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No. 6 Syracuse (2-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) hosts an America East opponent for the second week in a row as Stony Brook (2-2, 0-1 AEC) visits the Carrier Dome on Friday for the first time ever. The Seawolves come into the week having lost their last two games, while the Orange have trended up with two wins since losing their season-opener to Army. 

Here’s what to know about Stony Brook before Friday’s 1 p.m. start. 

All-time series

This will be the first time Syracuse and Stony Brook play each other.

The Stony Brook report

A breakout year for redshirt freshman Dylan Pallonetti, supported by strong years from graduate students Cory VanGinhoven and Tom Haun, have paced the offense for Stony Brook so far. Pallonetti, who transferred from Maryland, has already scored 14 goals and earned 20 points through four games. The Seawolves’ offense features a variety of different looks and plenty of off-ball movement in front of the goal, similar to Army. That troubled Syracuse in the season-opener and could be something Stony Brook looks to exploit. 

Defensively, outside of allowing Hofstra’s high-powered offense to score 20 goals, Stony Brook allows just 9.67 goals a game. Junior goalie Anthony Palma only played in one game last year, but has started every game in 2021, posting a .489 save percentage. The Seawolves defensive starters all returned, though they had the 52nd-ranked scoring defense in the nation a year ago. 

How Syracuse beats the Seawolves

Controlling possession by getting a rebound game from Jakob Phaup at the faceoff X. After winning 63.9% of his faceoffs through the first two games of the year, Phaup struggled last Saturday against Vermont’s Tommy Burke. As a team, the Orange lost 24-of-34 draws, and as a result, played a lot of defense, which let the Catamounts hang around. Stony Brook has won just 45.7% of faceoffs through four games this year, giving Phaup a great opportunity to bounce back. If Syracuse controls the ball, its offense has shown how dominant it can be.  

Stat to know: 13.5

Stony Brook has the ninth-best turnovers per game rate in the country — and Syracuse is first. Between these two teams, possessions won’t come cheap very often, and shooting the ball well could make all the difference. 

Player to watch: Dylan Pallonetti, Attack, No. 34

Pallonetti is the fifth-highest all-time scorer for Ward Melville High School (New York), less than a 10-minute drive away from Stony Brook, and since transferring back home from Maryland this past summer, he’s made a splash. He scored six goals on debut and added five more in an eight-point outing against Hofstra in late February. He’ll look to add more in his first collegiate visit to the Dome on Friday.

Published on March 10, 2021 at 11:14 pm

Contact Arabdho: armajumd@syr.edu | @aromajumder