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With two conference games remaining in the regular season, the No. 11 Orange will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia for a rematch with the Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. Syracuse won the teams’ first matchup, 20-10, in the Orange’s largest margin of victory over Virginia. SU bounced back with the win, which came after SU lost its season-opener to Army.

Now, Syracuse looks to bounce back once again. The Orange are coming off their worst loss of the season, a 21-9 thrashing at the hands of UNC in which they scored a season-low number of goals and allowed a season-high. They need a win in one of their final two games to avoid the program’s first losing season since 2007.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Cavaliers ahead of Saturday’s 12 p.m. game:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 19-18

Last time they played

Syracuse thrashed the then-No. 2 Cavaliers 20-10 behind seven points from Brendan Curry and six from Stephen Rehfuss. Syracuse faceoff specialist Jakob Phaup had his best performance of the year at the X against a conference opponent, winning 22 of his 33 attempts.

The Orange dominated possession, and the offense used an 11-3 run to close out the game. They showed patience, slowing the game down when necessary and running a wide variety of offensive sets, like the invert. They sped the game up, too, and punished the Cavaliers in transition.

Syracuse held UVA’s star attack Matt Moore to 10 shots but just one point — an assist. Connor Shellenberger added two goals and an assist, and Ian Laviano had a hat trick, but no UVA player eclipsed three points against Syracuse’s defense.

The Virginia report

Since their loss in the Carrier Dome, the Cavaliers have suffered just two other defeats: a 13-12 overtime thriller against Duke and a 16-13 loss against North Carolina.

The Cavaliers have played 13 games, four more than the Orange, and have clearly found a groove on offense.

“They’ve had moments of sharing the ball really well,” head coach John Desko said Wednesday. They’ve gotten more “comfortable” among themselves, too, he said.

UVA ranks No. 7 nationally in scoring offense, though their defense is No. 43 in the nation. The Cavaliers have been a good team in close games this season, as five of their wins have come by three goals or less. The Cavaliers’ 10-goal loss was their worst since 2018, and they certainly haven’t forgotten about it.

How Syracuse beats the Cavaliers

Syracuse’s defense needs to step up. Desko said that the team, as a whole, hasn’t been focused enough over the past few weeks. The defense has been sliding when they shouldn’t, not sliding when they should, and the unit’s overall performance last week against North Carolina was “extremely disappointing,” Desko said after the UNC loss.

Virginia is the only conference team that Syracuse has won the faceoff battle against, and if the Orange want to hang around in this game, they’ll need to replicate that success from late February.

Petey LaSalla has the sixth-best faceoff winning percentage (66.9%) in the nation, compared to Phaup’s 35th-best (52.5%). Phaup will need to have another monster day to gift Syracuse’s offense as many possessions as possible.

The Orange will also be without top goalscorer Chase Scanlan, who was suspended indefinitely following the loss to North Carolina. Griffin Cook will likely resume the starting role he previously held last season, and Syracuse will turn to him on the ride. Virginia’s clear percentage is below 85%, ranking 38th in the nation, and Syracuse’s pressure could force turnovers and give the offense just the boost it needs.

Stat to know: 44

The Cavaliers average 44 ground balls per game, tied with Lehigh for the most in the nation. Virginia could have the opportunity to limit SU even further if it scoops up 50-50 balls. Syracuse has struggled in the ground ball battle, losing it in three of its last four games. After the Orange’s loss to Notre Dame, Brett Kennedy said Syracuse got “outhustled.” Syracuse has had difficulty producing its usual offensive output when its possessions are limited, which could potentially present issues on Saturday.

Player to watch: Matt Moore, No. 5, Attack

Since playing against the Orange, Moore’s developed into a more versatile attack for the Cavaliers. He’s a facilitator who dishes the ball to fellow attacks Shellenberger, Laviano and Payton Cormier. He’s notched 24 goals with 26 assists this season. Desko mentioned that he noticed Moore’s increased offensive role, and it’ll be something for the Orange to monitor.

Mitch Wykoff held Moore to just one point when the two teams met in February, the All-American’s worst game of this season. Syracuse’s defense is thin without Nick DiPietro and short-stick midfielder Brandon Aviles, who Desko said is questionable to play on Saturday. If Moore gets going, UVA’s other offensive options will open up.

Published on April 21, 2021 at 9:19 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16