How #11 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse can Build Momentum Heading into the Postseason.
By Josh Richardson | @joshrichy_04
The last two weeks have not been the dream end to the regular season that #11 Syracuse men’s lacrosse may have been hoping for. After winning extending its win streak to six against #6 Notre Dame on April 5th, SU dropped back to back ranked tilts: First 17-12 to #1 Cornell and 11-7 to now #9 Duke. Both the Big Red and the Blue Devils got the best of the Orange last year and have been playing their best lacrosse as the regular season concludes… but nonetheless, losses that Syracuse did not need on its resume. Gary Gait’s squad has one more chance to get back in the win column before games start to turn into “win or go home” situations. SU battles #8 North Carolina tomorrow evening. So what can the Orange do to avoid heading into the postseason 0-3?
Stop With The Slow Starts
It’s been uncanny over the last month and then somehow Syracuse cannot begin contests with the same level of success and aggression compared to its opponents. And that can even go for games that the Orange win too. SU started down 5-1 against Virginia, dropped three straight goals to open the contest against Notre Dame, Cornell came out firing, and was even held scoreless for the first 19 minutes of the tilt against Duke last weekend. Syracuse needs to execute the game plan in a much more timely manner if it wants to grab a win against North Carolina, not to mention the ACC Tournament. The saying “It’s hard to beat a good team twice,” could come to fruition for the Orange. A win against UNC and SU is the #1 seed and could play either Duke or Virginia. A loss and it could face Notre Dame. If the slow starts have happened when some teams have not seen Syracuse this year, what’s going to happen when it’s the second time around?
Excellence in Cage
Jimmy McCool has been a shining point for a majority of the season. Against Notre Dame the junior was spectacular. But then in a 17-12 loss to Cornell, the netminder let a few more shots past him than normal. This is the point of the season where mistakes are magnified and perfection is required in order to survive, advance, win, and repeat. In order for Syracuse to truly have the best possible chance to end the season strong, it starts in the cage. No matter how many goals the offense scores, none of that matters if SU can’t get stops. It’s time for the most underrated and underappreciated member of this star-studded junior class to make his mark and shine in the biggest moment. After the departure of Will Mark, he was the biggest question mark in the starting lineup back in February. Now it’s his opportunity to prove to all that this is why he is in the position he is and to take advantage of it.
Syracuse has its work cut out for it against North Carolina this weekend. Both teams are fighting with every last punch for optimal tournament seeding. Gametime for the regular season finale is slated for 5. Check out @johnboccio23 on Twitter for live coverage and updates throughout the contest.
