A quick look at No. 1 Syracuse’s 13-11 win over Duke in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic:
How the game was won: It looked like a route early on, as Syracuse (8-0) completely dominated the first half. The Orange headed into halftime with a 9-2 lead, with goals from nine different players. But things changed quickly in the fourth quarter, as Duke (8-3) scored five unanswered goals, including two by Zach Howell to pull to within 13-11 with 36 seconds left. But John Galloway’s four saves in the final quarter were enough for SU to hang on for the win. The Orange is now 8-0, which is the best start for the team since the 1990 season, when SU went 13-0.
Galloway’s record day: Galloway broke the record for career wins by a goalie to improve to 52-6 in his career. It broke the previous record of 51 held by Scott Bacigalupo who did it from 1991-94. Galloway did it the same way he’s done it throughout his entire career, notching 16 saves, a season best. He was also named Konica Minolta Player of the Game.
Offensive minded: The Orange’s offense finally got back on track with 13 goals. In its previous two games, SU scored a combined 10 goals in wins over Johns Hopkins and Villanova. In those games, it was a combination of playing to its opponent’s tempo, and also sloppy offense. That wasn’t the case on Sunday as Stephen Keogh’s three goals paced Syracuse.
Quote to note: “We played one of our best halves of the season from one end of the field to the other. I thought the offense was clicking and the defense was playing well, along with John making saves.” – SU coach John Desko during his post game press conference.
What’s next: The Orange will next travel to Princeton to take on the Tigers on Saturday.
