A year ago, Chris Daddio was in a situation nothing like this one.

When Bryant’s Kevin Massa was torching Syracuse for 22-of-23 faceoffs last season, Daddio took just nine — unsuccessful on all of them — and watched the rest from the sideline.

But with 7.9 seconds left in Sunday’s rematch, Syracuse’s season was at stake, and Daddio — often a scapegoat for the Orange’s problems through the first three and a half years of his career — was lining up for it.

And he won what was, to that point, the biggest faceoff of his college career. It was also his last.

“We thought he went early,” Bryant head coach Mike Pressler said. “No. 1 made a play and they got a crack at it, which was incredible.

“The ball hits the pipe, and the lacrosse gods tonight were in our favor.”

Although Dylan Donahue’s shot misfired and the second-seeded Orange (11-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) fell to the Bulldogs (16-4, 5-1 Northeast) 10-9 on Sunday in the Carrier Dome, Daddio hung tough at the X against a faceoff specialist who embarrassed SU a year ago. Daddio only finished 9-of-23 this time, but took all of the draws for Syracuse and gave his team a chance, just as he did for much of the second half of the year.

“It definitely helped knowing him,” Daddio said of Massa. “The one problem I’ve had, especially during this run, is I haven’t been able to win faceoffs throughout the entire game; it’s been beginning and end.

“When you run into a good faceoff guy like that, that’s going to happen.”

Syracuse’s season went as Daddio’s did.

When Daddio dominated two nonconference opponents to start the year, SU started 2-0. Next came the ACC, which bumped the Orange around and knocked Daddio out of his starting role three conference games in.

But the rebound began with Notre Dame on March 29, when Daddio started his run. Starting with that win — Syracuse’s first-ever ACC victory — he won 50 percent of his faceoffs or better in six out of eight games.

The Orange won seven out of eight and returned to national prominence after starting off 4-3. Throughout the stretch, the Orange stuck with Daddio for 210 of 217 draws, only replacing him just to get reserves time in a blowout win over Colgate.

And even though Massa beat him a majority of the time on Sunday night, Daddio was the man largely responsible for SU even staying in contention against Bryant.

Said Daddio: “Could’ve used a couple more faceoffs, especially in the middle and beginning. I was able to win a couple at the end — just a little too late.”

Published on May 12, 2014 at 1:41 am

Contact Phil: [email protected] | @PhilDAbb