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Brennan O’Neill stumbled on the turf. While he was trying to kick-start Duke’s offense and potentially cut into Syracuse’s lead, Landon Clary threw his body into O’Neill from behind, simultaneously rolling the ball toward him.

Clary scooped it up and immediately sprinted down the center of the field. He passed to Tucker Dordevic wide-open near the crease with Duke’s defense still out of position. Dordevic hopped to catch the high pass with his back turned to the goal, quickly pulling his stick behind the legs. His backwards, no-look, between-the-legs shot bounced between Duke goalie Mike Adler’s legs, jump starting a three-goal run for the Orange.

“That hit was awesome, one of the best things I’ve seen all year,” Dordevic said.

Clary’s hit was one of 12 caused turnovers Syracuse had in its 14-10 upset over No. 11 Duke. Syracuse’s defense entered the game ranked 66th nationally in defensive efficiency, 10th-worst in Division I. But those issues were nonexistent early in the game, and at key moments in the second half, as SU picked up 32 ground balls and Bobby Gavin made 10 saves to get Syracuse back to .500.

“We need everybody … our defense made plays when we needed them to, and we also created a little bit of transition,” head coach Gary Gait said. “It’s certainly something we focused on, and we capitalized on a few times today. ”

Five minutes into the first period, Nick Caccamo stood in front of Sean Lulley with the Blue Devils trying to get on the scoreboard. Caccamo badgered Lulley with his stick as another Syracuse defender came to help out. He even threw his body into Lulley while he had possession, eventually forcing the ball onto the turf.

Caccamo picked the ball up and immediately found Saam Olexo, who sprinted down the middle of the field on a successful clear. He continued to keep the ball until unloading a left-handed attempt from 15 yards out to give the Orange a 2-0 lead.

The Blue Devils scored six minutes into the game, but SU’s defense continued to fuel the offense with opportunities. The Orange held Duke to one goal — only the third time in 11 games this season it’s scored one goal or fewer in the first period.

Syracuse’s defense played tight on-ball defense, repeatedly checking whoever held the ball. And when other defenders needed to slide and help guard Lulley, O’Neill or anyone else from Duke’s attack, those defenders left no space between them and their opponent, bombarding their sticks to force more discomfort. By the end of the first period, SU had forced four turnovers, while the Blue Devils forced none.

Gavin was in net for Syracuse after playing well in his start last week against Stony Brook. Gait said the Orange would continue to rotate Harrison Thompson and Gavin in the cage since both have shown promise, but Gavin remained in goal for the entirety of the game on Saturday. “He played very well and gave us what we needed,” Gait said.

Going against Gavin, Duke tried to vary its shot attempts, allowing its attacks to dodge instead of trying to find wide-open players near the crease. Owen Caputo spun around his defender near the crease on the left side, getting enough space to launch an attempt at goal. But Gavin stayed put while Caputo dodged, easily catching the ball in his stick.

“They’re a very talented team. We knew to combat that, we all just had to work together and be on the same page,” Caccamo said. “We basically wanted to beat their individual play with our team defense.”

Caccamo guarded O’Neill a few possessions later, and as the attack attempted to spin, Caccamo threw his body into him, forcing a pass. Nakeie Montgomery got the ball in front of Caccamo later in the possession, trying to dodge and get to the crease. Montgomery tried to pass, but Caccamo backed off and intercepted the ball. Mikey Berkman scored on the other end from 15 yards out, and Caccamo repeated his play later in the second period, though Dordevic’s ensuing shot was saved.

In the final seconds of the half, the Orange deflected a pass to the ground, and three Syracuse players attempted to scoop it up. Montgomery got to it first, though, immediately sending it to Andrew McAdorey for the Blue Devils’ fourth score. SU’s defense struggled again at the start of the second half, leaving Dyson Williams unmarked behind the cage. Gavin pointed at Williams, but no Syracuse defender was able to come in time as Montgomery found Williams, who was in front of the net. Williams sent a wraparound shot with ease, finding the back of the net.

The Orange made up for their defensive issues, maintaining tight defense on each Duke attack whenever they had the ball. This forced the Blue Devils to make an array of passes on every possession instead of sticking to their usual formula of letting players dodge for shot attempts. Immediately after Williams scored, Grant Murphy deflected a pass to the ground near the crease, preventing a third straight goal from the Blue Devils.

Duke scored at the start of the final period, but Clary’s defensive play gave Syracuse its momentum back. And a few minutes later, Brett Kennedy pushed McAdorey to the turf like Clary did as McAdorey tried to pass. The ball sailed out of bounds, allowing the Orange to get the ball and eventually score their 13th goal on the other end.

“Because of practice and repetition, players are understanding when to take opportunities and when not to,” Gait said. “They are embracing the fact that they can make big plays.”

Published on March 26, 2022 at 2:25 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu