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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A goal from Cole Kirst two minutes into the fourth quarter of Syracuse’s 2023 matchup with Notre Dame gave it a one-goal advantage against the eventual national champions. The recipe was there for a statement win, but six straight faceoff losses allowed the Fighting Irish to mount a 9-0 run to end the game.

That wasn’t supposed to happen again this year. After finishing with the ninth-worst faceoff percentage nationally last season, the Orange turned into the fifth-best faceoff team nationally with the addition of Mason Kohn and John Mullen. But none of that dominance showed up Saturday.

Kohn didn’t win at the X until 11 minutes in. Along with Mullen, Syracuse went 1-of-9 with faceoffs in the first quarter. The Fighting Irish scored six times in that span, which was the most conceded goals by the Orange’s defense in an opening period all year.

“They executed really well, especially in the first quarter, dominating us on the faceoffs,” SU head coach Gary Gait said.

Through No. 3 Syracuse’s (9-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 14-12 loss to No. 1 Notre Dame (6-1, 1-0 ACC), the Orange won 9-of-29 battles at the faceoff X. It was SU’s worst performance at the X all year (31%) after the second-worst came 10 days prior to Duke (35.3%). Syracuse was dominated in ground balls too, winning 22 compared to the Fighting Irish’s 40.

“They were winning the clamps and getting the balls out,” Gait said. “When it was a ground ball, it just kept bouncing their way.”

Postgame, Gait mentioned that Syracuse didn’t enter the game at full strength with its faceoff unit.

“Mason Kohn wasn’t 100% today, but he wanted to play,” Gait said. “It’s been tough, he was under the weather all week and it showed he wasn’t at 100%. I give him a lot of credit for showing up.”

Kohn’s sickness was prevalent early as he couldn’t get anything going against Notre Dame’s Will Lynch. Repeatedly, Lynch won the clamp, either immediately grabbing possession of the ball or swiping it out far enough to beat Kohn in a foot race and then secure it.

Winning the clamp is a major part of Kohn’s game, but on the opening faceoff, he completely whiffed. Then, he was called for a faceoff violation, which led to a goal from Reilly Gray to tie the game at 1-1. Mullen committed a violation on the ensuing faceoff too.

Kohn’s first win came with four minutes left in the first period, but Joey Spallina immediately coughed the ball up. That was one of four turnovers Spallina committed in the afternoon as SU finished with 20 overall.

“They put pressure on you,” Gait said about the turnovers. “Whether you’re trying to clear the ball or on offense, I haven’t seen a group of short-stick defensive midfielders that plays as physical as they do.”

Against the Blue Devils on March 20, the Orange had the same struggles in the first half against Jake Naso, not winning a single battle at the faceoff X. It didn’t result in goals on the other end, though, as Syracuse gave up just two with none coming directly after the faceoff.

But that wasn’t the case versus the Fighting Irish. After Finn Thomson tied the game at 3-3 with two minutes left in the first quarter, Kohn committed the Orange’s third faceoff violation of the game. He was called for a delay of game, giving Notre Dame a man-up opportunity. It strung out the possession as long as possible, finally cashing in from a strike by Eric Dobson.

On the ensuing faceoff, Lynch swiped the ball away from the X as fast as possible, allowing him to pick up the ground ball in stride as he approached the offensive zone. Lynch fired it into the back of the net, doubling SU’s five goals before halftime.

Still, SU had a strong outing defensively with Will Mark recording 15 stops on a 51.7% save percentage. Gait said the defense had a “really nice game” but the number of possessions in Notre Dame’s favor due to the faceoffs led to the Orange’s demise.

“You put yourself in a hole then you give them so many extra possessions, we just have to try to do better next time,” Gait said.

The second half wasn’t much better for Syracuse’s faceoff unit. The Fighting Irish’s wings picked up the ground ball on the opening three faceoffs, finding the back of the net directly after the latter two wins. Gait didn’t think his wings necessarily underperformed at the faceoffs, instead pointing to Notre Dame’s experience as a unit to its success.

“This group has been together for a couple of years and that’s why they’re defending champs,” Gait said.

The Orange finally mimicked Notre Dame’s play throughout the game in the fourth quarter, scoring directly following a faceoff win. Mullen won the faceoff to set up the goal, part of four straight faceoffs he took most likely due to Kohn’s illness.

Mullen easily beat Lynch on the clamp, kickstarting the Orange’s attack amid a 2-0 SU run. After Jake Stevens missed wide, Luke Rhoa added to the scoreboard, causing his defender to stumble before ripping his attempt into the back of the net.

The score cut Notre Dame’s lead to three, but Lynch picked up the ensuing ground ball. Mullen couldn’t keep the momentum going when Syracuse needed it the most.

Published on March 30, 2024 at 6:27 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu