DURHAM, N.C. — After losing its last two games by more than five goals each, No. 15 Syracuse (4-3, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) defeated No. 3 Duke (8-2, 0-1), 15-14, on Saturday afternoon. Each of the Orange’s seven first-half goals came from a different scorer. Dom Madonna made 13 saves while Nick Martin won five faceoffs to seal the game.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s win.

Clutch in crunch time

Syracuse had gone 7-of-27 in faceoffs before Nick Martin came in to take faceoffs. The redshirt junior won the last five faceoffs of the game for Syracuse, including the game-sealing win.

In that span, Syracuse scored four goals to Duke’s one. The Orange dominated possession with Duke’s lone goal coming off a save on the doorstep which transitioned into an odd-man opportunity at the other end.

With fewer than two minutes remaining, Jamie Trimboli sealed the game for SU with a goal coming off a loose ball scramble. With no one around him, Trimboli scooped the ball and instantly found nylon to give SU its final lead of the game.

Runnin’ with the Devils

In its past two games, Syracuse couldn’t keep pace with the offense it played. On Saturday, it dictated the game. The Orange scored first and held the lead until just before the end of the third quarter. After turning the ball over a season-high 22 times last week against Rutgers, the Orange limited itself to eight turnovers.

Syracuse, a team which often plays slow, was distributed just one stall warning in the entirety of the game. Its first goal of the game came off a quick restart at the midfield. As Duke players scrambled to get back, Peter Dearth scooped up the ball and darted straight down the middle of the Duke defense. Since no defenders approached him, Dearth barreled on toward the cage and eventually ripped a shot low past the goalkeeper. The Orange scored three goals on its first three shots of the game.

In the second half, SU went on a similar run, scoring three goals on four shots in fewer than three minutes of play. One of the goals started when Trimboli passed down to Stephen Rehfuss. The sophomore attack looked like he was going to shoot the ball with his toes rubbing near the crease-line. Instead, he dished the ball off to Brendan Bomberry for an easy goal.

Brick Wall

Madonna played a pivotal role for SU’s defense in the first half, even out of the cage. As Duke attack Brad Smith tried to charge around the X with a step on his defender, Madonna curled around the crease. The redshirt-senior hacked at Smith, knocking the ball loose and gaining possession for the Orange.

Back in the cage, Madonna’s 13 saves often came at critical moments for SU. One save came with just less than six minutes left when Nakeie Montgomery, who had already scored for Duke earlier in the game, had an open look from the right side of the net. He walked in and fired a shot which Madonna followed. Madonna slid to his left stopping the ball and leaving it out in front of the net for a teammate to scoop. Less than a minute later Nate Solomon scored to bring SU within one goal.

Published on March 24, 2018 at 4:15 pm

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