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There was no reason why Duke needed an overtime period to defeat Syracuse last weekend. The Orange statistically had their worst game of the year and head coach Gary Gait said if there was a time of possession stat in lacrosse, it wouldn’t have been in the Orange’s favor either. But SU was efficient offensively and Will Mark’s presence in goal led to a daunting 27 saves in the 14-13 loss. 

Now, Syracuse is tasked against another ranked opponent in No. 10 Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays also lost to North Carolina and most recently were defeated by Virginia. Last year, the Orange scored a season low seven goals against Johns Hopkins, falling out of Inside Lacrosse’s top-20 rankings for the first time since 2019. 

Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen on Saturday when the Blue Jays visit the JMA Wireless Dome: 

Anish Vasudevan (5-1)
Pietramala’s revenge
Syracuse 15, Johns Hopkins 11

Johnny Richiusa has had the toughest three-week stretch out of any faceoff specialist in the country. Gait explained after the Orange’s most recent loss to Duke that the last three games would be a tough challenge for any faceoff guy. The Blue Devils’ Jake Naso and Maryland’s Luke Wierman are both top-15 in faceoff win percentage nationally. Finally, Richiusa doesn’t have a tall task ahead of him, facing Johns Hopkins’ Logan Callahan, who is ranked 58th nationally. Richiusa trains with Callahan five or six times a week when he’s at home so that familiarity should work in SU’s favor.

The rest of Syracuse’s team has looked spectacular. Mark’s impact has earned him a spot on the Tewaaraton trophy watchlist and the Orange’s defense did well to hold Duke to 13 goals. Dave Pietramala definitely wants to show that his defense is capable of a second straight strong outing against his alma mater. The offense just needs the ball more, which is completely dependent on Richiusa and the faceoff unit. I think this is the least daunting task Syracuse has had since facing Holy Cross. The Orange can pull off the upset and move back into the rankings before three more easy wins. 

Connor Smith (5-1)
Spiraling 
Johns Hopkins 13, Syracuse 11

On this same week in March a year ago, Syracuse traveled to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins. The Orange had lost three of their last four, and desperately needed the win. Instead, a low-scoring affair ended in a 10-7 loss, and SU won just two of its eight games after that. This year, Syracuse finds itself in an oddly similar situation. They’ve lost three games in a row after a 3-0 start, and just dropped out of the top-20 rankings. A home win over No. 10 Johns Hopkins — which has lost three of five — would be a perfect way to get this season back on track. 

The problem, though, is that SU just hasn’t had the ball enough to stay in games, and I expect that problem to continue Saturday. Syracuse ranks 62nd nationally (out of only 72 teams) in face-off winning percentage, and 54th in ground balls per game. To put it simply, losing in those areas means the Orange have been playing a ton of defense this season. Mark has been one of the best goalies in America, averaging 15.50 saves per game (third nationally), in large part because he’s had to face so many shots. SU’s offense has been solid, but it just hasn’t had the ball enough. 

And even though Johns Hopkins is 46th in the country in face-off wins, and 33rd in ground balls, I don’t think Syracuse will show enough improvement to make a statement win. Mark will have another strong game, and SU’s young attack will make some impressive plays, but ultimately, the Orange will suffer their fourth straight loss. 

Anthony Alandt (4-2) 
Back in the Saddle Again
Syracuse 15, Johns Hopkins 11

These last three weeks, especially in terms of the faceoff X and picking up ground balls, have been ugly for Syracuse. Its defense is starting to look like it did at its worst last year, and it’s easy to see this team spiraling out of control and sliding back closer to its 4-10 record last season. Mark made a record-setting 27 saves last week, and the Orange’s offense still couldn’t muster one more goal in four minutes of overtime to pull off the upset of No. 6 Duke. The play, and the sloppiness on defense is starting to get frustrating.

But Johns Hopkins isn’t nearly as put together as it was last year. And despite trying to overcome two straight losing seasons, starting off this season 4-3 with wins over Jacksonville and most notably, Georgetown, it’s not playing clean lacrosse. They turn the ball over more than all but five teams in the country and drop games in low-scoring affairs. The Orange didn’t improve at all at the faceoff or on ground balls, nor did their defense take the strides it needed to aside from the first quarter. But there were enough glimpses that this team can shut down a top opponent, especially one that hasn’t put itself together yet.

Published on March 11, 2023 at 11:10 am