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The Orange tanked to No. 9 in this week’s Inside Lacrosse rankings after a seven-goal loss to then-No. 13 Army in Syracuse’s season-opener. SU conceded 18 goals against the Black Knights, and its typically high-powered offense only managed to score 11. 

The Orange return to the Carrier Dome on Saturday night to face the No. 2 Cavaliers. Here’s everything you need to know about Virginia ahead of its matchup with Syracuse. 

All-time series

The series is tied at 18-18. The two teams are also tied with 466 goals each.

Last time they played

Syracuse’s game against UVA last season, scheduled for April 18, was canceled due to the pandemic. The last time the two teams met was a 2019 overtime thriller in the Carrier Dome that the Cavaliers won, 15-14.

Prior to March 2, 2019, the last 4 matchups between the two teams had been decided by one goal. That day was no different in featuring a back-and-forth battle. Syracuse led by multiple goals for the majority of the game but couldn’t find the cushion it needed to close the game out.

Without Tucker Dordevic due to injury, the Orange’s Bradley Voigt scored a hat trick, and Jamie Trimboli and Stephen Rehfuss tacked on another two each. Syracuse’s defense held strong for most of the afternoon, allowing just two goals on nine man-up opportunities, but in the final two minutes, Virginia recovered from a two-goal deficit, and Mikey Herring fired home the winner in overtime. 

Offensively, Syracuse couldn’t put UVA away and paid for it. 

The Virginia report

Matt Moore will be a threat against a Syracuse defense that conceded 18 goals against Army and looked porous in transition and in man-down situations. 

Moore was in the ACC’s top-10 for goals per game, assists per game, points per game and shots per game last season. The UVA offense doesn’t run a lot of pick plays, and instead, it plays defenses much more straight-up. Moore and fellow Cavaliers attacks Ian Laviano and Connor Shellenberger prefer to drive at defenders, using a variety of dodges and spin moves to create a one-vs-one shooting window. Against Loyola, Moore scored five, and he added another three against Army the week prior.

The Cavaliers also added two-time Division II national champion Charlie Bertrand this season, who transferred from Merrimack College. Through three games, the senior attack has seven goals and four assists. 

The Cavaliers have one of the best riding game’s in the country, fueled by Moore and Laviano. UVA’s consistently been able to generate goals off the ride through recent seasons. Syracuse’s defense, who was 12-of-13 on clears last week, will be under pressure against the Cavaliers.

How Syracuse beats the Cavaliers

Last weekend, the Orange’s base six-on-six defense looked strong, but it conceded multiple goals in transition or man-down situations. Against the likes of Moore, Laviano and Bertrand, Syracuse will need to clean up its transition defense.

Granted, last week was the Orange’s first game after just three weeks of practice and an 11-month hiatus from official competition. The Black Knights had a game and a scrimmage prior to their arrival at the Carrier Dome, and the Cavaliers are in a similar boat, having already played three games. If the Orange want a shot at taking down the nation’s second-best team, their offense and defense need to be clicking early in the game. 

Syracuse got off to a quick start on Sunday, scoring six first-quarter goals, but then the offense sputtered out. Dordevic carried the midfield with five points, including a first-quarter hat trick, but Brendan Curry and Trimboli were held to one point apiece. Syracuse has the offensive caliber and talent to produce more than 11 goals per game, and it’ll turn to the midfield trio to change that. The three rarely have back-to-back quiet performances, and they’ll be the key to Syracuse’s offensive bounce-back.

In goal, Drake Porter notched just 13 saves against 31 shots on goal. Head coach John Desko said postgame that they were “the kind of shots that the goalie just can’t save.” Sunday’s loss may not be on Porter, but he’ll need to come up big against Virginia’s attacks.

Stat to know: 10.33

Through three games, Virginia averages 10.33 caused turnovers per game, the sixth-best rate in the nation. The Cavaliers are known for their ride, and they’ll put pressure on Syracuse’s backline. Porter and the defense frequently used Peter Dearth as an outlet in the past, and after a quiet performance against the Black Knights, Dearth will need to come up big to prevent Virginia from scoring on the ride.

Player to watch: Matt Moore, attack

The second-team All-American will likely match up against Brett Kennedy on the Orange’s backline. Last week, Kennedy guarded Army’s Brendan Nichtern for much of the game and did well to contain the Black Knights’ star, Desko said postgame. But Nichtern created space and forced switches, finishing with seven points (four goals, three assists). The Cavaliers play a much more straight-up offense, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Kennedy can lock down Moore the same way he did Nichtern.

Published on February 26, 2021 at 5:05 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16