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If you’ve seen any Syracuse-Notre Dame matchup recently, you wouldn’t have believed that both teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 11-11. The Fighting Irish won the previous four games by a combined score of 80-36, dominating the Orange in every facet of the game.

But Syracuse looked different this season. Its offense started clicking at the end of the first half, going on a 5-1 run to get back within two. Cole Kirst gave Syracuse its first lead of the afternoon two minutes into the final period. The defense was strong too, keeping the Kavanaghs relatively quiet.

The collapse was unavoidable though. After Kirst scored, the Orange didn’t find the back of the net for the rest of the game. The Kavanaghs either found their teammates wide open at the crease or scored on their own. Notre Dame scored nine times in the final period.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (6-5, 0-3 Atlantic Coast) 20-12 loss to Notre Dame (7-1, 1-1 ACC):

Second quarter resurgence

The Orange struggled to find any open opportunities throughout the first quarter. Even when they did, open opportunities sailed over the net. Midway through the second quarter, something changed. The shots which went right to Liam Entenmann found the back of the net instead. Other attempts stopped flying over the goal. The scores amounted to a 5-1 run for Syracuse, cutting Notre Dame’s lead to two.

Michael Leo started the streak on his own, charging down the left side of the field before launching the ball into the top of the goal. Kirst followed suit, taking the same route as Leo. But he was pushed off-course, needing to cut into the middle of the field and dive onto the turf in order to score.

After Jack Simmons recorded Notre Dame’s final score of the half, SU was awarded a double man-up opportunity following an unnecessary roughness penalty on Chris Kavanagh and a holding penalty on Pat Kavanagh. Jackson Birtwistle received the ball on the doorstep during the play, flicked his stick behind his back and bounced the ball in.

Still a man-up 40 seconds later, Joey Spallina caught the ball at the X. He saw Alex Simmons was completely unmarked on the left side, tossing the ball to him. Simmons missed on a few of these attempts earlier in the game but he easily converted with an underhand rip. He was left wide open in the same spot a minute later, firing a similar shot off a pass from Kirst.

Jake Taylor’s sequel

Notre Dame’s 22-6 win over SU last season was Jake Taylor’s coming out party. Despite scoring just three goals in his career up to that point, Taylor finished with a program-record eight goals. He repeatedly took advantage of holes near the crease, even scoring behind his back.

“At the end of the day, we just didn’t guard the ball, we didn’t execute or help one another,” Brett Kennedy said after the loss.

Now, Taylor is more of a contributor to the Fighting Irish’s attack this season. He’s continued to dominate from the middle of the field, right in front of the cage. On Notre Dame’s first possession, Brandon Aviles threw Quinn McCahon onto the turf. McCahon got up and charged down the left side, firing a no-look pass to the edge of the crease. Taylor snagged the ball out of the air and tapped it in.

Taylor took a few steps back for his second goal, pressed up against Saam Olexo with 10 seconds left in the first quarter. He dodged to his right to get off Olexo, launching the ball into the back of the net before he was checked to the ground by another defender.

Kavanagh Kryptonite

If there’s any name that automatically brings fear to Syracuse’s fans and defense it’s Kavanagh. The Kavanaghs have dominated opposing defenses around the country but they always turn their play up an extra gear against SU.

Kavanagh notched nine points versus Syracuse last season and 10 the year before. He quickly tore apart the Orange’s defense, recording three points in the first half.

Pat stationed himself in the middle of SU’s defense three minutes in before charging toward the cage. He forced Jordan Beck to slide towards him, leaving Eric Dobson wide open on the right side. Pat flipped it to Dobson once Beck was out of position, leading a 2-0 Notre Dame advantage.

Pat scored on his own with 9:48 left in the first quarter, using a pick to get open in the middle of the field before shooting over Will Mark. Five minutes later, he challenged Mark one-on-one again, expecting him to fall to the turf. Once that happened, Pat lofted the ball into the back of the net.

SU’s defense improved, holding Pat scoreless for the rest of the afternoon while his younger brother, Chris, only scored thrice. Mark made some key saves but the defense itself played with more intensity, forcing seven turnovers in the second and third quarter. But the brothers got back onto the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, either scoring or finding other teammates for opportunities to put SU away. They combined for five points in the final period.

Helpful Saam

When Syracuse is on defense, the sound of “oohhs” coming from the JMA Wireless Dome mostly occurs after Olexo has made a play, either forcing the ball, or an opposing player, onto the turf. Sometimes, they come when Olexo is charging downfield to clear the ball, which happened with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.

Mark fell onto his knees to save a shot from McCahon and Olexo immediately took off toward SU’s offensive zone. Mark launched the ball to Olexo, who caught it around midfield before sprinting toward the cage. A slide came over to him, leaving Owen Hiltz with an easy attempt on the right side.

At the end of the third quarter, Olexo did everything to tie the game at 11-11. He swatted the ball out of Reilly Gray’s stick, picking it up to finish the clear. He gave the ball up to Billy Dwan before cutting into the middle of the field. Eventually, Kirst passed it to him and Olexo whipped the ball low, rolling it into the net.

Published on April 1, 2023 at 4:38 pm

Contact Anish: [email protected] | @anish_vasu