Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

No. 9 Syracuse came into its matchup against No. 2 Virginia as an underdog. Virginia was 3-0, with two wins over ranked opponents. Syracuse, however, was just demolished by Army in the most goals allowed in a season-opener since John Desko took over as head coach 22 years ago.

But on Saturday, seven players scored multiple goals in the Orange’s biggest win over the Cavaliers since 1938.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s (1-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) dominant win over Virginia (3-1, 0-1):

Slow start from attack

The starting attack was quiet for most of the first half. Instead of SU’s usual contributors, two second-liners found themselves carrying the offense — Lucas Quinn and Owen Seebold. 

Quinn, a midfielder, came into the game with just one shot all season. But he opened scoring for the Orange, firing a sidearm shot from deep right past the UVA goalie. Quinn scored again later in the quarter on another long-range sidearm shot.

After not seeing any playing time against Army, Seebold came into the second period on fire. Syracuse’s fourth attack fired a handful of shots in the first quarter but wasn’t able to connect on any until the second. He ran from behind the net, spun around one defender and shot through three more for his first goal of the season. He scored again later in the second, but Desko opted to keep his three starters in for most of the second half.

It paid off, though. Chase Scanlan, Stephen Rehfuss and Owen Hiltz combined for 14 total points after scoring just two of SU’s nine first-half goals.

Owen Hiltz shines in first start

After playing as a second-line midfielder last week against Army, Hiltz took over Griffin Cook’s position on the starting attack line next to Scanlan and Rehfuss. The freshman recorded a goal and an assist last week against Army.

But against Virginia, the No. 2 recruit from the 2020 class showed why he earned that ranking. Hiltz started the second half with a clean shot right in front of the crease almost immediately after the first faceoff. Hiltz kept his momentum, scoring twice more in the third quarter. By the end of the night, Hiltz finished third in scoring with five points, solidifying himself on an attack between two established players.

Defensive adjustments

Desko blamed Syracuse’s defensive struggles against Army on a lack of practice before the start of the season. SU played no scrimmages and only had three weeks of practice before playing its first game. But in the first half, Syracuse’s defense started to look like it did last week when it gave up 18 goals. Drake Porter remained inconsistent throughout most of the half.

In the second quarter, Virginia’s Payton Cormier spun around Nick DiPietro to create somewhat of an opening to score. As he fired a quick shot, Porter stood stiff in the crease, not even making an effort for a save. 20 seconds later, Porter made a save that bounced off his stick and rolled away from the crease. He let his guard down, almost not noticing Ian Laviano scooping the ball and firing a shot right past him to give Virginia an 8-7 lead.

But that was the end of SU’s defensive struggles. Syracuse finished the half up 9-7 and did not give up a goal for the last 21 minutes of the game. Porter made nine more saves while only allowing three goals.

Published on February 27, 2021 at 8:36 pm

aekaylor@syr.edu | @cincinnallie