the third quarter, Dwan pushed O’Neill out to avoid him getting goalside. That’s when the slide from LeVine forced a pass to X, and Mark jumped in front of it to cause a turnover. It was a massive play that paid dividends for Syracuse on the other end, as Hiltz went low-to-high for a textbook score, which began on a 3-0 Syracuse run. That was just one of the 13 turnovers Duke had in its first ACC matchup, and many of them were products of similar successful slides.

During that run, Spallina got going as a feeder, notching two tight-window assists in the next seven minutes. Those were his only points of the night.

Differing results at the faceoff X

Syracuse didn’t win a single faceoff in the first half, but it didn’t seem to matter. Last season, the X was a nightmare for Syracuse, making it difficult for it to compete down the stretch. Today was a similar story with a different outcome.

Both Mason Kohn and John Mullen went 0-for-4 at the X in the first, while Jake Naso has been a perfect 8-for-8. Coming in, Syracuse had a better faceoff win rate than the Blue Devils (64% versus 58%). That said, Naso relied heavily on his wings, as he only grabbed two groundballs on those eight wins. The SU wings, Jake Stevens and Saam Olexo, didn’t get much going.

Somehow, the Orange weren’t disadvantaged by the faceoff disparity in the first half, as they allowed just two goals and none were off the faceoff. Plus, they flipped the script in the second half, winning the first four faceoffs against Naso.

Published on March 20, 2024 at 9:10 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu