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Syracuse will take the field as the No. 1 team in the nation for the second time in program history on Wednesday. After four weeks at No. 2, a UNC loss to Northwestern catapulted the Orange to the top of the coaches poll. They now have the third-highest scoring offense, shot percentage and adjusted offensive efficiency in Division-I, per LacrosseReference.

Coming off three straight ranked wins against Notre Dame, Loyola and Duke, the Orange will return to the JMA Wireless Dome.

Here’s everything you need to know about No. 6 Stony Brook (5-1, 1-0 Colonial Athletic):

All-time series:

Syracuse leads, 4-1.

Last time they played

Syracuse escaped with a slim 12-11 victory against the Seawolves last February. In a back-and-forth affair, Meaghan Tyrrell led the way for the Orange with four goals, while Megan Carney added seven points on four assists.

Syracuse entered the fourth quarter up 12-9, but didn’t score at all in the final frame. Instead, Siobhan Rafferty scored at the 13:13 mark, assisted by Jaden Hampel. Eight minutes later, Stony Brook pulled within one on a score from Kyla Zapolski during a player-up opportunity. But SU clamped down for the final five minutes, not allowing a single shot while Natalie Smith caused a key turnover.

The Seawolves made 12 saves on 33 shots from the Orange, but turned the ball over 17 times in the loss. Syracuse didn’t allow a single free-position shot, taking eight of its own for two scores, which ended up being the difference in the outcome.

The Seawolves report

SU will take on a Seawolves defense that ranks 13th in the nation, and whose only loss this season came against No. 2 Northwestern. They have sixth-highest adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, per LacrosseReference. That defensive success has been in spite of their goalie play, which ranks near the bottom of the entire NCAA in save percentage.

On offense, Stony Brook has the ninth-highest adjusted efficiency, but almost a third of its goals have come from one player: Ellie Masera. An offense that ranks 10th nationally in shots on goal per game runs through Masera, and as a result, the Seawolves aren’t a high-volume passing team.

Nobody on the team has double-digit assists, with Kailyn Hart at the top of the ladder with nine, along with 14 goals. Hampel and Morgan Mitchell have 10 goals and six assists apiece, and the rest of the offense has accounted for 28 goals, equal to the amount of Masera on her own. The Seawolves’ offense is dependent on a few key playmakers, while the Orange have showcased elite depth on the attack.

Zak Wolf | Assistant Digital Editor

How Syracuse beats Stony Brook

If the Orange can penetrate the zone, as they’ve done all season, and put a slew of shots on goal, they’ll win this game.

Stony Brook has an abysmal save percentage of .390, ranking 98th in the country. Allowing 50 goals while only saving 32 shots is a huge problem for Stony Brook. Hailey Duchnowski has started all six games in goal, but a .391 save percentage saw her benched in favor of Aaliyah Jones or Shanna Hecht on multiple occasions. None of them have earned above a .400 save percentage, as the Seawolves have continued to struggle in goal.

In fact, Stony Brook has saved over 50% of shots just once this season, in a 19-3 win over San Diego State. The Orange, meanwhile, sit at a .519 save average led by Delaney Sweitzer.

Against a tough Seawolves’ defensive zone, Syracuse will succeed by getting to the crease consistently.

Stat to know: 8.8

The Seawolves allow just 8.8 goals per game and outscore opponents by an average of 6.67 per game, despite their goalie struggles. Its shot percentage (.459) is dwarfed by that of its opponents (.490), but the Seawolves boast a higher shot on goal percentage than its opponents because of elite defensive play.

Player to watch: Ellie Masera, attack, No. 12

Masera has double the number of goals (28) as anyone else on this Stony Brook squad, and her 4.2 goals per game ranks fourth in the nation. She is the focal point of the Stony Brook offense. Masera also leads the team in draw controls (33), so expect to see her all over the field on Wednesday.

Published on March 21, 2023 at 10:27 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu