Syracuse bounced back from an upset loss to Johns Hopkins with a convincing 14-9 win over Stony Brook. Tucker Dordevic, who was quiet against the Blue Jays, scored a career-high six goals and three assists in the victory.

After two road games, the Orange return back to the Carrier Dome for their second Atlantic Coast Conference matchup of the year against Duke, which has yet to play a conference opponent. The Orange are in danger of finishing under .500 for the first time since 2007, needing a win over the Blue Devils to get back on track.

Here’s everything you need to know about No. 11 Duke (8-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) before it plays Syracuse (3-4, 0-1 ACC) on Saturday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads the all-time series 13-7.

Last time they played

Syracuse last faced Duke in its sixth game of the 2021 season, almost pulling off an upset against the then-No. 2 Blue Devils as it narrowly fell 15-14.

The Orange kept the game close in the first period, only down one score heading into the second. But Jakob Phaup struggled in the X against Jake Naso, allowing the Blue Devils to go on a 7-0 run to take hold of the game.

Still, Chase Scanlan and Stephen Rehfuss led Syracuse on a comeback run in the second half, with Dordevic even scoring unassisted in the fourth to give the Orange their first lead of the game. But Duke finished strong in the last five minutes, scoring on a man-up opportunity before Michael Sowers connected on the final shot to seal the win.

“It all happened so fast,” Rehfuss said. “We tried. We got the looks. It just didn’t go our way.”

The Blue Devils report

Duke has yet to play a conference opponent this season with its first 11 games of the year against a variety of mid-tier nonconference teams. The Blue Devils’ best showing came against then-No. 11 Denver, when Brennan O’Neill scored four goals to help them to a 19-10 win. It’s been able to score through its offensive distribution with 8.73 assists per game, the seventh-most in the country.

The reason behind Duke’s offensive success has been its ability to win faceoffs, sitting right behind Syracuse in the national rankings with a 57.9% win percentage. The Blue Devils are also second in the ACC in man-up scoring percentage, successfully finding the back of the net on ​64.3% of opportunities.

How Syracuse beats the Blue Devils

With the Blue Devils having one of the best defenses in the country, the Orange need their offense to get going on Saturday. Its offense has struggled against top defenses as players other than Dordevic have not been able to find the back of the net.

Like other defenses, Duke will likely double Dordevic, meaning that Brendan Curry and Owen Seebold need to get open opportunities to keep SU in the game. And at the faceoff X, Phaup will again be slated against Naso, who is the nation’s leader in faceoffs won with a percentage of 61.4%. If Phaup can win at the X, and get the ball to Curry and Seebold, then the Orange should have a chance to pull off the upset. But if he can’t, then they will likely be on the losing end for the fifth time this season.

Stat to know: 10.82 goals allowed per game

The Blue Devils have the 29th-best scoring defense nationally, currently sitting as the second-highest ranked defense in the ACC. They’ve been able to hold nonconference opponents to less than 11 goals with the help of fifth-year senior goalie Mike Adler.

Gary Gait said earlier this season that if a goalie has a 50% save percentage, then they’re constantly giving the offense a chance. Adler has a save percentage of 55% so far this season. And the Blue Devils defense forces 7.91 turnovers per game while picking up 36.09 ground balls per game.

Player to watch: Brennan O’Neill, No. 34, attack

O’Neill finished last season with 45 points and 10 assists, recording a shot-on-goal percentage of 64.2%. The sophomore was the No. 1 recruit from the 2020 recruiting class, using his dominant left hand to confuse opposing defenses.

O’Neill has carried his momentum from last year into this season, with a team-high 32 goals and 42 points. He’s turned over the ball 12 times, but he’s picked up 20 ground balls as well, able to outmuscle opponents with his 6-foot-2 and 225-pound frame. Without Sowers, O’Neill will be the biggest challenge for SU’s defense, who will likely put Brett Kennedy on him to try and silence his dominance.

Published on March 23, 2022 at 9:03 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu