No. 8 Syracuse (6-3, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) easily bested Hobart (4-6, 1-1 Northeast) 11-4 Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome. The win gives Syracuse its 30th Kraus-Simmons Trophy win in 33 years of its existence. The win also gives SU its third-consecutive win, its longest winning streak of the season.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s win.

Syracuse is still susceptible to runs

Syracuse opened the third quarter the way it closed the second half: hot. One-on-one against Hobart goalie Sam Lucchesi, Stephen Rehfuss ripped a shot, going high to low, past Lucchesi to continue an 8-0 Syracuse run that had been going on since the middle of the first quarter.

After Rehfuss’ goal, SU lay dormant for the remainder of the third period. While turning the ball over just twice in the first half, the Orange coughed it up four times in the third quarter while allowing the Statesmen to claw their way back in.

Hobart finished the third quarter on a 3-0 run, pushing SU’s streak to eight games in which the Orange has given up at least a three-goal run.

Stephen Rehfuss emerges as most important offensive player

As Rehfuss raced towards the Hobart cage, two defenders stepped in his way to prevent the attack from advancing any further. Rehfuss faked going right and instead threaded a pass to a cutting Nate Solomon in between the two defenders for an easy goal.

Rehfuss emerged as the primary feeder in the Orange’s 15-14 win over Duke when he produced a team-leading five points. On Tuesday night he continued that role, but he also looked for his own shot more.

Rehfuss also tallied a team-leading three goals against Hobart, including two straight after Hobart made a three-goal run. When it looked like the Statesmen were coming back, Rehfuss put the game out of reach.

Dom Madonna continues to excel in net

The one constant for Syracuse during SU’s three-game win streak has been the play of Madonna. After 13 saves against Duke, he produced 13 more against Notre Dame to earn U.S. Lacrosse Player of the Week.

Tuesday night against Hobart, Madonna racked up nine more goals, stopping several shots from point-blank range. The defense thrived against Hobart, but when it missed slides, Madonna proved to be a wall in net.

Published on April 3, 2018 at 9:06 pm

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