MASTERFUL PREFORMANCE: Strong defensive effort leads SU over UMass for 4th-straight win
AMHERST, Mass. – John Galloway didn’t exactly make the highlight reel last time he ventured away from the Carrier Dome. The sophomore goalie gave up 12 goals in Syracuse’s last road game – a loss to Princeton April 4.
So when Galloway traveled to McGuirk Alumni Stadium for Saturday’s game against Massachusetts, Galloway and the defense were preparing for a difficult test.
‘We knew we were going to have a challenge, especially coming into this environment,’ Galloway said. ‘It’s a lot tougher to play here than it was in Princeton and I think we really wanted to turn out a 60-minute performance.’
And that is exactly what they did.
Galloway and the entire defensive unit stymied No. 15 UMass, 10-3, Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in front of a crowd of 13,722. It was the 24th-largest crowd to ever attend a men’s lacrosse contest.
The three goals are the fewest the Minutemen have scored in a game this season and tied for the fewest Syracuse (11-2) has allowed on the year. SU also won the last regular-season contest between the two squads.
‘I felt good all around the cage. I felt I was seeing the ball low and high,’ Galloway said. ‘So I felt I was seeing the ball, and the defense was giving me shots I could save.’
Highly touted JUCO-transfer Cody Jamieson saw his first action of the season Saturday, getting in with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. He had a goal waved off because of a crease violation.
Early in the game, it didn’t appear Galloway was destined to have a solid performance. Jim Connolly, who had two goals for the Minutemen, opened the scoring at the 11:39 of the first quarter. Ryan Marcus gave UMass a 2-1 lead when he bounced a ball past a confused and surprised Galloway.
But from that point on, Galloway locked down. He had 14 saves in the game, stopping UMass defenders on multiple one-on-one opportunities. Early in the second half, Evan Blum had an open look at the goal, but Galloway stoned the shot. Connolly followed with a side-winding shot soon after that Galloway also stopped.
The only goal the Minutemen scored in the second half came on a second-chance shot, after a Galloway save careened to Connolly. Between its second and third goals, UMass went more than 38 minutes without a goal.
‘When he’s seeing the ball, he’s one of the best in the country,’ SU senior defender Sid Smith said. ‘He has his off games just like anyone else, but when he’s on, he’s really on.’
Smith and company helped Galloway with a swarming defensive game plan. The unit did not allow UMass to find many open shots and forced the Minutemen away from the goal. Smith said the defense slid more from the crease in the second half and had communicated better, which helped Syracuse hold UMass under its season average by seven goals.
SU head coach John Desko said the team played fundamental defense and slid well when the opportunity presented itself, adding Saturday may have been Galloway’s best game of the season.
‘We were really happy with today, especially after the last couple of days,’ Smith said. ‘We were a little shaky back there, and we were really happy with the way we played today.’
The defense also aided the offense. Syracuse only scored four goals in the first half and struggled to find its identity, but since the defense didn’t allow a goal in the second quarter and for most of the third, Syracuse went on a 7-0 run to take an 8-2 lead.
Stephen Keogh led the way with his fourth-consecutive hat trick, highlighted by a goal between his legs that elicited a joyous reaction from the crowd and the Syracuse sidelines. Josh Amidon, Matt Abbott, Scott Kahoe and Kevin Drew all added second-half goals.
‘Defense kind of saved us at some points,’ Amidon said. ‘It sucked because our offense was turning the ball over and it’s so hot out here and our defense had to play, but they did a tremendous job and talked very well.’
SU has one week off until its next contest Saturday against Colgate, one of the two teams that beat the Orange last season. And Galloway is ready for revenge.
‘It’s been the same story all year,’ Galloway said. ‘My defense has given me shots I can make the saves on and that’s going to keep me in there, and that’s how our defense played today.’
