Cole Kirst, Alex Simmons keep SU close in loss to Notre Dame
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Alex Simmons returned to a familiar spot, five yards east and five yards south of the goal, and turned his body to Cole Kirst. Simmons had just scored from there but he was left unmarked for another possession at the end of the second quarter.
Simmons lurched his stick back, signaling to Kirst that he was wide open. Kirst caught the rest of Notre Dame’s defense ball-watching and lofted the ball to Simmons, who took one step before skipping the ball into the back of the net and cutting Notre Dame’s lead to two.
“The other offensive players did an awesome job of creating space, allowing the lane to be open,” Kirst said. “We were able to dodge hard and find the open man.”
Syracuse (6-5, 0-3 ACC) eventually lost to No. 3 Notre Dame (7-1, 1-1 ACC) 20-12 after nine goals from the Fighting Irish in the fourth quarter put the game away. Simmons and Kirst prolonged the collapse, combining for seven points. Simmons notched his second hat trick of the regular season while Kirst’s four points were a team-high.
“For three quarters, we played one of the best teams in the country and we were right there,” head coach Gary Gait said.
SU had to rely heavily on Simmons and Kirst because the Fighting Irish took away their main options. Jackson Birtwistle, Owen Hiltz and Joey Spallina all struggled to find open opportunities — Spallina tied a season-low one goal. Kirst said Notre Dame has some of the best short-stick defensive midfielders in the country, making it hard for SU’s attacks to get past them on every possession.
“Being able to get a step, whether it’s off-ball movement or trying to dodge in the lane, was really hard,” Kirst said.
The inability to get a step ahead of their defender led to little open opportunities throughout the first quarter. Even when they did, open opportunities sailed over the net. Midway through the second quarter, something changed. The shots which went right to Liam Entenmann found the back of the net instead. Other attempts stopped flying over the goal, leading to a 5-1 run before halftime.
“I give my team a lot of credit for battling back,” Gait said about SU overcoming the early deficit.
Michael Leo started the streak on his own, charging down the left side of the field before launching the ball into the top of the goal. Kirst followed suit, taking the same route as Leo.
Kirst began the play in the middle of the field, using a pick to free up some space on the left hash. He beat his initial defender but Nick Harris took over and pushed Kirst off-course. Kirst hesitated, gained a step on Harris and cut to the front of the crease. He dove the turf to complete the score.
After Jack Simmons recorded Notre Dame’s final score of the half, SU was awarded a double man-up opportunity following an unnecessary roughness penalty on Chris Kavanagh and a holding penalty on Pat Kavanagh. Jackson Birtwistle received the ball on the doorstep during the play, flicked his stick behind his back and bounced the ball in.
Still a man-up 40 seconds later, Joey Spallina caught the ball at the X. Simmons had settled into his normal spot at this point, though he misfired a few easy attempts wide and high. Spallina gave him another chance though, which Simmons made full use of. He caught the pass, brought his stick low and ripped the ball into the back of the net.
Simmons’ second goal cut Notre Dame’s halftime advantage to two but the Fighting Irish extended their lead to 11-7 with two straight goals at the beginning of the third quarter. SU answered back with a score from Hiltz and Finn Thomson before Simmons took possession again.
Six minutes into the third period, Simmons sprinted down the left side of the field. He tried to get past his defender with pure speed but he couldn’t find an edge. So Simmons stopped, spun to his left to get some separation. It worked as he rocketed the ball into the back of the net, bringing SU within one score.
Saam Olexo tied the game at 11-11 off a feed from Kirst. Olexo kickstarted the play at the other end after he swatted the ball out of Reilly Gray’s stick and finished the clear. He gave the ball up to Nick Caccamo before cutting into the middle of the field.
Caccamo flipped it behind him to Kirst, who had plenty of space to dodge on his own toward the crease. But Kirst quickly gave up possession, giving Olexo the chance to complete his own play. Kirst passed to Olexo, who paraded his long stick low and rolled the ball past UND goalie Liam Entenmann.
Kirst wasn’t done working on his own though. At the start of the fourth quarter, Kirst ran down the right side, cutting back to the middle of the field. He brought his stick closer to his body as he approached the cage, cradling the ball back-and-forth while multiple Notre Dame defenders tried to pry the ball out. None were successful as Kirst converted at the crease.
Kirst took off to the sideline, embracing all of his teammates as he had just given Syracuse its first lead of the afternoon. It wouldn’t last long but in that moment it was enough, showing that the Orange’s young offense could still benefit from veteran touch.
