When Syracuse needed a stop, its defense answered the call against Penn
After going down 8-4, Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s defense held Penn goalless for the final 19 minutes and 14 seconds of regulation, giving SU the leeway it needed to spark its five-goal comeback. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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PHILADELPHIA — Sometimes, you just need a good old-fashioned yelling.
At least Jimmy McCool did. In all fairness to him, McCool was probably one of the Syracuse players who least needed to be yelled at on Sunday. He saved 10 of the 18 Penn shots that came his way throughout the afternoon, and without his efforts, the Orange could’ve very easily found themselves in a hole that was too big for them to come back from.
Alas, he’s part of the Syracuse defense, and so he must join his brethren as they catch an earful from SU defensive coordinator John Odierna. The defense hasn’t been egregiously bad thus far, having allowed just eight goals through three quarters, but Odierna’s going to let them hear it anyways. They need it about as badly as the Orange need this win.
And if Syracuse is somehow going to come back from four goals down to avoid its first defeat to the Quakers since 1919, it’s going to start with its defense.
“We’re never out of a fight,” SU midfielder Michael Leo said. “It starts with a stop on D.”
Or multiple stops, as it did Sunday afternoon. Reeling after Jackson Maher’s goal gave the Quakers an 8-4 lead with four minutes and 14 seconds left in the third quarter, the Orange defense put the clamps on to spur their comeback attempt. SU didn’t allow a goal through the final 19 minutes and 14 seconds of regulation, giving No. 6 Syracuse’s (4-2, Atlantic Coast) offense the chance to seal a 9-8 victory over No. 19 Penn (2-3, Ivy League) in overtime.
“(We) got a couple of inside looks, that we need to get out of our stick faster, that turned into turnovers, and just got a little dry there,” Penn head coach Taylor Wray said postgame. “So, you know, their defense really locked in and played better.”
For Syracuse, locking down Griffin Scane was a crucial piece of the puzzle. Scane — the brother of two-time women’s Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane — entered Sunday leading the Quakers with 13 goals under his belt.
He scored in the second quarter to give Penn a 5-4 lead, but really didn’t make much of an impact outside of that. To Wray, the issue was simple.
“They’re good at getting their sticks on guys’ gloves. I think they’re a good checking team,” Wray said. “I thought when Griff got opportunities, he had to get it out real quick. They were on him right away.”
Limiting Scane was certainly crucial. But the most significant change McCool noticed came after Odierna’s call to action near the end of the third quarter. The unit was playing well, McCool said, but it wasn’t really “excited enough,” something McCool said could be attributed to the fact that they had already played this weekend.
“It’s tough coming off a game on Friday,” McCool said. “I think we kind of just settled and realized, like, we gotta give it everything we have.”
They were certainly excited after Odierna’s diatribe. Led by Billy Dwan III and Riley Figueiras, Syracuse hounded Scane — and the rest of Penn’s attack — as soon as it got to the fourth quarter. Figueiras had two ground balls and forced two turnovers on the day, while Dwan scooped up three ground balls and scored the game-tying pole goal to knot the game at 8-8.
Jordan Beck, who made his return to the starting lineup after three straight starts from Chuck Kuczynski at close defense, also chipped in with two ground balls and a turnover of his own. It was a team effort, the kind of “team defense” Gary Gait has been wanting to see all year.
“Jordan’s always ready to go, like I’ve said before,” McCool said. “I think him getting his name called again was exciting for all of us, and he did his job.”
The most crucial stop of the game came with a minute left in the fourth quarter. Hounded by Dante Bowen, the senior short-stick midfielder, Nate Lucchesi coughed up the ball to give SU one last chance at stealing a victory in regulation. It wouldn’t capitalize there, but Bowen’s efforts essentially snuffed out Penn’s last substantive offensive possession in the game.
Friday was a frustrating outing for Syracuse’s defense. In the waning minutes of SU’s 11-7 loss to Princeton, Dwan and Figueiras began aggressively checking the Tigers ballhandlers, trying to let out their frustrations in any manner possible.
After jarring the ball loose with a hit near the sideline, Figueiras picked up a penalty and scooped up the ball, tossing it as far away as he could. A small skirmish ensued, and “Kung Fu Fighting” rang out through the Sherrerd Field speakers.
It was a stark contrast from Sunday’s ending, where the Orange defenders celebrated in jubilation after Leo’s game-winning goal in overtime. If you had to choose, it’s easy to imagine they enjoyed the latter much more than the former.
