Men's Lacrosse

Syracuse men’s lacrosse opponent preview: What to know about Hobart

Daily Orange File Photo

Sergio Salcido (48) and the second-ranked Orange trek southwest to Geneva, New York for the Kraus-Simmons Trophy.

One of college lacrosse’s longest-standing traditions plays out for the 103rd time in Geneva, New York, on Wednesday night as unranked Hobart hosts No. 2 Syracuse. On Saturday, the Orange (7-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) held on to beat then-No. 1 Notre Dame, 11-10, behind a suffocating defense and four goals from senior attack Nick Mariano. Hobart (4-5, 1-1 Northeast), which first played SU in 1916, last played on March 25 in an 8-7 loss at Sacred Heart.

Here’s what you need to know about the Statesmen ahead of the annual Kraus-Simmons Trophy matchup.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 74-26-2

Last time they played: Syracuse scored five unanswered goals out of the gate to cruise to the 13-6 win at Hobart’s Boswell Field. Jordan Evans scored four times and Mariano and Sergio Salcido added two apiece almost a year ago to the date. SU outshot the Statesmen 43 to 21, totaled 25 shots on goal to Hobart’s 13 and capitalized on 15 Statesmen turnovers. Plus, the Orange picked up 27 ground balls and converted on 2-of-3 extra-man opportunities. In the teams’ last three meetings, SU has outscored its central New York counterpart 46-20.



The Hobart report: The week after SU trounced Siena, Hobart nearly lost to the Saints but came away with a 16-15 win. The Statesmen boast the nation’s 16th-best scoring offense at 11.89 goals per game. Outside of that, Hobart does not stand out. Its defense ranks 55th, man-up offense 66th and man-down defense 36th.

Starting goalie Jackson Brown started shaky, head coach Greg Raymond said. The senior ranked 10th in the nation in saves per game last year, and should face a number of shots from Syracuse on Wednesday night. Hobart’s defensive midfielders and close defenders alike have sustained a number of minor injuries that have kept Hobart from taking the field with a fully-healthy defense. Junior Connor Flood, 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior Arik Andreen and junior D. Bennett Moore provide some experience on the back line.

“It’s been a very choppy season defensively,” Raymond said. “When we are healthy and urgent, we’re capable.”

Hobart’s offense has shown flashes of power. Raymond said scoring starts with the five-man unit in sophomore attack Chris Aslanian (13 goals, 15 assists), freshman attack/midfielder Justin Scott (19, two), senior attack/midfielder Max Romm (18, two), sophomore midfielder Bryan Hancock (12, five) and senior attack Frank Brown (13, 10).

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Daily Orange File Photo

SU head coach John Desko said Tuesday that what’s most striking is the size of Hobart’s offensive players. Several stand above 6-foot-1 and can work in traffic from distance and near the crease alike. The starting attack scored just seven times on 40 shots against Sacred Heart. In its previous two games, Hobart scored 35 goals — representative of the unit’s inconsistency.

“I think it’s a pretty balanced attack,” Raymond said. “One that’s anxious to bounce back.”

How Syracuse beats Hobart: Syracuse will play on three-days rest and outside of the Carrier Dome, both factors that favor Hobart. Yet when asked whether the Statesmen could pull off the upset, Raymond chuckled. The fourth-year head coach said Hobart could compete with the second-ranked team in the country, then recalled the 2015 matchup, an 18-5 SU blowout win.

“On one-day rest they came in,” Raymond said, “and I haven’t had an ass-kicking like that in my life.”

Should SU continue to ride its recent success on both sides of the ball against a fledging Hobart team, an outcome like that seems more likely than an eighth consecutive one-goal game.

Numbers to know:

28 — Wins for Syracuse in its last 30 meetings against Hobart

50 — Percentage of man-up opportunities the Orange converts on, tied for sixth-best in the country

Player to watch: Chris Aslanian, attack, No. 18

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has size, strength and quickness around the goal that makes him Hobart’s leading points-getter. The NEC Rookie of the Year in 2016, Aslanian finished second on the team in goals, points and assists. He didn’t record a single point in Hobart’s last game, but he scored six goals and had seven assists against Wagner on March 18.





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