PRINCETON, N.J. — Stephen Keogh was playing a game within the game. The Syracuse attack stayed on the crease, tricking out his defender to try and get open. Fortunately for Keogh, the teammates who were sending passes his way knew exactly what he was doing.

‘I think just trying to play games with my man and set picks,’ Keogh said. ‘Jeremy (Thompson) and Joel (White) are both former box players, so the pick-and-roll games, they’re well aware of it.’

Against Princeton’s defensive game plan, that was the Orange’s answer. As the Tigers packed around the crease, Syracuse (9-0, 2-0 Big East) stayed patient. It turned to Keogh for help in breaking through, and he responded with three goals to help send No. 1 SU to a 7-5 win over Princeton (2-6) in front of 5,401 at Princeton Stadium on Saturday.

The Tigers tried to force SU to take shots from the outside. They packed the crease, placing defenders near the cage to try to keep Syracuse’s scorers from shooting close. With so many defenders around the crease, the Orange attack was left open as it passed around the outside.

In the first quarter, SU’s offense was called for stalling, a call that infuriated SU head coach John Desko. His argument was that if the Tigers weren’t defending, then the Orange shouldn’t be called for stalling.

Desko sprinted down the sideline to argue the official’s call, but it was to no avail. Princeton was given possession.

‘I probably let my emotions get the best of me in the first half,’ Desko said. ‘We were told to keep it in a number of times. They play a sagging zone defense. You have to be very patient with your offense, especially when they’re jamming the crease.’

Just like in its win against Duke last weekend, patience was key for the Orange against Princeton. Syracuse’s offense returned to its ways of making smart passes to hold possession and waiting for an open look. Not making anything easier was the fact that Princeton goaltender Tyler Fiorito came into the game yielding about seven goals per contest. Still, Syracuse had to find a way.

That’s where Keogh came in. With just less than two minutes left in the first quarter, White sent Keogh a bounce pass from the right side of the goal. Keogh took the pass right on the edge of the crease, quickly shot it low and snuck it into the back of the net past Fiorito to put the Orange up 3-1.

Plays like those are what allowed Syracuse to keep its perfect record intact in yet another close game. Princeton tied up the score at 5-5 in the third quarter, but the Orange still didn’t abandon its game plan of being patient. When given the opportunity, the Tigers held onto the ball. But SU made the right decisions when going to the goal.

The Tigers may have tested SU’s patience on offense, but the Orange responded with great poise.

‘You do get a little anxious to go out there and take a shot, especially when you have an open opportunity,’ said midfielder Jovan Miller. ‘Such great goaltending makes you think twice about it. I think our patience was key for us today.’

Miller thought twice about 30 seconds into the game. The midfielder ran in toward the net and looked like he was about to shoot from 15 yards out. But rather than risk losing possession, he turned and passed off to midfielder Josh Amidon, who took an open shot from 10 yards out to give the Orange an early 1-0 lead. 

Keogh scored his second goal in the second quarter when Thompson beat three Tiger defenders and sent him an over-the-shoulder pass. Once again, standing just in front of the crease, Keogh took the pass and flipped it right into the goal. Again, patience led to an open look on the doorstep in an open seam.

‘They want us to take a bunch of shots from the outside,’ Desko said. ‘You have to be really patient and really work for good shots off the inside.’

That’s what Syracuse did to win another close game. It stayed patient and worked for shots. Perhaps most importantly, it found Keogh on the crease.

Said Keogh: ‘It’s a good victory for us. We’ll take it.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on April 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman