EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — John Desko is excited for his son Tim to finally return to the Syracuse lineup.

But it’s not because his replacement, junior Tom Palasek, is struggling in the starting role. It’s Palasek’s success in that spot that had the SU head coach, John, envisioning Tim Desko’s return to the field.

‘That’s going to be a nice combination,’ John Desko said. ‘Tommy feeding a guy like Tim on that side. But we’re missing Tim right now, and Tommy is filling in doing a very nice job.’

Palasek continued his recent hot stretch Saturday in No. 4 SU’s 12-2 win over Rutgers at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The junior transfer from Johns Hopkins powered the Orange offense with a career-high six points on three goals and three assists. Palasek started for the fourth consecutive game against the Scarlet Knights, filling in for Tim Desko at the third starting attack spot. He has now tallied at least a point in six straight games for SU.

‘It’s so far into the season, everyone gains confidence throughout,’ Palasek said. ‘Getting the chance to start helps the confidence a little bit. But I’m just trying to go out there, keep the standard that Coach has for all three of our attackmen.’

Palasek kept the standard by extending his scoring streak on Syracuse’s first goal of the game.

Palasek controlled the ball on the left hash, surveying the Rutgers 1-3-2 zone late in the first quarter. He took a couple steps in toward the defense, drawing two defenders as he threatened to try a shot from long-range.

As the defense shifted to him, he flipped the ball to midfielder Jovan Miller, who fired a shot from on top of the zone into the bottom of the net to knot the game at 1-1.

‘I think that we’re just clicking,’ Palasek said of the Orange offense. ‘We’ll keep pushing like we do in practice. We expect a zone every week, so we try to stay sharp and execute zone offenses.’

After adding his first goal of the game early in the second quarter, Palasek took part in four straight SU scores to open the second half.

And he didn’t have to do much work on the first. Long-stick midfielder Joel White was knocked to the ground after carrying the ball into the zone, but rolled it to sophomore JoJo Marasco on the right side. Marasco scooped it up and flipped an underhand pass right into Palasek’s stick on the crease. Palasek finished on a wide-open goal to put Syracuse up 7-1.

He assisted on SU’s next two scores, hitting Josh Amidon in stride as the senior cut toward the net and then whipping a pass across the crease for Marasco to finish with 11:00 left in the fourth.

Palasek added his sixth point four minutes later. He faked a shot on the left side, ducked under a Rutgers defender as he slid toward the goal and scored as he fell onto his stomach.

‘He’s gotten better at finishing, so I think his confidence level is higher,’ John Desko said. ‘He’s doing some things better now in game situations.’

Syracuse’s offense has had a different look with Tim Desko out of the lineup since SU’s win over Princeton on April 9. John Desko said the biggest asset Palasek brings is his vision and added that other players tend to move around more knowing the attack can find them.

Palasek had played in all of SU’s games before Tim Desko went down as SU’s fourth attack. And in his place, the junior transfer has led the Orange with 12 points in this four-game stretch.

‘I think it’s just great,’ White said of the contributions of both Palasek and junior Collin Donahue. ‘We want Tim back just as quick as we can, but while he’s out, they are stepping in. They’re playing great. They’re playing with confidence.’

And while John Desko looked forward to his son’s return to action after the game, the head coach pictured it with Palasek there creating plays for him.

‘He’s been doing well in practice all along,’ John Desko said. ‘Now we’re seeing more of what he does in practice in games.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

 

Published on April 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm