A quick take on Syracuse’s 5-4 win over Villanova (7-2, 0-1 Big East) on Saturday night:
How the game was won: The Orange (7-0) is developing a penchant for the dramatic. Kevin Cunningham had just tied the game at four with 57 seconds left and 6,289 at Villanova Stadium were all thinking upset. But Jeremy Thompson won the face off and about 45 seconds later, Jovan Miller drove toward the cage and found a cutting JoJo Marasco who fired past the head of Villanova goalie Billy Hurley for the game winning goal with six seconds left.
Close one: Even though Syracuse is undefeated this season, it hasn’t been dominant. SU’s 5-4 win was the same score that the Orange defeated Johns Hopkins by last Saturday. It was the third one-goal win in the past four games for SU (Syracuse defeated Georgetown 9-8 in overtime on March 12). Look no further than the stat sheet to figure out why Syracuse could only score five goals. The Orange turned the ball over 19 times and also lost eight of 13 face offs.
Star watch: Marasco finished with two goals and Miller had a goal and an assist. CJ Small led Villanova with two goals. That being said, it was SU’s defense that kept them in the game. John Lade returned to play his former team, and led a staunch defense that limited Cunningham, Villanova’s leading scorer (20 goals on the season), to just one goal.
Quote to note: “Not to take anything away from [Villanova], but I thought we played very impatient tonight. Offensively, we were in a hurry to push the ball upfield.” – Head coach John Desko during his post game press conference.
What’s next: Syracuse will next play Duke on April 3 in East Rutherford, NJ in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic.
