Syracuse, Dordevic Look to Carry Momentum into South Bend
By Braden Reed | @BradenReed6
NOTRE DAME, I.N. – Tucker Dordevic made his 180 degrees, spinning, between-the-legs goal against No. 14 Duke last Saturday look extremely easy. Anyone who has played lacrosse knows the goal was anything but, yet following the game, Dordevic still reduced the effort as if anybody could do it.
“I kind of just shot it underhand in between my legs and was hoping it would go in so I wouldn’t get in trouble,” Dordevic said.
The goal reverberated around the sports world, checking in as SportsCenter’s number one play on the day of the game, and the clip posted to the team’s Twitter account is up to nearly 200 thousand views.
Dordevic finished the game against Duke with six goals, marking the fifth time this season that the redshirt junior has tallied at least five goals. His 31 goals on the season is good for the 8thmost in the nation and third in the ACC.
Second-line midfielder Matteo Corsi’s two goals were also a welcome contribution. The win over the Blue Devils marked the true freshman’s first multi-goal game of his young career in Orange. After the game, Corsi said he felt like the team has been trending in the right direction.
“It’s just preparation. We’ve worked our whole lives for moments like these,” Corsi said, “We’re well-rested and we’re just focused on the job we need to get done and I think we’re really coming together chemistry-wise.”
SU’s sixth ranked matchup of the season comes this Saturday on the road against No. 16 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish’s season hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, after entering the season ranked fifth in the country, they sit at just 2-4 halfway through the year. Three of those losses have come against the top three teams in the country, but both wins have come against unranked teams.
Despite the up and down season for ND so far, Syracuse head coach Gary Gait isn’t overlooking the group, saying, “I see another team that’s loaded with talent and they just haven’t put it together yet.”
This weekend’s contest presents an opportunity for the Orange to get back above .500 for the first time since the season opener against Holy Cross and prime them for a run through the rest of their ACC schedule.
Syracuse and Notre Dame are set to face off in South Bend on Saturday at 2 p.m. A win for SU would keep the group locked in 2nd place in the conference behind just No. 2 Virginia.
