Observations from Syracuse’s win over Duke: Volpe revives SU, Pronti from X
Kaci Benoit, Izzy Lahah and the rest of Syracuse's defense held strong to secure its 11th-straight victory Saturday, a 10-9 win over Duke. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
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At this rate, Syracuse may not lose a game for the rest of the season. Imagine hearing that at the end of February, when the Orange were reeling with a 0-3 record? You probably wouldn’t believe it.
After defeating Duke Saturday, SU’s win streak has now reached 11 games, dating back to Feb. 24. It handled Northwestern and Yale, both of which looked poised to end the fun. It downed UAlbany and Cornell, both unranked teams with nothing to lose.
That prowess has given Syracuse the No. 3 national ranking, and SU is well on its way to its 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. On Saturday, the final leg of its regular season — a three-game ranked slate — began with the Blue Devils.
The Orange took an early lead, and although it slipped late, they held on to earn their sixth Atlantic Coast Conference win of the year.
Here are some observations from No. 3 Syracuse’s (11-3, 6-2 ACC) 10-9 win over No. 18 Duke (9-5, 5-3 ACC) at Koskinen Stadium:
SU’s lethal 1st-half defense
Syracuse’s defense seemed to know where the ball was headed on every Duke possession. How’s that even possible? Just watch Izzy Lahah, who picked up two early ground balls to fuel SU’s one-goal first-quarter lead. Or look to Coco Vandiver, who jumped a Reese Woodworth pass that nearly led to Emma Muchnick’s second goal of the afternoon.
It doesn’t matter who you ask; everyone on SU’s defense was on the same page. Against a high-powered Duke offense that averages over 14 goals per game, that’s the only way Syracuse would stay afloat. Lahah, the junior who’s having a breakout season leading the Orange in caused turnovers and ground balls, set the tone by stripping Avery Doran just over three minutes in.
Lahah pushed the ball downfield, and though SU gave it back to the Blue Devils moments later, she struck again soon after. She forced another takeaway on Duke star Ava Biancardi before, once again, Syracuse turned it over.
The Orange’s defense was holding their own, an encouraging sign, but SU didn’t capitalize offensively until Daniella Guyette made a crucial save. Syracuse cleared the ball, and Molly Guzik handed the Orange a 2-1 first-quarter lead.
Muchnick scooped up a ground ball to start the second quarter, one of SU’s two ground balls in the frame. While the second quarter was more offense-heavy, the Blue Devils still turned the ball over twice, allowing Syracuse to enter halftime with a 5-4 lead.
Duke’s offense has been lethal all year, but up to that point, it looked out of sorts. That remained true midway through the third quarter. A brief two-goal run put the Blue Devils ahead for the first time since the first quarter, but Vandiver came away with a massive late ground ball, helping Ashlee Volpe and Muchnick turn in back-to-back goals.
The Orange ended the third quarter with three more caused turnovers, and although they fell apart in the fourth quarter, their early performance was enough to pick up another ranked win.
Guzik’s early hat trick
Multi-goal games are the expectation for Guzik. Hat tricks are customary. The sophomore attack has finished with four hauls. She even added a sock trick against Northwestern. If Guzik goes quiet, so does Syracuse’s offense. But Guzik really never goes quiet.
On Saturday, she was explosive yet again. Guzik had three goals in the first half. After Mackenzie Rich ignited for seven points against Pitt, the duo’s connection was on point again versus Duke. Rich assisted two of Guzik’s goals, bringing her assist total to 19 on the year.
Guzik’s first score came in the final five minutes of the first quarter. The Orange and Blue Devils were knotted at one apiece, but Guzik was fed by Rich as she collapsed toward the crease. In one swift motion, Guzik fired into the top right corner, giving Syracuse a 2-1 first-quarter lead.
SU held that lead into the second quarter. Guzik then doubled it. Two and a half minutes into the frame, Guzik passed to Rich at X. Almost mirroring Guzik’s first goal, Rich found a crashing Guzik as she punished a tardy Hope Schoudel in net.
Guzik’s final goal of the first half came with just over two minutes left in the first half. She did things solo this time, juking past Duke defender Madison Beale before her overhand shot landed past Schoudel.
Although Syracuse’s lead slipped in the second half, Guzik’s first-half hat trick was ultimately the reason the Orange hung around. When SU regained its lead, her first-half production proved even more crucial.
Volpe revives SU
In the last five games, Volpe’s gotten awfully comfortable on Syracuse’s bench. She started the four games before then, but with Annie Parker scoring two points in her first game in the starting rotation, Volpe’s playing time became scarce.
She didn’t necessarily play poorly, but with how SU’s offense was humming, there was no reason to make any moves. Still, Thorpe’s a big believer in the hot hand, so when one specific player is stepping up, why take them out?
On Saturday, that player was Volpe. The junior attack finished with three goals, all of which came in the second half, to revive the Orange from a two-goal deficit into a three-goal fourth-quarter advantage.
Volpe’s first goal came more than 10 minutes into the third quarter, snapping a 12-minute scoring drought for Syracuse. Camped at the crease, she corralled a pass from Muchnick and buried a stutter-step shot into the net.
Just a minute and a half later, Volpe struck again. From outside the 12-meter fan, she curled a shot into the net, making it her second multi-goal game of the season. Her third and final goal, though, would prove to be the most crucial. She rushed the crease, fired a shot and watched it ricochet off Duke’s Amanda Paci and land past Schoudel, extending SU’s lead to three goals in the fourth quarter.
Pronti from X
Eva Pronti’s 18 goals catch the eye, but her 41 assists are much more impressive. Entering Saturday, Duke’s redshirt junior attack had three-plus assists eight times. For comparison, Syracuse’s best playmaker is Rich, and she entered Saturday with a comparatively meager 17 assists.
It wouldn’t be Duke lacrosse if Pronti wasn’t on the scoresheet. That’s why, early in the first half, it seemed the Blue Devils would be in for a rough afternoon.
Until midway through the second quarter. Once Pronti started, she didn’t stop. The attack first fed Quinn Whitaker with 6:04 left in the third quarter, cutting Syracuse’s two-goal lead in half. Although Guzik punched back, Pronti connected with Biancardi with 26 seconds left in the first half, giving Duke a one-goal deficit entering the break.
Against Syracuse’s stout defense, six first-half goals were mightily impressive. The Orange entered Saturday allowing just over seven goals per game, the fewest in the ACC. For the Blue Devils to truly claw back in, though, Pronti would need to keep accelerating.
Her assist to Bella Goodwin with 12 minutes left in the third proved she would. It gave Duke its first lead since the first quarter and marked Pronti’s third assist of the afternoon. SU was supposed to be honing in on Biancardi, but Pronti, however, made the Blue Devils’ one-woman show a two-headed monster.
Pronti finished with two more assists in the fourth quarter, and her final one came on a free position to tie the game at 9-9. But Muchnick scored three minutes later to seal Syracuse’s win.
