Observations from No. 4 SU’s loss to No. 13 Cornell: Faceoff recovery, March’s ejection
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ITHACA, N.Y. — Following a 14-12 loss to No. 1 Notre Dame Saturday, head coach Gary Gait wasn’t worried about the quick turnaround before taking on No. 13 Cornell. The Orange have had plenty of practice with that this season, playing three games in a week to open the season before doing the same this March.
SU went straight from its five-goal fourth quarter in South Bend to a seven-goal first quarter against the Big Red. But Cornell fought back with help from Michael Long’s nine points, tying the game at 16-16 late following a failed clear from SU.
The Big Red took their first lead of the game off a score from Marc Psyllos before Sam English tied the game at 17-17 with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. Both teams went scoreless in the first overtime period, each turning the ball over once. CJ Kirst ended the game with 47.4 seconds left in double overtime, handing SU its second straight loss.
Here are some observations from No. 4 Syracuse’s (9-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 14-12 loss to No. 13 Cornell (6-3, 2-1 Ivy League):
Rebounding at X
After Syracuse’s 9-of-29 performance at the faceoff X (its worst of the season), Gait clarified that the unit wasn’t at 100%. Mason Kohn had been “under the weather” throughout the week leading up to the contest, but he wanted to play regardless. The result was SU going 1-of-9 on faceoffs in the first quarter with plenty of goals from the Fighting Irish coming directly after wins at the X.
Kohn may not have been at 100% Tuesday night, but he was miles better Tuesday. After committing a faceoff violation on the opening faceoff, he won the battle for the ground ball on the second. Then, Psyllos committed a faceoff violation, leading to a goal from Owen Hiltz.
Another issue against Notre Dame was the lack of play from Syracuse’s wings on the faceoffs. But that also changed versus Cornell with Jake Stevens scooping up two ground balls in the first quarter.
The Orange continued to dominate at the X in the second quarter, winning 10-of-13 faceoffs. John Mullen won twice during the period, even causing a turnover after losing the initial clamp.
Kohn also got himself on the scoreboard for the first time since playing Duke, staying on offense before finding the back of the net off a pass from Carter Rice. Then, Kohn dished it to English, who scored sprinting full speed down the right side with two minutes left in the first half.
Syracuse won 23-of-36 faceoffs on the night.
Absurd opening quarter
While the Orange mounted a 7-0 run to start the game, multiple irregular events transpired under the rain at Schoellkopf Field.
Following six straight assisted scores from Syracuse, Billy Dwan found himself on the attack with 4:40 left in the first quarter. Stevens tried passing to Hiltz on the right wing, but the ball was deflected toward the goal.
Dwan collected the ball, firing between his legs with his back still turned to the cage. The sophomore long-pole scored his fifth goal of the season on his sixth goal.
The Big Red answered SU’s biggest opening run of the year with two straight scores, including one from Long with 15 seconds left. It’s unclear what transpired next, but SU was given a penalty and associate head coach Pat March was ejected from the game. This is the first time March has been ejected at Syracuse.
Michael Long’s field day
Syracuse’s defense is monumentally better compared to years past with the addition of John Odierna as defensive coordinator, Will Mark’s return in goal and Riley Figueiras’ addition as its main close defender. But that doesn’t mean the unit can’t get embarrassed.
Cornell’s leading scorer, Long, got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted against the Orange. After scoring his first goal in the final moments of the first quarter, he located Kirst deep on the right wing for a score at the start of the second. Then, Kirst returned the favor, allowing Long to attempt a straight rip from 10 yards out.
Long scored once more in the second quarter, rattling off two assists in the final two minutes of the first half. He didn’t slow down in the third quarter, converting his fourth goal of the night while Figueiras was called for a slashing penalty. On the man-up, Long found Kirst for his fourth goal.
Long originally set his career-high in points (eight) in Cornell’s 18-15 win over Princeton on April 30, 2022. On Tuesday, he broke that to bring the Big Red within one of SU’s lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. He stationed himself on the right side near the crease, immediately dropping a pass from Willem Firth into the back of the net for his ninth point.
Get me cookie, got you cookie
In an episode during season 2 of the sitcom “New Girl,” Schmidt gets his roommate Nick Miller a cookie. The offering completely puzzles Miller, who can’t fathom that his friend thinks about him when they’re not around each other. But eventually Miller returns the favor, gifting Schmidt a cookie near the end of the episode.
Yes, this is related to lacrosse. The Orange sometimes rely on “hero ball” to score. This was apparent in every loss from SU this season – it surrendered its strength to move around the ball to score off one-on-one. But, being third in the country for assists per game, their strength comes from returning the favor.
On Tuesday, Syracuse showed its ability to distribute. Hiltz threaded a pass from the right wing to English on the opposite side of the field for its first goal. Then, Hiltz scored off a feed from Finn Thomson. Hiltz found the back of the net again 30 seconds later, finishing off a pass from X with a 15-yard strike from the middle of the field.
Stevens played the role of facilitator next, faking his own attempt from deep before flipping it to Michael Leo for an easy score near the crease. In the second quarter, Stevens played facilitator twice more, finding Hiltz for a sidearm strike before lofting it to Rhoa on the right wing.
Out of Syracuse’s 14 first-half goals, 12 were assisted.
Spallina, Hiltz back on top
Top teams have succeeded in stopping Syracuse’s top options Hiltz and Joey Spallina this season. Against the Fighting Irish, both of them only scored once, turning the ball over a combined nine times.
Hiltz and Spallina returned to their usual form against Cornell — who rank 69th in defensive efficiency, according to Lacrosse Reference. After Hiltz contributed to Syracuse’s first three goals, he located Spallina at the left wing on a man-up opportunity to give SU a 5-0 lead. A minute later, Spallina looped the ball from X to Thomson for an easy score.
Spallina and Hiltz combined for 12 points on the night.
