Opponent Preview: What to know before No. 6 SU takes on No. 20 Delaware

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

CHANTILLY, Va. — Another ranked opponent looms for Syracuse. But for the first time in a long time, the Orange don’t have much to prove.

They enter their ninth contest of 2024 fresh off a 14-13 upset win over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 9. Everything came together for Syracuse. A 22-9 advantage at the faceoff X and a five-point effort from Joey Spallina paved the way for an upset. Then midfield transfer Jake Stevens cemented it. The result — SU’s highest-ranked victory since March 26, 2022.

“Pretty pumped to have my first top-five win,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said postgame.

Up next for the Orange is a battle against Delaware at a neutral site in Chantilly, Virginia. The Blue Hens have dropped both of their top-20 contests thus far, which came to Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania.

Here is everything to know about No. 20 Delaware (3-2, 1-0 Coastal Athletic Association) before it faces No. 6 Syracuse (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 3-0.

Last time they played…

Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States and Google didn’t exist. Nearly 40 years ago — on March 26, 1986 — Syracuse defeated Delaware 14-8.

Roy Simmons Jr. was in his 16th season of an eventual 28-year stint as SU’s head coach. The Orange’s 1986 campaign ended in an NCAA Tournament semifinal loss to Virginia, a game that was played at Delaware’s home stadium in Newark.

The Blue Hens report

Helmed by seventh-year head coach Ben DeLuca, Delaware is a dangerous mid-major opponent. The Blue Hens are the two-time defending CAA regular-season and tournament champions. They’re back in the top-20 mix and house the third-best scoring defense in the country (8.6 goals allowed per game).

Delaware kept its opponent to seven goals or fewer in each of its three wins so far in 2024. It has the second-highest defensive efficiency in the country, according to Lacrosse Reference, and force turnovers at a 26.8% rate, the seventh-best mark in Division I.

Albeit, the Blue Hens have a smaller sample size with just five games played. They also allowed double-digit goals in losses to Michigan and Penn, which hurts their case. Delaware’s national defensive standing, though, shows it at least has the ability to thwart top attacks like Spallina.

How Syracuse beats Delaware

The Orange just have to play their game. They have too much firepower with Spallina, Owen Hiltz, Michael Leo and others. Delaware has a vaunted defense, but it’s prone to struggles against top teams like Syracuse, especially considering the Blue Hens’ offensive issues.

They rank in the upper half of the country in goals per game (13), but the Blue Hens failed to net at least 10 in both of their defeats this season. And, per Lacrosse Reference, Delaware isn’t an efficient bunch, averaging just 36.7 seconds per offensive possession (39th in the country) and holding a 32.8% offensive efficiency rate (20th).

Syracuse is going to stack possessions, most likely, as it boasts the third-best faceoff winning percentage in the country at 64.3%. So, all SU has to do to seal a comfortable win is take care of business offensively and watch the Blue Hens flail on the other end.

Stat to know: 51.8%

Delaware ranks 72nd in the nation — among 76 D-I programs — in shot-on-goal percentage. Per Lacrosse Reference, the Blue Hens shoot on target 51.8% of the time, a far cry from the Orange’s 69% rate (10th in D-I). The statistic piles onto Delaware’s inefficient offense and allows Syracuse to rewrite some of the wrongs from its last game.

Johns Hopkins displayed an efficient offense, losing the faceoff battle by 13 but making up for it by putting two-thirds of its shots on target. SU can have a field day defensively if the Blue Hens remain stagnant, while the Orange can balloon their lead on the other end.

Player to watch: Mike Robinson, attack, No. 19

A former high school teammate of Hiltz, Stevens and Sam English, Mike Robinson will be Delaware’s go-to offensive option. Through five games, Robinson has posted 17 goals and 22 points, both team-highs. The former 2021 CAA Rookie of the Year has accumulated more than 200 points across his five-year career. Against Syracuse, Robinson should receive the majority of attention from SU’s long poles.