Syracuse Off to Bad Start

Posted By on March 24, 2014

What a disappointing season this Syracuse team has had. They are flat out frustrating to watch and even more irritating to write about. It is not that they’re bad, in fact their offense is quite good, their goalie play has been better than would appear on paper and they have some talented defensman. The problem is that the offense just doesn’t get the touches they need. The possession problems stem from the horrendous face-off game.

 

Orange fans had reason to believe their team was turning it around after taking down Hopkins two weeks ago, but after a devastating loss to Duke Saturday the same narrative is back in play. Without face-off wins, a team relies on turnovers and saves for possessions. Against Hopkins SU did everything else right and overcame their face-off problems, just as they had in 2013 when they made it all the way to the national championship. Against ACC teams this year, the attack has spent most of their playing time standing around watching their defense exhaust themselves. The Orange are -12 in the turnover game in their three ACC contests, and with matchups with Notre Dame, Cornell and UNC ahead, it could get very ugly.

 

Poll

This week the Coaches Poll and Media Poll both agree with numbers 1-8. The Media Poll has Syracuse at #9 and Hopkins at #10, while the Coaches Poll has the reverse. Quite frankly I think there are ten top teams and a large group of mediocre teams after that. My top ten looks like this:

  1. Loyola – The Greyhounds have had a tougher schedule than Cornell, and the overtime win against Duke by 7 in the beginning of March keeps them in the #1 spot. Their only loss came in the first game of the season versus Virginia in an overtime match. UVA needed a last second goal to tie it up. Additionally, I can’t take away their top spot after a 21-4 win, even though it came against Lafayette.

  2. Cornell – Everyone underrated the Big Red. Had they started higher in the poll at the beginning of the season, Cornell would likely be the #1 team right now. In their one big game, Cornell beat UVA. Other than that, not a very tough schedule for Cornell until they play Syracuse in a few weeks. Neither Loyola nor Cornell should lose another game this year.

  3. Duke – The Blue Devils destroyed Syracuse on Saturday 21-7. They also have quality wins over UNC and Denver.

  4. Maryland – The Terps’ first loss occurred last week at the hands of UNC. Still though, I like this Maryland team better than just about anyone else in the country right now; they are my favorite to win the national title.

  5. UNC – The Tar Heels lost to both Notre Dame and Duke by just one goal. They have a strong offense and face Hopkins, UVA and Syracuse in their next three.

  6. Notre Dame – The Irish have been up and down throughout the year but are 2-0 in ACC play. An 18-9 win over UVA doesn’t hurt either.

  7. Denver – Denver had a questionable loss to Penn but balanced that out with a 10-7 win over Notre Dame. The Pioneers also lost to Duke, but they have beaten everyone else they should have.

  8. Virginia – The overtime win against Loyola will sure helps the Cavaliers’ case. They beat Syracuse handedly and had an OT win over Hopkins. Otherwise UVA doesn’t have any other respectable wins. Virginia still has ACC dates with Maryland, UNC and Duke, and could finish the season with a 1-4 conference record.

  9. Johns Hopkins – Hopkins started the year 5-0 before losing two straight to Syracuse and UVA. The Jays are playing better than the Orange overall, it just happened to be SU’s day last week. Their most recent loss to UVA will probably stay with them for a while, but Hopkins has chances to make up for it with a tough late season schedule.

  10. Syracuse – On paper they are a top ten team. When the offense has the ball they are a top ten team. The Orange have one of the most efficient offenses in the country settling in at third in the nation for shots on goal, but they just don’t get the ball. SU refuses to win a face-off and can’t get the ball out of their defensive zone. This point is illustrated by two statistics: the Syracuse goalies have made the fifth most saves per game in the country while their cumulative save percentage is just .508.  Until they lose to a non-ACC team that is not Cornell, or a team not currently in the top ten makes a case for themselves, I refuse to pull them from my top ten.

 

UNC vs. Hopkins – Saturday, 2:00, ESPNU

After starting the season 5-0, Hopkins lost to Syracuse. The Orange played an uncharacteristically perfect game, other than face-offs of course. Their second loss came against UVA last weekend in overtime. The Blue Jays don’t have a signature win as of yet and have three more chances to win a big game. This weekend’s matchup isn’t a must win by any stretch but it would sure take the pressure off. Hopkins has a great attack line featuring Ryan Brown, Wells Stanwick and Brendon Benn. Their first line midfield is solid but the lack depth at the position. In net the Jays start freshman Eric Schneider who has been superb in his first year. Meanwhile UNC has looked like a contender throughout the season. The Tar Heels also sport an excellent net minder in Kieran Burke who gives up just over 7 goals per game.

 

Notre Dame vs. SU – Saturday, 12:00, ESPNU

Saturday the Fighting Irish visit Syracuse. Notre Dame enters the game first in face-off winning percentage taking .696 percent of all battles. Liam O’Connor has a .701 winning percentage, so Syracuse looks to have their hands full again. While Notre Dame has questionable losses to Penn State and Denver, they have good wins against UNC and UVA, whom they completely upended 18-9. Even if the Irish lose their future games to Duke and Maryland they will most likely make the postseason. On the other hand, the Orange have yet to win an ACC match and a loss to Notre Dame will shrink their tournament hopes significantly.

 

Yale vs. Penn – Saturday, 2:00

This is the biggest game left for both of these two teams. Yale’s most impressive win has come against Princeton in a one goal win last weekend while Penn has a quality win against Denver. It is unclear weather the Ivy League will get more than one at-large bid this year and considering that Cornell will most likely gain the AQ, the loser of this game will probably find themselves watching the NCAA tournament from home.

 

Maryland vs. UVA – Sunday, 12:00, ESPNU

Maryland has a very good defensive group and it will be interesting to see how their long-poles do against an equally talented UVA attack group. Virginia’s week spot is easily their defense. While picking up the overtime win against Hopkins, the long-poles did not look good, and they forced Matt Barrett to make 16 saves for the second time this season. Barrett has been mediocre this year with a .459 save percentage but he has managed to keep the Cavs in every game they’ve played so far. Maryland has a much more balanced squad. Goalie Niko Amato could be the difference maker. Amato has allowed just 7.10 goals per game this year and has made a case for the player of the year. On the face-offs Maryland also has the advantage with Charlie Raffa pulling .615 of all face-offs in 2014.