CHESTER, Pa. — Brian Megill was everywhere on Saturday.

He played his usual role – shutting down the opposing team’s offense. He scooped up five ground balls, the most on either team. But he also did something he hadn’t done all season: score a goal.

Megill was a factor in all elements of the game, igniting Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 Big East) to a 13-11 win over St. John’s (3-2, 1-0 Big East) on Saturday at the Whitman’s Sampler Independence Classic in Chester, Pa. The defender showed off his full repertoire, dabbling in many facets of the contest.

“I think it was just the way I was picking up ground balls where I was getting out on breaks,” Megill said. “I was able to get ahead of everyone on certain plays.”

One of those plays came late in the third quarter. Megill snatched a ground ball and burst the other way. He crossed midfield and dished the ball to Luke Cometti. Cometti passed it back to Megill five yards outside the crease and the senior captain scored the second goal of his career.

Megill said he didn’t expect Cometti to pass the ball back to him, but he was ready to shoot right away once he did.

“When he passed it back I kind of just caught it, closed my eyes and threw it toward the cage,” Megill said. “Luckily it got caught in my stick and went through his legs.”

The go-ahead goal late in the third quarter wasn’t the only time Megill got involved in the offense. Late in the second quarter, Megill caught a pass from Mike Messina and rifled a shot that sailed into the second row of the stands. He hunched over, disappointed with himself.

Overall, though, Megill’s defense paved the way for his – and his team’s – offense. Recovering ground balls led to looks in transition, which gave him a chance to get involved in the attack.

Megill did struggle, though, against Kieran McArdle, one of the most prolific scorers in the country. McArdle came into the game leading the Big East with 5.5 points per game. Megill shut him down in the first half, but McArdle found openings in the second half and finished with four goals.

“He’s a great defenseman,” McArdle said of Megill. “We were running a little bit of middie dodges in the first half. Then we went into our two-man game behind the net and that’s when it gave me a chance to dodge.”

Megill anchored a Syracuse defense that largely stopped the Red Storm. And his looks on the breakaway helped push the tempo for the balanced Orange offense.

“I love pushing the ball in transition, trying to make something happen for the team,” Megill said.

Published on March 9, 2013 at 5:41 pm

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass