Syracuse had taken six shots to start the game, but none went in the goal. After forcing a turnover on Duke’s first possession, Syracuse had the ball for three straight minutes as each shot sailed high, wide or nowhere near Blue Devils goalkeeper Luke Aaron.

But when Henry Schoonmaker got the ball nearly 20 yards from the goal, he took a step in and fired a shot that hit the back of the net, setting off a sequence in which the Orange scored 14 of the first 15 goals.

“The last two weeks especially we got some output out of him last week, he’s really shooting the ball well in practice,” SU head coach John Desko said. “I saw that with his placement today and what he’s been doing the last week and a half in practice. I think he’s hitting his stride at the right time of year.”

Schoonmaker has scored five goals in the past two games after recording just two in the first five. He scored three in the first quarter alone and helped the top-ranked Orange (7-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) get out to a sizable lead in its 19-7 win over the then-No. 4 Blue Devils on Sunday.

As the Orange moves forward without starting attack Randy Staats for the foreseeable future, Schoonmaker’s development as a scorer is coming at a crucial time as the Orange gets set to face No. 2 Notre Dame (5-1, 1-0) on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana.

“I think I’m being just a little more aggressive out there,” Schoonmaker said. “And I think I’m just getting found more by my teammates and I’ve been moving a little more off the ball.”

His third goal came after he chased down a ground ball with 42 seconds to play in the first quarter. He ended the possession by reaching to catch a pass from Dylan Donahue and then winding up and shooting low into the goal for his third score of the afternoon.

He’s currently on pace to have the best shooting percentage (.368) and shots-on-goal percentage (.583) of his career.

“I think at the beginning of the year, I was a little more hesitant and a little lazy off-ball,” Schoonmaker said. “Now, if I get in open space, I’m a little more aggressive and show a little more hustle. I think my teammates will find me and I’ll put a couple in the goal.”

Published on March 25, 2015 at 12:15 am

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3