Even Duke head coach John Danowski couldn’t deny his team’s massacre Sunday at the Dome.
“We got taken out to the woodshed,” he said after No. 1 Syracuse beat No. 4 Duke, 19-7.
The Orange didn’t have any problem staying ahead of Duke, despite playing without senior Randy Staats, who is out indefinitely due to injury, said Syracuse coach John Desko.
Orange senior goalkeeper, Bobby Wardell, notched 11 saves for the day, and junior goalkeeper, Warren Hill, added three. Duke had only five saves.
During the early part of the game, it wasn’t obvious the Orange would run away the way it did. While Syracuse took shots, the offense couldn’t connect with the goal. It was Henry Schoonmaker who got the Orange going with the game’s first goal, and his fifth for the season.
While Desko was happy with the outcome of the game, he noted areas of improvement.
» Related: Near season’s midpoint, Syracuse lacrosse looking like team on mission
“If anything, we could improve our shooting in the first quarter,” he said. “We had right around 23 shots in the first quarter, so we were right around 25 percent with that. We probably could have shot better.”
Syracuse took the lead, 6-1, at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
Relying on a number of different players, the Orange made itself a force to be reckoned with on the field. Goals came from newer faces, including redshirt freshmen Matt Lane and J.T. Forkin.
Without Staats, the seniors stepped up their game, particularly Wardwell, who held down the defense, allowing the others to deliver on offense.
Senior Kevin Rice had four goals and three assists, while Schoonmaker delivered four goals at crucial times to help the team secure the win.
“The difference between a good team and a great team is leadership,” Desko said. “Seniors are doing a great job bringing players together.”
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.
