MLAX : In 2nd game since return from suspension, Syracuse midfielder Drew scores 2 goals
NEW YORK — Sprinting down the right alley, Kevin Drew had an open look at the goal.
He closed in, wound up and took a hard shot into lower half of the net for a score.
It was his second of the day. His return to action following suspension was complete.
‘It feels good to get back and play some lacrosse,’ Drew said. ‘It’s been a long time, I think Maryland was the last real game I played last season. So just to get back out there and back into it feels great.’
His suspension from the team due to an arrest for driving while intoxicated in the fall kept him out for Syracuse’s two scrimmages and first two games of the season ended last week against Virginia. Drew has put a lot behind him after a tumultuous year, but a strong game was still unchecked on his list of needed accomplishments going into Saturday.
The senior midfielder finally put together a complete performance Saturday in the Orange’s (3-1, 1-0 Big East) 9-8 win over St. John’s (2-2, 0-1) at DaSilva Memorial Field. Drew finished the game with two goals, but also played well on defense to help keep the Red Storm’s scorers from getting open looks at the goal. On a day when Syracuse’s offense was sloppy and took numerous ill-advised shots, Drew came through in exclamatory fashion and provided a much-needed spark for the Orange.
When Drew returned to action following his suspension last week against the Cavaliers, he still hadn’t gotten all of his jitters out of the way. Against St. John’s, though, Drew played with confidence.
Head coach John Desko said his conditioning is still catching up. Now, the head coach said, it’s all about getting into midseason form.
‘I thought Kevin did a good job. He was on the field quite a bit, and especially after missing the first couple of games and scrimmages, he’s missed four contests,’ Desko said. ‘I think he’s still catching up with his conditioning and that showed. But he really gutted it out and played a good game for us.’
Drew’s first goal of the day came with just six seconds left in the first quarter to put the Orange up 2-1. After a St. John’s turnover, SU defender Brian Megill found Drew breaking up the field and fed him a pass for a transition goal.
His second score of the day came at a critical time for the Orange.
The Red Storm was executing its game plan to near perfection and found itself in position to pull the upset. St. John’s goaltender Jeff Lowman was a force between the pipes, making save after save as the Orange’s shooters refused to change the plane on their shots. And while SU’s offense went stagnant, the Red Storm’s was rolling.
After Drew’s first goal, St. John’s scored three unanswered goal to take back the lead and go up 4-2. Then about seven minutes into the second quarter, Drew raced toward the cage with no defender in his way.
Drew managed to sneak a shot past Lowman to stop the bleeding for Syracuse. It was Drew’s day to provide a standout performance for the Orange.
‘Our goal is to win every Big East game every year,’ Drew said. ‘So someone has to step up every game, so it’s different people every time.’
Drew’s typically a defensive midfielder, so the senior is rarely a scoring threat for SU. Last season, he finished with six goals and has scored 13 goals combined in his first three seasons with the Orange.
SU midfielder Bobby Eilers said when he wants to, Drew can play offense just as well as he can play defense. He displayed that ability on Saturday, as well, especially late in the game.
SJU midfielder Terence Leach, who had three goals on the day, had a good look at the cage to tie the score up at nine. But Drew kept him from getting close to the net, and Leach never managed to score his fourth goal of the game.
Drew’s shots on goal were on the money. He played shutdown defense. And most of all, Drew finally put a stamp on his return to lacrosse.
‘Kevin Drew can do that every game if he wants,’ Eilers said. ‘He’s super fast, a good shooter. Hopefully, he saw that he can do that and he’ll be doing that a lot more for us.’
Published on March 10, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman
