Baltimore -- The Syracuse University lacrosse team lost by four goals at No. 1 Virginia three weeks ago but never seemed out of the game. It lost by four goals Saturday at No. 2 Johns Hopkins and never seemed to be in it.
At least that was how it looked from the cheap seats during an 11-7 Blue Jays victory
before a crowd of 5,970 at Homewood Field. Those closest to the action refused to offer an amen.
"I'll disagree with you, as you knew I would," Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said after his team (7-0) snapped a five-game losing vs. SU. "I've probably been involved in more games as a player and coach against Syracuse than anyone. The one thing I've always learned about Syracuse is no lead is safe."
"When we went in at halftime I felt OK," SU coach John Desko said. "We got some good shots off. We had a couple off the crease that we didn't score on. I thought if we had a couple of those going in at halftime it might have been a tie game or a very close game."
But it wasn’t. The tone was set when the Blue Jays won the opening faceoff and scored on their first shot, a blistering right-hander by junior midfielder John Greeley (LaFayette). Greeley had time to set and fire unimpeded because his defender, short-stick middie Steve Ianzito, slipped and fell.
“It felt unbelievable,” Greeley said. “It got us going offensively.”
The Orange (3-2) knotted the score briefly on the first of three goals from sophomore attackman Derek Maltz, but Hopkins responded with a three-goal outburst to lead 4-1 lead after one quarter. SU never got closer than two goals the rest of the way.
Perhaps it would have been a game had Tommy Palasek’s dunk attempt from the doorstep not been rejected by Hopkins goalie Pierce Bassett as the first half ended. As it was, the Blue Jays went into the locker room with a 7-4 lead.
And perhaps it would have been a game had SU faceoff wing Peter MacCartney picked up a groundball he got to first on the opening faceoff of the third quarter. But he didn’t and the Jays suddenly were off the other way in transition where Brandon Benn scored the second of his career-high four goals only 9 seconds into the period.
“It’s one thing to lose faceoffs,” Desko said, “but to give up goals off it, too, it hurt.”
The two plays underscored Syracuse’s uphill battle the entire game. Whether it was Palasek getting stuffed twice from in close or Maltz getting rejected by a marvelous kick save by Bassett, every potential chance SU had to make it a game was missed.
And thanks to the team’s continued woes at the faceoff X those chances were few and far between. With Fayetteville-Manlius alum Mike Poppleton (12-for-18) doing most of the damage the Blue Jays won 13 of 20 faceoffs, leaving SU mired in a 33-for-69 slump (33.3 percent) in its last three games.
The failure left Desko saying the only thing he could – “we’re going to keep plugging away at it” – while offering an ominous observation to fans who love SU’s up-tempo style.
“There are so many more opportunities for the other team,” he said. “We’re going to have to be very efficient offensively . . . maybe even play like some other teams as far as working for good shots and holding the ball to rest our defense.”
The disparity at the X was matched by the dominance of Hopkins’ first midfield line vs. the anemic play of its counterpart. The potent package of Greeley (2-1), John Ranagan (2-1) and Rob Guida (1-2) had struggled earlier this season. Saturday, it erupted for nine points (5 goals, 4 assists).
SU’s first midfield line, meanwhile, produced a lone goal from Bobby Eilers and two assists from JoJo Marasco, who has not scored a goal now in three games.
The disparity there and at the X, augmented by several nice third-quarter saves from Bassett, made it an Hopkins affair from start to finish.
Even if there was no amen afterward.