Men's Lacrosse

Dylan Donahue utilizes strong off-ball movement to excel at attack for Syracuse

Aaron Nah | Contributing Photographer

Dylan Donahue became the 23rd player in Syracuse history to score 100 goals on Tuesday. He's done it using strong off-ball movement.

Dylan Donahue hardly had to move to etch his name in the Syracuse record books.

The junior attack stood motionless on the edge of the crease, silently calling for the ball by holding his stick out to his left as Mike Messina streaked down the field.

Messina landed his pass right to the webbing of Donahue’s stick, and he took one short step with his left foot and tapped down his right as he fired a point-blank shot past Hobart goalie Jackson Brown.

The goal made him the 23rd SU player to reach 100 career goals, but admittedly more important, gave the Orange its first lead since an April 2 win against Albany.

“I don’t know, I really don’t think of it,” Donahue said of his feat. “I didn’t know until today they were saying it.



“I don’t really think of it, I’m just looking forward to the next game.”

Reaching the century mark in goals is a byproduct of the offensive value he’s provided to the Orange this season. In scoring three times on Tuesday night, he helped lead No. 4 Syracuse (9-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) to an 18-5 win over Hobart (7-4, 4-0 Northeast).

It was Donahue’s fourth game in the last five that he’s tallied at least three goals, and he leads SU this season with 38 scores. The 5-foot-9 attack has been as dynamic of an offensive player as head coach John Desko could’ve hoped for.

Craftily weaving through defenses to station himself on the crease has become a staple for Donahue, as evident by the manner he got SU’s offense going against the Statesmen.

“I think we share (the ball) really well, so for him to have that kind of success with the ball and without the ball is great,” Desko said. “He has a really good knack for reading the situation on the field and what the defense is doing.”

Donahue’s off-ball prowess has best been displayed in man-up situations for Syracuse’s offense. Against defenses with one less body, it’s only made it easier for Donahue to do what he’s best at.

His 12 goals for SU when it has the one-man advantage are the most of any player in the country, and Desko said that only further proves his point about Donahue’s exceptional ability to find and create open space.

Derek DeJoe is better versed than most with the Orange’s man-up schemes as the team’s man-up specialist. He attributes Donahue’s dominance to an inherent intelligence he has, always knowing the direction he should maneuver on the field.

“He just always finds open space,” DeJoe said. “A lot of us admire the way he just has the greatest lax IQ on our team.”

It didn’t take a stroke of brilliance for Donahue to decide where to go after blocking William Locke’s inbound pass deep into Hobart’s territory. SU’s leading scorer scooped up the ball after he deflected the pass and beelined toward the crease.

He easily beat out Locke in a footrace and scored in three seconds after creating the opportunity off a turnover.

It’s not blazing speed constantly letting Donahue skirt defenders. It’s not pinpoint accuracy making him one of the team’s most reliable deep-scoring threats. It’s not exceptional agility allowing him to showcase an arsenal of dodges.

For Donahue, there’s no replicable formula perpetuating his success this season. He’s blended his wealth of lacrosse knowledge with his athletic frame to make plays for Syracuse in nearly every situation he’s needed to.

“It’s not like he takes the ball up and dodges 20 times a game to try and get his points,” Desko said. “It’s a little bit with the ball and a little bit off the ball.”





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