Observations from SU’s loss to No. 2 Duke: Mark impresses, late surge falls short

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Syracuse’s season, compared to the historically bad 4-10 record in 2022, has been a resounding success. Powered by one of the nation’s best goalies in Will Mark and strong freshman year’s from Joey Spallina, Finn Thomson and Michael Leo, the Orange rattled off eight wins and upset Princeton and North Carolina on the road. They climbed as high as No. 12 in the country and hung with some of the top teams in the nation.

On Wednesday, head coach Gary Gait said, “We’re different. We’re much more experienced.” It showed, as the Orange hung within striking distance throughout the game and, despite never holding a lead, kept pace with the No. 2 team in the country. Mark turned in another impressive performance in net, but Duke’s defense kept the Orange at bay.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (8-7, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) 18-15 loss to No. 2 Duke (12-2, 5-1 ACC):

Duke’s defense

Syracuse’s dynamic offense has been shut down a few times this season by defenses forcing errand passes and limiting penetration toward the net. Duke, who came into the game letting up just 11 goals per game, ensured that the Orange’s top scoring threats were limited throughout the game on Saturday. The freshmen, like Leo, have been making rookie mistakes all season, which has included wide passes and turnovers leading to slow transition defense and goals.

Though the Orange kept pace with Duke throughout the game, the Blue Devils clamped down on SU as the game progressed. After Luke Rhoa tied the game up at 6-6 halfway through the second quarter on an unassisted goal, Duke rattled off four unanswered goals and controlled possession the majority of the second quarter. When the Orange had the ball, Duke’s lengthy defensive midfielders forced inaccurate shots. Even when Owen Hiltz sprinted down the right side of the field and rifled off an unassisted shot on goal, his second shot from next to the crease was a behind-the-back attempt that went high and wide.

They stopped Spallina, Hiltz and Griffin Cook’s moves when coming up from X, an area the Orange tend to score many goals off of. Instead of tantalizing moves and meticulous stutter-steps toward the crease, Syracuse’s attackers were held at bay and stood up when they tried to penetrate. In the third quarter, Spallina tried to sprint around the right side of the net from X and juke around a Blue Devil double team. But their two defenders kept slapping Spallina with their sticks, and it fell out of his hands, forcing a turnover that eventually led to a Duke goal.

Fine, I’ll do it myself

All season, Syracuse has showcased a free-wheeling offense, galvanized by Pat March and a crop of Canadian players with box lacrosse backgrounds. Duke’s defense prevented the Orange from tossing the ball into the middle and forced them into more one-on-one play. But Spallina and the rest of the Orange were able to use their dodges to open up enough space on the outside for them to score.

In the second quarter, Rhoa situated himself on the top left of the formation and darted to his right, spinning back to open up space. Then, he wound up and fired in a high shot behind goalie William Helm to tie the game at 6-6. Spallina added to his stellar freshman year in the first quarter with an unassisted goal of his own. He ran down the left side of the field and, using a bump from his defender, found enough space to get off a goal snuck past the right side of Helm.

Then to begin the third quarter, Spallina collected a pass on the left side from Cook. The Orange had gone eight minutes without a goal and sat in a four-goal deficit. He sprinted into the left lane past one defender, switched to his left hand as he juked left to avoid another defender and whipped in a second unassisted goal.

Mark submits one final A-grade performance

Mark has made up for a struggling defense that has had a steep learning curve this season. He’s faced a large amount of shots that have only increased as the season has progressed. Though Duke tried to pressure him by continuing to fire low shots, sneaking some past the 6-foot-3 goalie, Mark finished the game with 10 saves.

In the second quarter after a Syracuse turnover, the Orange were slow to get back on defense, leaving Mark facing more Duke jerseys. Aidan Maguire received a long pass to complete the clear and was one-on-one, firing off a shot that Mark threw his stick at for the save. His ability to stop the barrage of shots from the Blue Devils kept the game within reach for the Orange, who struggled themselves to generate faceoff wins and consistent, accurate shots on goal.

Fourth quarter surge falls short

Duke entered Saturday’s game with a five-goal deficit against teams in the fourth quarter. In less than two and a half minutes of what could have been the final quarter of Syracuse’s season, it had rattled off four unanswered goals, tightening the game to a 15-13 hole. First, Kirst whipped in a shot after a pass from X via Spallina. He limped off, and the celebration was measured. They still had five goals to make up and looked defeated, the goal standing more as a moral victory. Then, Spallina assisted Jackson Birtwistle on a man-up possession for a second goal.

He followed that up just seconds later with a shovel shot off of a pass inside from Hiltz that one-hopped into the net. Duke tried to stop the momentum by calling a timeout, but Leo came back right out of the timeout, collecting a pass from a faceoff win and getting a close shot off. For the first time in the game, with just a two goal deficit, the Orange had momentum, and chats of “Let’s go Orange” radiated through Koskinen Stadium in North Carolina. They added two more goals in the fourth quarter, but Duke added on three of their own to keep Syracuse at bay.

Even when Alex Simmons picked up a ground ball and tossed a behind-the-back shot into the net to bring the score to 17-14 and an unsportsmanlike conduct call gave Syracuse a man-up opportunity, it couldn’t score. Thomson turned the ball over, leading to Duke holding the ball until it returned to full strength. The final minutes of the game — and the Orange’s season — ticked off, and Charles Balsamo delivered the final blow with 31.7 seconds left on a side open goal.