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When Hofstra’s men’s lacrosse program went on pause due to COVID-19, Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) was out of an opponent for its next game. And with a game at Duke, arguably Syracuse’s biggest game of the regular season, on the horizon, the Orange needed a new opponent.

That ended up being Holy Cross (1-2, 0-2 Patriot) — the third unranked opponent Syracuse has faced consecutively.

Here’s everything you need to know about Holy Cross before Saturday’s 12 p.m. matchup:

All-time series

This will be the first time in program history that Syracuse faces Holy Cross.

The Holy Cross report

Holy Cross did not have a single winning season between 1989 and 2018 (not counting 2020, when they went 4-3 in the shortened season). The team hired a new head coach, but it’ll take a while to see improved results in a program with two total scholarship players.

In their lone win this season, the Crusaders got lucky. They were outshot and won fewer faceoffs than Sacred Heart, but they were bailed out by A.J. Fox’s 17 saves.

Against Boston University, Holy Cross was 20-for-26 on faceoffs and still lost by 10 goals. If one thing goes right for the Crusaders, often not much else does.

How Syracuse beats Holy Cross

Syracuse hasn’t lost to an unranked team since its 2019 season opener against Colgate. Conversely, Holy Cross isn’t very used to ranked opponents — Patriot League foes Army and Navy are the only perennially ranked teams that Holy Cross normally plays.

Even when they are playing poorly, like they did against Vermont, Syracuse is still talented enough to beat mid-level teams. Save for one of the worst collapses in recent sports history, SU is probably fine against Holy Cross.

Syracuse’s offense needs to pick apart Holy Cross’s defense, which allows nearly 13 goals per game and hasn’t seen a top-25 opponent all season. 

Player to watch: Dean DiNanno, Attack, No. 14

DiNanno is in the top 10 in the Patriot League in both goals and points — lists that feature Army’s Brendan Nichtern and Aidan Byrnes. Through three games, he has seven goals and nine points, with three goals and an assist coming in an overtime loss at Colgate two weeks ago. On a struggling Crusaders’ squad, DiNanno has scored a quarter of the team’s goals.

As a freshman last season, DiNanno started in all seven games and was second on the team in points, tallying at least one in every game. As a high schooler, he was a Connecticut All-State selection and helped Wilton High School to the state championship game his senior year.

Stat to know: 8

Through three games, Holy Cross has caused 24 total turnovers, good for eight per game. Syracuse is averaging just over seven, and Holy Cross holds its opponents to under six per game. They can turn the ball over, but they struggle scoring after, either failing on a clear or turning the ball back over. Of Holy Cross’s 55 total turnovers this season, just 17 were caused by an opponent.

Published on March 19, 2021 at 12:48 pm

[email protected] | @cincinnallie