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Syracuse’s up-and-down season went back onto the right track at the start of Monday evening’s game against Cornell. SU went into halftime with an 11-6 lead, relying on its secondary scoring to account for six goals. The Orange’s defense improved too, playing their best first half since holding Duke to four.

But like its matchup against the Blue Devils, the Orange crumbled in the third quarter. Cornell found the back of the net five times while Syracuse only found it once. The Big Red took their first lead of the game in the fourth period, which the Orange answered back on, sending the game to overtime tied at 15.

Cornell won the opening faceoff, and after a timeout, Hugh Kelleher sent the final dagger into the back of the net while Nick Caccamo ran to try and get in front of his stick.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (4-7, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) 16-15 loss to No. 5 Cornell (10-1, 3-1 Ivy League):

Phaup (and others) early at the X

Cornell hasn’t won more than 62% of its faceoffs in a game this season. Meanwhile, Syracuse ranks 11th in the nation in faceoff win-percentage at 58.9%. Early in the game, though, Jakob Phaup wasn’t responsible for the big plays at the X.

Instead, Syracuse’s wings like Saam Olexo and Brandon Aviles made the most impact, cleaning up for Phaup when he was unable to win the draw quickly against Cornell’s Angelo Petrakis. Following a goal from Owen Seebold in the first period, Phaup clamped the ball to the turf and tried taking off at the X. But Petrakis swiped the ball away, charging down the center of the field with Olexo trying to catch up behind him.

Olexo couldn’t get in front of Petrakis, but as he unloaded a shot, Olexo successfully yard-saled him, taking off with the ball in the other direction. In a few passes, the ball went back to Olexo, who found the back of the net.

After the Big Red’s second score, Phaup and Syracuse’s wings struggled to immediately get a hold of the ball again. It rolled all the way to the top of the Orange’s offensive zone before Aviles was able to pick it up. He jetted directly towards the cage, sending a low shot which went between Chayse Ierlan’s legs.

Secondary scoring ignites SU attack

Syracuse’s opponents have used a regular formula to stop the Orange’s attack, maintaining as much tight coverage as possible on Tucker Dordevic, Brendan Curry and Seebold. The Orange have had to rely on secondary scoring, and now with injuries to Griffin Cook and Lucas Quinn — who regularly provided that extra boost — they’ve had to turn to even more options.

“We’re just shallow,” head coach Gary Gait said after the UAlbany game. “It’s not one player, it’s not two, it’s three or four or five that you replace, and it just makes it difficult.”

Four minutes into the first period, Matt Magnan got the ball near the crease, quickly flipping it to Jackson Birtwistle on the left side. Birtwistle immediately shot low, successfully shooting the ball in between Ierlan’s legs to give Syracuse a 2-0 lead.

Birtwistle positioned himself behind the cage later in the first period while Cornell’s defense matched up against the rest of Syracuse’s attack. Left unguarded, Birtwistle shuffled from the left side of goal before turning his body and sending an underhanded shot past Ierlan.

Matteo Corsi mimicked Birtwistle’s play early in the second quarter, going behind the net to get rid of his man. He got the ball and came around the right side, lifting his stick for a wraparound shot. A double-team charged at Corsi, but it was too late as the ball had already left his stick and gone into the back of the net. By the end of the game, Syracuse had six scores outside of its starting attack.

Defense crumbles late

Throughout the first half, Syracuse’s defense maintained tight pressure on Cornell’s attacks, properly calling switches and slides which the team had missed in previous games. With five minutes left in the first period, Brett Kennedy perfectly timed his slide over to help guard CJ Kirst, forcing a shot clock violation.

But at the start of the second half, Syracuse’s defense allowed the Big Red their second 2-0 run of the game. The run started a minute into the third period, following a ground ball pickup from Harrison Bardwell. Cornell immediately set up on offense, and Kirst found a wide-open John Piatelli for his fourth goal of the game. A few minutes later, Billy Coyle went down the middle of the Orange’s defense. He was left unmarked, notching the score off a pass from Michael Long.

Syracuse answered back with a goal from Curry, but the Big Red immediately got on the board off a score from Piatelli almost a minute later. Piatelli later assisted on the Big Red’s next score, finding Coyle wide-open. Olexo had lost complete sight of Coyle, allowing him to walk over near Piatelli near the crease, easily securing the ball for a quick goal.

Another goal from Cornell kept it within a score of the Orange heading into the final frame. And at the start of the fourth quarter, the Big Red continued to find holes in the Orange’s defense. They did this by swinging the ball around as much as possible, which landed in the stick of Kelleher, who scored unassisted.

Dordevic stays quiet (not for long)

Dordevic stayed quiet for most of the first half, sometimes receiving double teams from Cornell’s defense while also getting his body absolutely badgered by sticks on most possessions. He tried to assist others, but he wasn’t able to do that either.

With four minutes left in the first half, Dordevic finally got on the board. In typical fashion, Dordevic forced himself into a one-on-one situation before sprinting towards goal. He immediately stopped though, sending Cornell’s Gavin Adler flying in the other direction while gaining enough space for a step-down shot. Dordevic elected to use his left hand, sending it to the bottom of the net from 12 yards out.

In the last seconds of the half, Syracuse got the ball back into the hands of Dordevic for its final shot. He immediately caught it, sending another left-handed shot in the back of the net, this time from the right side to give SU an 11-6 lead.

Dordevic didn’t score again until the Orange needed a desperation goal at the end of the fourth quarter. The possession started in the hands of Curry, who took on multiple defenders while charging into the middle of the field. He flipped the ball to Tyler Cordes, who then sent it to Dordevic for a sidearm rocket to put Syracuse back up by one.

Published on April 11, 2022 at 9:29 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu