Johns Hopkins Dominates Syracuse in Rivalry Matchup

By Matthew Wieselthier

Sports Director

Syracuse. N.Y. – It was déjà vu for the Orange, just not in the way it would’ve wanted.

Syracuse walked into the locker room at halftime trailing inside the Carrier Dome for the third time this season, this time 7-2.

The first was against Albany when the Orange trailed 4-1.  The Great Danes then dominated in the second half, beating Syracuse 15-3.  The following week, SU trailed Army 6-1 at the break.  A huge comeback and a Ryan Simmons triple-overtime game-winner gave the Orange a 13-12 win.

Against Johns Hopkins, SU (3-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) replicated the loss to Albany, as the Blue Jays (3-2, 0-0 Big Ten) came out of halftime on a 6-1 run that extended the deficit beyond striking distance, and the winningest program in college lacrosse history cruised past Syracuse 18-7.

“I think all I can really do is congratulate Hopkins for how well they played today,” said Syracuse head Coach John Desko.  “They didn’t have a weakness.”

Hopkins took the lead halfway through the first quarter thanks to a Connor DeSimone goal and never let go.  However, for Johns Hopkins, a lot of the excitement from the win came on the defensive side.

“[Syracuse] might not have had their best day, but I like to believe that we were able to have something to do with that,” said JHU head coach Dave Pietramala, whose Blue Jays caused 11 turnovers on Saturday, one shy of the program record.  “We encouraged these guys to play a little bit more aggressive, to feel a little bit more free to pressure the ball…and we saw that today.”

This made life much easier for goalie Brock Harbaugh, who reaped the benefits of his impressive defense in net en route to 10 saves.

“We came into the game today knowing that they are very athletic and very good shooters,” Turnbaugh said. “So as a team defense we did a good job of recognizing that, and extending out, getting hands on and making them take shots that we want to give up and giving me a better chance.”

Things weren’t any better for Syracuse on their own defensive side. JHU recorded 46 shots this Saturday, outshooting the Orange by 25. One of the key cogs of the Blue Jays offense was senior attackman Shack Stanwick, who finished the game with two goals and three assists while being guarded by Nick Mellen.

“We had a plan all week,” Mellen said. “We had to be aware of their crease guys, but at the same time be cautious about who had the ball, and we just didn’t execute as well as we wanted to today.”

One reason for that, according to attackman Cole Williams, who scored four goals, was the work away from the ball.

“I was a benefactor of a lot of off-ball play today,” Williams said. “A lot of our offense is predicated around picking games and I could create a matchup off that.  When I could get those matchups, I like to take it to the goal.”

After a performance where the Orange was beaten in every facet of the game, Syracuse must move on quickly.  Times don’t get any easier when Syracuse travels to Yurcak Field next Sunday to take on No. 13 Rutgers.