Coming off a last-minute win over Army on Sunday, No. 3 Syracuse (3-0) begins conference play on the road against No. 14 Virginia (2-2) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The Black Knights had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds but SU survived, 9-8, to keep its record unblemished.

Now Syracuse turns its attention to the Cavaliers and here’s everything you need to know about UVA.

All-time series: Virginia leads 16-15

Last time they played: The Orange jumped out to an 8-1 halftime lead and buried UVA 15-9 on March 1, 2015. In a battle of two undefeated teams at the time, Syracuse rode four goals by Nicky Galasso and three each from Kevin Rice and Dylan Donahue. SU outshot the Cavaliers 50-31 and won 20-of-27 faceoffs. The early lead gave Syracuse a cushion that helped cement its biggest win in the early portion of the season.

“Just a complete effort to have the score the way it was in the first half,” SU head coach John Desko said. “I think any coach in the country would be happy with that effort.”

The Virginia report: Through four games, the Cavaliers have already lost twice, 11-4 to a stingy Loyola team and to High Point in overtime. UVA has beaten Drexel and Penn, but its matchup with Syracuse is its toughest test so far. Midfielder Zed Williams leads the team with nine goals and is tied for the team lead in points (10) with attack James Pannell, who is the younger brother of former Tewaaraton Award winner Rob Pannell. The Cavaliers present a diverse offense with scoring threats both the attack and midfield. AJ Fish and Greg Coholan round out the midfield alongside Williams. Attack Ryan Lukacovic, who stands at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds, scored three goals against High Point and is a smaller, shiftier attack who will likely draw a matchup with Syracuse freshman defender Nick Mellen. Pannell’s cannon of a shot could also present problems for SU though he scored just one goal on 10 shots against the Orange last season.

“I think we’ve been consistently getting better so I think this game comes at a good time for us,” Virginia head coach Dom Starsia said. “I think we’ll be ready for this challenge. We’re obviously going to have to play our best lacrosse but I think we’re up to it.”

The game will also be Syracuse’s first on grass this season and Desko said the Orange may not be used to it since his team hasn’t been able to practice on anything other than turf.

“I think one of the important statistics for a lacrosse team are ground balls,” Desko said. “… Grass is not as consistent as the field turf and it’s going to take some funny bounces when it hits a clump of grass or a divot in the grass.”

How Virginia beats Syracuse: Starsia mentioned faceoff specialist Jason Murphy’s improvement throughout the season so far, but added that UVA hasn’t seen an opponent like the Orange’s Ben Williams. Murphy is 43-of-62 on faceoffs this season while Williams, who is similarly 42-of-59 this season, finished second in the nation in faceoff percentage last season. If Virginia can neutralize Williams and cause some loose balls to make it a slop-fest on the grass, the Cavaliers will have a chance. Without equal possessions, SU has a significant edge. With equal possessions, the disparity between teams probably isn’t much, and it will come down to whether or not Zed Williams and Pannell can their shots.

 

Spencer Bodian | Staff Photographer

 

Numbers to know:

3,200 — Number of days in between Syracuse-Virginia games that had been decided by at least six goals. On May 27, 2006, UVA beat SU 17-10. The following nine matchups from 2007-14 had all been decided by five goals or less. The trend ended when the Orange won 15-9 last season.

9 — Pannell missed nine shots against Syracuse last season. He shot 10 times, at least doubling every other teammate, and only scored once.

2 — Virginia defender Tanner Scales averages two caused turnovers per game, which ranks tied for 13th in the country.

Player to watch: Barrett ranked eighth in the country last season with 12.2 saves per game. The first-team All-ACC player made 183 saves last season, ranking sixth in Virginia history. That’s partly a reflection on the Cavaliers’ defense allowing more shots, but Barrett could be the key to upsetting the Orange as UVA’s last line of defense.

Published on March 3, 2016 at 2:19 pm

Contact Paul: [email protected] | @pschweds