Coming off its first loss of the season, No. 2 Syracuse faces off against No. 9 Albany on Thursday evening. Here is a quick look at the game:
IN SYRACUSE’S LAST GAME: Down by as many as 9-3 in the second half, Syracuse staged a furious rally against then-No. 2 Notre Dame, and eventually took its first (and only) lead of the game with 1:06 left. But SU’s 12-11 would be short lived as on the ensuing faceoff, P.J. Finley, won it cleanly from Ben Williams and raced down the field for an unassisted goal to send the game to overtime. After the teams went scoreless in the first extra frame, Jack Near scored an unassisted goal with 2:54 left to hand Syracuse its first loss of the season.
» Related: Notre Dame hands Syracuse lacrosse its first loss of the season
IN ALBANY’S LAST GAME: Albany won its sixth straight game by accomplishing a historic feat. The Great Danes defeated UMass Lowell 25-0, marking the first time Albany shut out a team in its Division I history. The Great Danes, who scored nine goals in the first quarter, were led by Connor Fields’ seven goals and two assists. Albany dominated every statistical category, including shots (67-21), faceoffs (23 of 29) and ground balls (65-24).
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES: Syracuse will be facing the most high-octane offense in the country. Albany leads the country in scoring at 18.38 goals per game and have averaged 24.0 goals per game in its last four games. Lyle Thompson, 2014’s co-Tewaaraton Award winner, leads the Great Danes attack this season at 6.63 points per game (tops in Division I), and was named an America East co-Player of the Week for the second time this season after he set a single game program record of nine goals in a 21-18 win over Harvard. Thompson had five assists and a goal last year against SU. Meanwhile, Fields won co-Rookie of the Weeks honors after his stellar game against UMass Lowell, and is third in the America East conference with 5.25 points per game.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: Syrause holds an 11-1 all-time series lead over Albany. The Great Danes’ first win against Syracuse game in 2013, though the Orange won the meeting in the 2014 season, 17-16, in overtime.
GAME INFORMATION: Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in Syracuse, NY. TV: TWCS.
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.
