Syracuse was throttled in a rematch of the 2013 national championship on Sunday afternoon in Durham. Here is a look back at the game:
WHAT HAPPENED: When Syracuse lost to Duke 16-10 in the 2013 national championship game, the Blue Devils dominated time of possession by winning 21 of 30 faceoffs. Roughly 10 months later, history repeated itself. Though Syracuse took an early 2-1 lead, the Blue Devils ripped off 10 straight goals to take a 11-2 lead with 12:18 left in the first half. During that unanswered run, faceoff specialist Brendan Fowler won 10 of 11 faceoffs. Fowler would go on to win 24 of 31 faceoffs, allowing the Blue Devils to outshoot the Orange 57-27 and hold a 38-17 advantage in ground balls. The loss drops Syracuse to 0-3 in ACC play, and now the Orange are in danger of missing the ACC Tournament in Chester, Pa.
WHAT IT MEANS: Syracuse head coach John Desko threw out five different people at the X, and everyone had the same results. In his first collegiate game, faceoff specialist Joe DeMarco won 3 of his first 4, and not coincidentally, that’s when Syracuse had an early lead. But DeMarco struggled the rest of the way, finishing 3-11. Chris Daddio (1-7), Peter Macartney (0-3), Drew Jenkins (2-8) and Austin Wentworth (1-2) all had chances at the X, but none could stop Fowler’s brilliance. A switch from Dominic Lamolinara to Bobby Wardwell at halftime produced tepid results, though Wardwell notched a season-high 11 saves.
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STAR GAZING: The clear and obvious choice is Fowler, who also contributed a career-high 18 ground balls. Fowler’s dominance at the X set up plenty of opportunities for his Duke teammates to score against a tired and weary Orange defense. Deemer Class led the way with six goals, while Myles Jones and Jordan Wolf chipped in with five goals each.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse will return to the Carrier Dome to play Notre Dame on Saturday, March 29 at 12 p.m. in what will be a must-win if SU hopes to make the four-team ACC Tournament. TV: ESPNU.
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