No. 20 Syracuse (1-1) created separation from No. 15 Albany (0-1) with a big second quarter and never looked back, winning 13-5 in the Carrier Dome. Following a 12-9 blunder against Colgate a week ago, the Orange responded with physical play and an improved offensive attack.

Here are some takeaways from the game.

No room for No. 1

Coming into the game, the Orange’s biggest threat would be Tehoka Nanticoke. In a 15-3 drubbing by the Great Danes a year ago, Nanticoke found the net five times. SU played the same matchup as it did a year ago, with sturdy defender Tyson Bomberry flagging Nanticoke for much of the contest.

But this season’s matchup provided a different outcome. Bomberry established a physical barrier on Nanticoke for much of the game, as the now-sophomore Nanticoke couldn’t find room following an early goal. He created space once more in the first quarter, but was credited with a no-goal after a penalty. And for the rest of the game, he struggled to gain an edge.

Whenever he got the ball, he immediately turned his back to the net and tried to muscle his way into a shot. Bomberry was there every time, though, and his frequent jabs at Nanticoke’s No. 1 pushed him away from the net as the Orange awaited weak side help. When it came, Nanticoke had nowhere to go and multiple times he fell to the ground and lost possession.

Later in the game, Nanticoke found open space down the field and ran from the midfield line towards the goal. Brendan Curry caught up and gave him a shove from behind, and just as he tried to regain balance, Bomberry was there again. Nanticoke crashed to the ground and lost the ball. SU had executed its defensive strategy.

Voigt dominates

With the loss of Brendan Bomberry last season, the Orange were tasked to find the third member of their attack line through a mix of incoming freshman and players already on the roster. Among sophomore Owen Seebold, freshman Griffin Cook and a number of other options, senior Bradley Voigt rose above and won the job. Saturday, he spent his first game in the spotlight.

The senior scored a career-high six goals to lead all scorers. The same shots that were stopped a week ago started to get through, and the Orange kept feeding their top scorer. Stephen Rehfuss said prior to the Orange’s loss to Colgate that Voigt excels in a similar role as Bomberry — waiting in front of the net for passes inside and doorstep shots. Late in the third quarter, Nate Solomon worked his way into the net and fired a shot off the chest of Albany goalkeeper Nate Siekierski. But the ball bounced out to Voigt. And just as he’d done all game, he finished.

Get on the ground

Last week, in a historic loss to Colgate, the Orange struggled from the start of the game to get and keep possession. It started with the faceoffs, and it continued with the Orange’s inability to grab ground balls. Faceoff specialist Danny Varello said last week the Orange practiced “a lot” of ground ball drills to work their way out of the possession struggles a week ago. The Orange responded against the Great Danes and scooped 44 ground balls to the Great Danes’ 24.

Whenever the ball was knocked loose, the Orange extended their possession with another scoop. They dominated possession on their way to a total of 13 goals on 48 shots.

Published on February 16, 2019 at 6:19 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary