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Syracuse ended a four-game losing streak with a 16-8 win over Hofstra last week, with Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz leading the offensive charge with 13 combined points. Midfielder Michael Leo also added two goals.

Next up for the Orange is their second-to-last nonconference game of the season against 1-6 St. Bonaventure, which has had two losing streaks of three games around a win over VMI. SU is the Bonnies’ biggest test of the season, and the only power-conference team they’ll face.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse hosts St. Bonaventure (1-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10) on Tuesday night:

Anish Vasudevan (6-2)
Nonconference piece of cake
Syracuse 17, St. Bonaventure 8

The Orange had a rough start at Hofstra, but they quickly found their rhythm to put the game away. Despite winning just 32.1% of faceoffs, they had the ball for most of the night, and Spallina made the most out of his return to Long Island. Now, Syracuse has maybe the easiest game of its schedule on Tuesday, facing the 1-6 Bonnies.

If SU’s defense doesn’t hold St. Bonaventure to less than 10 goals, then this game wasn’t a success. The Orange showed that they can completely shut down opposing attacks, holding four nonconference opponents to single digit goals. The Bonnies have averaged five goals per game in their last three contests.

St. Bonaventure is a lot better defensively with the 49th-best scoring defense nationally. It will likely focus on stopping Spallina from getting to the X, meaning other freshmen like Leo and Finn Thomson could play a bigger proleart in Pat March’s offensive plan. Regardless, this should be an easy win for SU.

Connor Smith (7-1)
Make it 2
Syracuse 16, St. Bonaventure 6

Syracuse’s win over Hofstra helped it get back on track after a four-game losing streak, and this game against St. Bonaventure — which is in just its fifth season as a Division-I program — should only continue that. The Bonnies have one of the worst offenses in the country, and SU goalie Will Mark leads the nation in total saves. That combination means Tuesday night could be tough sledding for Bonaventure, which has lost three in a row against one of DI’s easiest schedules. In short, the Orange should have no problem picking up their second consecutive win in this one.

SU continued its faceoff and ground ball struggles last week against the Pride, and needs to find a solid option during these next two games before the grueling five-game stretch to close the regular season. The Orange will have five games against five ranked teams and two visits to top-five schools in the final stretch. Without fixing those problems, the Orange likely stand no chance to support Mark and have the ball enough to score. But with these nonconference contests against St. Bonaventure and Hobart, Syracuse can find an answer and possibly compete against ACC foes again.

Anthony Alandt (5-3)
Easy game after spring break
Syracuse 20, St. Bonaventure 9

It was nice to see Syracuse rebound from a difficult four-game losing streak that included three losses by three or fewer goals with a commanding win on the road against Hofstra. Its second road contest of the season got off to a shaky 3-0 hole, but the Orange quickly rebounded and took over all facets of the game — even at the faceoff X — to return to .500. Now, they’ll welcome St. Bonaventure. Following a solid, 11-win season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Bonnies are struggling to make ends meet, even against the worst opponents in their schedule.

They sit at 1-6, an abysmal record plagued by close to no offense and a two-person goalie team that can’t manage a save percentage consistently over 50%. Like Anish said, the Orange should easily hold the Bonnies to fewer than 10 goals, given the fact that they’ve scored six or fewer goals in four games already. An astute Syracuse defense, which at times has struggled against ranked opponents, should manage fine versus a St. Bonaventure offense that features just two attacks with double-digit goals and points. Past Jake Rosa and Sean Westley, who should both be double teamed, SU should easily stop any other offense and glide to a fifth win, its most in two years.

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Published on March 20, 2023 at 11:31 pm