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On three straight possessions, Syracuse scored in three different ways to build on the 5-0 lead it had established just eight minutes into its season-opener against Holy Cross.

First, Brendan Curry worked in isolation, finding space outside the left side of the 8-meter for a laser that went into the back of the net. Then, Mikey Berkman positioned himself at the crease and received the ball from Pete Fiorini. In one motion, Berkman scooped it into the bottom right corner of the net.

And finally, Owen Seebold returned to Curry’s spot — though he was without the ball — on the left edge of the 8-meter arc. Like Berkman, Seebold patiently waited as Tucker Dordevic facilitated the offense, before securing a pass from him for Syracuse’s eighth score.

“The unselfish play was the key,” head coach Gary Gait said after his debut with the men’s program. “Especially in that first half, we executed really well, shot well and that chemistry is starting to show.”

By the end of the first period, SU had tacked on another goal. And by the end of the first half, it had more than doubled that, taking a 19-3 lead over Holy Cross. When the final buzzer rang, Syracuse had secured a 28-5 victory over Holy Cross. The Orange’s 28 goals were the most since a 1994 win over Hofstra, and 13 players scored for a Syracuse team that shot 57.1%.

SU’s first score of the 2022 season came almost instantly on just its second possession. After a successful clear, Syracuse quickly got the ball to Berkman behind goal within a couple of passes.

Berkman only registered three shots all of last season, but Saturday afternoon, he was called up into Owen Hiltz’s starting position in SU’s attack. Still, he didn’t shoot early on, instead passing to a streaking Fiorini for the opening score. By the end of the outing, Berkman notched his first collegiate goal, adding two more toward the end of the first half.

“I’ve been working at this for four years,” Berkman said about his first start. “It’s just a dream come true for this to finally happen.”

On SU’s next possession, Curry took control over the attack. Unlike Berkman, Curry attempted on his own, finding the left corner of the net off a side-arm shot from the right side of the 8-meter. Then, he went straight down the middle of the field, shooting just over goalie Dawson Friers’ stick, which forced Holy Cross to call a timeout just four minutes in.

Gait said before the season that one of the biggest changes he wanted to make with the Orange’s attack was bringing back the “chemistry” that allowed him to win three straight NCAA Championships as a player. Throughout the first period, Syracuse found multiple creative ways to score, with Curry and Dordevic working in isolation while also finding players outside the 8-meter, or even the crease, for easy shot opportunities.

“We’re being a lot more patient,” Seebold said. “We’re sharing the ball with each other and with most of our goals coming off assists you can see that it’s working.”

While the offense continued to dominate, Holy Cross didn’t register its first score of the game until early in the second period. Dean DiNanno was able to get the Crusaders on the board, working in isolation on the right side of the 8-meter. With only Nick DiPietro on him, DiNanno spun back after darting toward the cage, sending an underhand shot right above a kneeling Bobby Gavin to cut the Orange’s lead to nine.

Syracuse controlled possession for most of its game against Holy Cross. Kate Harrington | Staff Photographer

Jakob Phaup lost the next faceoff due to a violation, but Gavin was able to make a save and send the Orange in transition. Curry rushed toward the crease before passing to Dordevic, who was able to score.

Phaup won the ensuing faceoff, allowing Seebold to position himself behind the net like he had done multiple times before. Seeing an opening at the left side of the cage, Seebold ran up as Holy Cross’ new goalie, A.J. Fox, tried to track him with his stick. But Seebold shot behind his left shoulder, too quick for Fox to react.

To double the Orange’s first-period goal total, Dordevic ran down the right side of the 8-meter, keeping the Holy Cross defender in front of him on the left side of his body. Suddenly, Dordevic pulled his stick behind his back, launching the Orange’s most creative goal of the night into the back of the net as Gait and offensive coordinator Pat March chuckled from the sidelines.

By the end of the first half, Seebold led all scorers with five goals while Curry and Dordevic both had four. Despite the success from the starters, most were taken out at the start of the second half. Gait said the chemistry between the starting group was a step in the right direction, but the harder tests for the team are coming up against No. 2 Maryland and No. 1 Virginia in the next couple weeks.

“The real chemistry gets tested when you’re playing a much closer game and you have ups and downs and you have to recover and rebound,” Gait said. “We’re going to get tested a lot more in the future and we’re looking forward to it.”

With less than three minutes left in the third period, March called up freshman midfielder Matteo Corsi from the sidelines. Immediately after entering the field, Corsi received the ball around midfield and directly went toward the 8-meter with the ball cradled in his stick.

By the time he was at the edge of the 8-meter, Corsi was surrounded by three defenders, leaving redshirt sophomore Basil Aburn unmarked at the crease. Corsi saw the opening, lobbing the ball over multiple defenders into the upright stick of Aburn. In one motion, Aburn darted the ball into the top right corner of the net, tacking on the Orange’s 25th goal of the afternoon.

“It’s never an individual effort that gets you those goals — it’s ball movement and so many other ways,” Gait said. “The young people all stepped up.”

Published on February 12, 2022 at 2:55 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu