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Syracuse conceded its longest losing streak since 2016 after losing three consecutive games to ranked opponents this season. In their latest loss against No. 12 Army, the Orange led for over a quarter and a half between the second and third periods, overtaking the Black Knights after trailing 5-1 early on. But costly penalties and a season-high 19 turnovers saw SU go scoreless in the fourth quarter, as Army regained its lead and won by four.

On Sunday, the long-time Syracuse-Hobart rivalry returns to the Carrier Dome for the first time since 2020, as the Orange look to snap their losing streak and hoist the Kraus-Simmons Trophy against an unranked Statesman team.

Alex Cirino (3-1)
Bringing home hardware
Syracuse 18, Hobart 14

Syracuse has won the last seven editions of the Kraus-Simmons memorial trophy, and on Sunday, it will extend that streak to eight, good for its 79th all-time win over Hobart. The Orange contended with the top two teams in the country in No. 1 Maryland and No. 2 Virginia and they matched No. 12 Army’s high-powered offense, although dropped all three games. It established an important benchmark for SU, though, proving that they’re not fully ready to compete with the nation’s most elite programs.

But a complete game and a dominant win over Hobart will prove that Syracuse hasn’t completely declined from last season. The Orange can’t fall behind from the start, but most importantly, they must maintain that throughout the game, which has cost them in all three losses. And a win against a Hobart team who sits on the fringe of Inside Lacrosse’s rankings will get Syracuse back to where it needs to be before the bulk of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule settles in.

Roshan Fernandez (3-1)
Time to deliver
Syracuse 16, Hobart 12

Syracuse put up a fight against No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Virginia and No. 12 Army. All three ended in losses, but all three featured stretches — some longer than others — where Syracuse had the momentum and was rolling on offense and defense. This SU team very clearly has a lot of work to do. It needs to work on defensive clears and maintaining a more consistent offense that can strike in a wider variety of ways.

The Syracuse-Hobart rivalry is back after missing its first year since 1945 last season. Syracuse won’t get many more straightforward games this season (seven of the next 10 opponents are ranked in Inside Lacrosse’s top 20), so the Orange need to make the most of this contest. They need to start cleaning up the defensive errors and the unforced mistakes such as offsides, and that starts against Hobart on Sunday. SU has the coaching staff in place to repair mistakes like the ones it’s making, but it has already slipped to 1-3 on the season and is running out of time. If it doesn’t act soon, the season could get out of hand — even more than it already has — very quickly.

Anish Vasudevan (3-1)
Back on track (again)
Syracuse 19, Hobart 11

I expected Syracuse to defeat Army last week, and for the first half of the game I thought I would be heading into this week undefeated with my predictions. But despite getting off to a quick start for the first time since their Holy Cross game, the Orange crumbled. They scored just three goals in the second half, allowing 10 from the Black Knights. Still, this week should be another tune-up against Hobart, who SU has beaten in nine out of its last 10 meetings.

Syracuse’s offense needs to get rolling early again. And the defense, with either Bobby Gavin or Harrison Thompson in goal, should be able to force turnovers and make the Statesmen take tough shots. Still, Hobart has had a pretty successful first few games, upsetting Lehigh and almost defeating Cornell. An upset against the Orange would be possible, but with the array of losses against top teams, SU can easily come out with a win if it doesn’t play down to Hobart’s level.

Published on March 5, 2022 at 9:31 pm