MLAX : Duke dominates faceoff X, wins 20 of 27 draws
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Syracuse’s win over Duke answered questions about its offense. But the Orange’s deficiency in the faceoff X brought up another.
The Blue Devils dominated faceoffs for almost the entire game, winning 20-of-27 in an attempt to keep possession in their own offensive end. For the Orange, though, it didn’t end up having too much of a negative effect, as SU scored early and often.
But as Syracuse enters the second half of its season, these struggles at the faceoff X certainly aren’t something the Orange will overlook.
‘We’ve won some, but I always think it’s kind of a matchup issue,’ Syracuse head coach John Desko said. ‘We’re disappointed there. I think a few that we did get out, we lost; and in groundball situations, we didn’t pick it up. We have to get better at that.’
Syracuse midfielder Chris Daddio took the majority of the faceoffs for the Orange, winning 5-of-10 draws. But he was the exception in SU’s futile overall effort in the X. Jeremy Thompson, who has been SU’s primary faceoff specialist throughout the season, didn’t win a single faceoff. He finished the game 0-for-8.
The Blue Devils had plenty of chances to take advantage of its faceoff victories, but luckily for the Orange, goaltender John Galloway didn’t allow many transition goals. Galloway made 16 saves in the game to preserve his team’s lead. And as a result, he’s now the NCAA’s all-time winningest goalie.
The only time it took away chances from the Orange was in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. SU never found the back of the net in the period, taking just two shots. But SU’s 13 goals in the first three periods proved to be enough.
And though the statistic was heavily in Duke’s favor, even Duke faceoff specialist CJ Costabile admitted it was more about matchups than the Blue Devils simply overpowering the Orange.
‘The faceoff game is so much about who you face,’ said Costabile, who won 11-of-15 draws. ‘Sometimes, you just match up really well with someone.’
SU ride key in win
Duke defender Bill Conners came just inches away from scoring an own goal.
His teammate Terrence Molinari had just been surrounded by three Syracuse attack as he tried to clear the ball near midfield. Tom Palasek and Stephen Keogh both knocked Molinari to the ground.
He desperately sent the ball back to Conners, who immediately passed back to goaltender Dan Wigrizer. But his pass sailed wide of the goalie. It rolled through the crease and just right off the post into the side netting.
SU eventually stole the ball away from Duke on that clear attempt, one of seven failed clears for the Blue Devils. Duke converted just 13-of-20 clear attempts on the game, and Desko credited the Syracuse ride as a big part of the win.
‘When they’re getting the ball back like they were off the faceoffs, to turn around and ride them and keep the ball like we were at our offensive end of the field, that helps us,’ Desko said.
The Orange struggled to gain possession from the faceoff circle all game, but SU managed to force plenty of turnovers on the ride. And that didn’t lead to many immediate scores for SU, but it did give SU’s defense time to rest on the other end.
‘That helps our cause,’ Desko said. ‘Especially when they made a save or when we turned the ball over at that end. It helped us. We work on riding quite a bit. And it paid off at times tonight.’
