Not Duke, nor a three-hour rain and lightning delay that involved switching fields could keep Syracuse from winnings its second Atlantic Coast Conference championship in a row on May 1. Now, the No. 5 Orange (10-4, 2-2 ACC) will gear up for its annual match against Colgate (4-9, 2-6 Patriot) that is slotted between the end of the ACC tournament and start of the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse has recovered from a five game stretch where it lost four games to win four contests in a row, including the ACC title over Duke, 14-8. Colgate most recently beat Lafayette on April 22 for its first win in 45 days.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s game at 1 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 45-11-1

Last time they played: It took two fourth-quarter goals from Orange midfielder Nicky Galasso to help No. 1 Syracuse slip by No. 13 Colgate, 9-7, in Hamilton, New York on May 2, 2015. The Raiders held a 7-6 lead near the end of the third period, but SU netted the last three goals of the game.

Colgate took a two-goal lead twice in the first 30 minutes of the game as its defense stifled the Orange’s attack with a zone scheme against SU’s first-line midfield and a man-to-man scheme against the second unit.

But adjustments by Syracuse head coach John Desko spurred the Orange comeback.

Ultimately, SU nearly doubled the Raiders in shots, won 18-of-20 faceoffs and grabbed more groundballs. Galasso and Dylan Donahue both led Syracuse with three goals. Kevin Rice had a game-high five points.

The Colgate report: The Raiders have just one win in their eight games since March 8. A sputtering offense and some key injuries have resulted in a lackluster season for Colgate.

Sam Cleveland is the team’s leader on offense. His 15 goals and 13 assists are both team highs, as well as his 83 shots. Cleveland has two of the goals for an abysmal man-up unit that is third worst in the country with a 20 percent success rate.

The team’s offense averages just eight goals per game, which is 59th out of 68 ranked team nationally. Its scoring margin is -2.0, which is 51st.

The defense is led by Leo Stouros, who has grabbed 26 groundballs this year — second only to goalie Brandon Burke. The team as a whole, though, grabs just 24.4 groundballs per game — 61st in the nation — and sits at the middle of the pack in scoring defense.

Even the team’s faceoff unit has had a tough time this year, winning just 41.2 percent of draws at the X. Both Colin Whelan and Peter Marchetto have split faceoff duties.

The bright spots for a struggling Colgate squad are its clearing percentage and turnovers per game, which are both top 20 nationally.

Logan Reidsma | Senior Staff Photographer

How Colgate beats Syracuse: It’ll take a lot for the Raiders to come away with a win over Syracuse. The Orange is peaking at the end of the season and Colgate hasn’t been able to get out of its rut.

Basically, the Raiders would need to play a perfect game of lacrosse to win. They commit fewer than 12 turnovers per game, but can hardly afford any against the Orange. Syracuse’s penalties and man-down unit have made it vulnerable at times this season, but Colgate’s man-up has hardly been able to take advantage of any of its chances.

SU will win a shootout, so it’ll take a slow and determined effort from the Raiders to control the game and the pace. Colgate needs to hope that Syracuse is looking past it and straight to the NCAA tournament in hopes of catching the Orange by surprise.

Numbers to know:

28 – Syracuse’s largest margin of victory ever came in 1977 against Colgate. The Orange won 30-2.

45 – Colgate’s win over Lafeyette on April 22 ended a streak of 45 days without a win.

23.6 – The Raiders have scored on just 23.6 percent of their shots this season — 61st out of 68 ranked teams in the nation. Syracuse’s shooting percentage is 31.0, which is good for 17th in the country.

Player to watch: Joe Delaney

Delaney made his first career start against Lafayette on April 22 and scored a Colgate season-high five goals. The sophomore previously had four goals in his entire career. Attack Anthony Abbadessa missed the game due to injury, allowing Delaney to start, but is expected to be back against Syracuse. Delaney could provide a necessary spark off the bench for the Raiders.

Published on May 6, 2016 at 8:48 pm

Contact Jon: [email protected] | @jmettus