Everything starts with Ben Williams at the faceoff X, Mark Dixon said.

Dixon, an ESPN lacrosse analyst and former Johns Hopkins midfielder, sees how the Blue Jays compete with Williams as the first difference-maker.

“If they lose faceoffs to Williams,” Dixon said, “They can’t allow him to generate transition offense off the get-go.”

Johns Hopkins will counter Williams with two faceoff specialists, freshman Hunter Moreland and senior Drew Kennedy, who have combined to win 55 percent of the faceoffs their faceoffs. The Blue Jays blew out No. 7-seeded Virginia, 19-7, in the first round of the NCAA tournament on May 10, using a 59-percent performance at the X.

Williams will try to fend off the JHU faceoff specialists when No. 2-seeded Syracuse (13-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) plays Johns Hopkins (10-6, 4-1 Big Ten) in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals on Sunday at noon in Annapolis, Maryland. Though he hesitates to put a number on it, Dixon thinks the Orange has a 60 percent chance to advance. And despite the fact that the game begins at the X, Dixon says other crucial aspects will be execution, wing play and team defense.

“(Syracuse’s) off-ball play (on defense) is going to be monumental,” Dixon said. “Team defense will be critical.”

Johns Hopkins plays an offensive style — off-ball picks, runs to the net, screens, constant movement, etc. — which makes defensive game-planning difficult, Dixon said.

On the other side, Syracuse’s offense is the second-highest scoring in the nation at nearly 15 goals per game. Dixon said the Orange likely has the best attack in the nation with Kevin Rice, Dylan Donahue and Randy Staats.

Getting a solid defensive game will be crucial since the goalies — JHU’s Eric Schneider and SU’s Bobby Wardwell are not the game’s best, Dixon said.

To limit Johns Hopkins’ potent offense, Syracuse will try to stay in its own offense as long as possible, and the team has a good chance to do so with Williams, Dixon said. Due to Williams’ prolific play at the X — he’s won 68 percent of his nearly 350 face-offs this season – he keeps the ball from opponents, which limits their possessions in number and effectiveness because, when teams get on a roll, Williams’ faceoff success disrupts any rhythm.

“Teams just can’t get after (Syracuse goalie Bobby) Wardwell as much as they’d like,” Dixon said. “(Williams) keeps the ball away.”

Sunday will also feature two of the nation’s most revered coaches. Syracuse head coach John Desko coached against JHU’s Dave Pietramala when he was a player, and Dixon said neither coach has an advantage since there’s so much familiarity.

Desko bested Pietramala earlier this season in a 13-10 home victory on March 14, just another installment of the pair’s storied history. Desko beat Pietramala in the 2008 National Championship, but only after Pietramala defeated Desko in a 2003 semifinal game on the way to a National Championship of his own.

“It’s about the players,” Dixon said. “They’ll both have good game plans.

“But it’s how well the players execute those game plans which will determine the winner.”

Published on May 15, 2015 at 2:26 pm

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