Nate Solomon and Jamie Trimboli scored four goals each, Syracuse dominated faceoffs 27-9, and the Orange closed on an 8-1 run to defeat Rutgers 18-14 on Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.
It was a game of runs, as Syracuse fell behind 4-0 with 7:54 to go in the first quarter and 9-5 with four minutes left in the first half. But SU rallied each time, closing to within 6-4 at the end of the first quarter and tying the game at nine with 8:47 left in the third quarter.
A 4-1 run from Rutgers gave the Scarlet Knights a 13-10 lead with 11:55 remaining, and that’s when SU mounted its run.
Trimboli and Stephen Rehfuss each scored unassisted goals to start the run to pull Syracuse to within 13-12 with 10:09 to go. Two minutes later, Trimboli’s fourth goal tied the game at 14, and the Orange continued to pour it on from there.
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SU scored four more unanswered goals to close the game, with Griffin Cook scoring two goals and assisting on another during that stretch. Solomon’s goal with 1:13 to go gave Syracuse its final 18-14 margin.
The Orange dominated several statistical categories, including shots (57-37), ground balls (50-34) and at the X. Danny Varello went 12 of 16 and Jakob Phaup went 15 of 20 in faceoffs.
For Rutgers, Max Edelmann saved 19 shots and Adam Charalambides scored six goals.
It was the second consecutive week Syracuse had an auspicious fourth quarter. In a 14-10 win over Johns Hopkins last week, SU outscored the Blue Jays 6-1 in the final stanza.
Syracuse next plays No. 2 Duke at the Carrier Dome on Sunday, March 24, at 2 p.m. It will be televised on ESPNU.
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