Syracuse 13, Albany 5 — Three Things We Learned

Tucker Dordevic
Tucker Dordevic looks up field during the first half of Syracuse lacrosse's game. Mandatory Photo Credit: The Juice Online, Initra Marilyn.

Syracuse picked up its first win on Saturday afternoon, routing Albany 13-5. The Orange dominated in every facet of the game, facing only an early 2-1 deficit with 12:19 in the first quarter. Here’s what we learned in the win:

Bradley Voigt is a Scoring Machine

After failing to score last Friday against Colgate, Bradley Voigt went off, scoring six of Syracuse’s 13 goals. Four of his goals came in a crucial first half when it was still close. His first goal tied it at 2, and later, he scored with 9:10 in the first half, putting Syracuse in complete control, 7-3.

“I think we’re more comfortable running the new offense the second week in a row,” Voigt said. “Came out shooting, a lot more confidence today. I only had a couple shots last week. I wanted to get rid of last week’s game, come out today and help the guys win.”

The Orange Own the Ground Game

As far as ground balls went on Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t even close. Syracuse dominated with a 44-24 advantage. This is after Syracuse was -6 in the same category in shocking loss to Colgate in its opener.

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“We really wanted to focus on ground balls coming into today,” Syracuse head coach John Desko said. “Especially after the stats last week in the first half. It’s great to see the 44-24 ground balls that category just shows a lot of effort on our guys part. I just think we played a lot smarter.”

Having Syracuse come back with this performance bodes well early on in the season.

Syracuse is a Resilient Team

It’s early in the season. But, if these two games show anything, it shows that Syracuse can bounce back from a loss.

After losing a close one to Colgate last week, SU routed the No.1 4 team. Their biggest concern from that loss was ground balls, which the Orange was +20. Voigt failed to score in the first game and responded with six on Saturday.

Early on, this team looks to be formidable and a team that is worth watching going forward.

“Colgate kind of just woke us up,” Desko said. “When you lose a game and watch the film, all the mistakes just come to the surface.”

Syracuse will look to continue their momentum when they take on Army at the Carrier Dome on Sunday, Feb. 24.

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