Syracuse 2024

[BigTurn]

I think the absence of the OC for most of the game played a huge part in the outcome. Of course Gait can coach the offense; the problem is that the game plan assumes there will be an OC on the field to participate in coaching. When you lose that set of eyes and have one less person to speak one-on-one to players on the sideline, etc., it can only hurt the rest of the staff's effectiveness.

Somehow, Cornell managed to score 17 goals in regulation without the additional set of eyes of an offensive coach. Matter of fact, there is no offensive coach.

My point was that Syracuse was down a coach and therefore had to adjust the coaching responsibilities of the remaining personnel. That had to have impacted the outcome. I happen to be a long-time Cornell fan and am well aware of the fact that we have no offensive coordinator. I would say the same about Cornell's coaching strategy if Paolo Ciferri got ejected.

I also posed that concern....but I was assured that since ggait played lacrosse 30 years ago, he had no problems, I am sure he is completely Intune with all facets of the O-game plans, individual discussion that took place all week, film breakdown with the OC and his players, and not to mention...each of the situational play calls that take place during TO's and in between OT's. Hell, might as get rid of the DC while their at it, ggait played against defenses so he also knows how to beat them no matter what he sees.

Yes, March's departure at the end of first period was a definite detriment to the Syracuse offense in period 2...when they only scored seven times. Maybe he sneaked into the halftime dressing room and his inspired insights resulted in the offense's brilliant second half performance.

If the sarcastic nonsense you wrote about Gait were true he has no business being a head coach at a Division I school. John Tillman graduated from Cornell 33 years ago and don't tell me he is not involved in Maryland's offense and defense, and that he couldn't step in capably if one of his assistant coaches were disabled during a game. Although, I have to say, watching the 2022 Syracuse- Cornell game on video, it sure appeared that Pietramala was the real coach of the team while Gait stood by and watched.

100%. My college HC knew every single detail on both sides of the ball every week. Coaching staffs spend all week in the same film sessions and practices, you bet your ass they’re game planning together. The whole no March thing is a cop out, there’s zero excuse for Gait to not be able to call sets.

[Finster]

The Syracuse Fanlax thread feels more active than the Johns Hopkins thread.

[thoughtbot]

Pat March kicked out of the game ahahah. Classy program as always.

What happened ??

Probably said something to the ref. Just the epitome of that program. Have no idea how to conduct themselves or “work the refs” if they’re not playing their 11th straight home game to start the year.

Damn, past your meds time?
Kick back and relax a little.

they wont win anything meaningful conducting themselves like this

I'm reporting this to the admin,

this looks like some kid using multiple user names.

Definitely not the same kid. But guess what. Ref missed a call. Not having march on the field may have impacted the end of the game. The lack of discipline constantly exhibited by this team is what is going to prevent it from winning games. Not talent.

Report me to the admin all you want. Truth must hurt. Game was 7-2. March loses his mind. Offense looked lost. His ejection also felt like a turning point in losing discipline. Not to mention hes an assistant and isnt supposed to address the ref whatsoever. Team must be the first to have ever experience a bad call.

[DTL94]

I am curious with all the midfield depth if anyone sees Leo/Rhoa/Birtwistle sliding down to attack. Spallina already plays the right point on attack, and could play the right wing interchangeably with the 3rd attackmen, leaving Hiltz on the left. My concern for Syracuse would be expecting teams to double pole the midfield, in which case either Hiltz or Mule need to be able to beat their man.

Curious if others feel differently and I am very excited to continue watching this team win!

Nice first post, welcome to the board.

I personally don't see any moves being made, but it's still early in the season. I think for Spallina to be at his most efficient, he needs to run with another X attackman to free him up on the wings. I think Mule is the best bet they have on the team for that role. Rhoa is a pure midfielder who attacks the goal from up top. Birtwistle, I have advocated for being moved to attack, but coaches have never once played him there, and right now he's more of a finisher/crease guy. I think he would take the same place on the field as Spallina. Leo is the intriguing choice, but he's more of a wing dodger, and I think as long as he's drawing short sticks, the staff is happy for him to exploit that. If that changes, then maybe they move him to attack with Mule out of the box. I think the issue with that is he occupies a lot of the same field space as Hiltz. I think the best course of action is to hope Mule just plays a little bit better than he has been.

~1.5 months later was curious to see if people still felt Mule was the best option.
Thoughts on Leo to attack to add a dodging presence since the 3rd attackmen is being covered by a shorty? Cornell is not what one would describe as a "strong" defense and the 3rd attackmen was held to 0,2 with 5 shots, 2 on goal and 2 turnovers. These are wild numbers for a D1 attackmen being covered by a shorty, and not going to help this team go deep in May.

Nothing against the player, but you would expect to have some more production out of a starting attackmen. He should have a chip on his shoulder every time he catches the ball and sees a shorty approaching him.

An attack of Spallina, Hiltz, and Leo with a midfield of English, Stevens and Rhoa/Birt/Thompson would have 3-4 strong dodgers and open up the field.

[FMUBart]

Reffs were garbage in this game.

Agree, the non-offsides call was bizarre, given the ref was right at the cone and you can see him counting players after #33 jumped back onsides--and he STILL missed it!

[coda]

I am curious with all the midfield depth if anyone sees Leo/Rhoa/Birtwistle sliding down to attack. Spallina already plays the right point on attack, and could play the right wing interchangeably with the 3rd attackmen, leaving Hiltz on the left. My concern for Syracuse would be expecting teams to double pole the midfield, in which case either Hiltz or Mule need to be able to beat their man.

Curious if others feel differently and I am very excited to continue watching this team win!

Nice first post, welcome to the board.

I personally don't see any moves being made, but it's still early in the season. I think for Spallina to be at his most efficient, he needs to run with another X attackman to free him up on the wings. I think Mule is the best bet they have on the team for that role. Rhoa is a pure midfielder who attacks the goal from up top. Birtwistle, I have advocated for being moved to attack, but coaches have never once played him there, and right now he's more of a finisher/crease guy. I think he would take the same place on the field as Spallina. Leo is the intriguing choice, but he's more of a wing dodger, and I think as long as he's drawing short sticks, the staff is happy for him to exploit that. If that changes, then maybe they move him to attack with Mule out of the box. I think the issue with that is he occupies a lot of the same field space as Hiltz. I think the best course of action is to hope Mule just plays a little bit better than he has been.

~1.5 months later was curious to see if people still felt Mule was the best option.
Thoughts on Leo to attack to add a dodging presence since the 3rd attackmen is being covered by a shorty? Cornell is not what one would describe as a "strong" defense and the 3rd attackmen was held to 0,2 with 5 shots, 2 on goal and 2 turnovers. These are wild numbers for a D1 attackmen being covered by a shorty, and not going to help this team go deep in May.

Nothing against the player, but you would expect to have some more production out of a starting attackmen. He should have a chip on his shoulder every time he catches the ball and sees a shorty approaching him.

An attack of Spallina, Hiltz, and Leo with a midfield of English, Stevens and Rhoa/Birt/Thompson would have 3-4 strong dodgers and open up the field.

I think he a solid player, but limited player. I have said Cuse needs to add a dodger to the attack. . You have 2 below average dodgers on the attack and Spallina is average. It isnt that any of them are bad players, but as a unit they are not a great fit. As group it seems to highlight their weaknesses, instead of hiding them.

[Powellfan22]

I am curious with all the midfield depth if anyone sees Leo/Rhoa/Birtwistle sliding down to attack. Spallina already plays the right point on attack, and could play the right wing interchangeably with the 3rd attackmen, leaving Hiltz on the left. My concern for Syracuse would be expecting teams to double pole the midfield, in which case either Hiltz or Mule need to be able to beat their man.

Curious if others feel differently and I am very excited to continue watching this team win!

Nice first post, welcome to the board.

I personally don't see any moves being made, but it's still early in the season. I think for Spallina to be at his most efficient, he needs to run with another X attackman to free him up on the wings. I think Mule is the best bet they have on the team for that role. Rhoa is a pure midfielder who attacks the goal from up top. Birtwistle, I have advocated for being moved to attack, but coaches have never once played him there, and right now he's more of a finisher/crease guy. I think he would take the same place on the field as Spallina. Leo is the intriguing choice, but he's more of a wing dodger, and I think as long as he's drawing short sticks, the staff is happy for him to exploit that. If that changes, then maybe they move him to attack with Mule out of the box. I think the issue with that is he occupies a lot of the same field space as Hiltz. I think the best course of action is to hope Mule just plays a little bit better than he has been.

~1.5 months later was curious to see if people still felt Mule was the best option.
Thoughts on Leo to attack to add a dodging presence since the 3rd attackmen is being covered by a shorty? Cornell is not what one would describe as a "strong" defense and the 3rd attackmen was held to 0,2 with 5 shots, 2 on goal and 2 turnovers. These are wild numbers for a D1 attackmen being covered by a shorty, and not going to help this team go deep in May.

Nothing against the player, but you would expect to have some more production out of a starting attackmen. He should have a chip on his shoulder every time he catches the ball and sees a shorty approaching him.

An attack of Spallina, Hiltz, and Leo with a midfield of English, Stevens and Rhoa/Birt/Thompson would have 3-4 strong dodgers and open up the field.

I think he a solid player, but limited player. I have said Cuse needs to add a dodger to the attack. . You have 2 below average dodgers on the attack and Spallina is average. It isnt that any of them are bad players, but as a unit they are not a great fit. As group it seems to highlight their weaknesses, instead of hiding them.

He was pretty bad against Cornell, no way other way to say it. Among his five shots were some that were wide open, not on the doorstep but pretty close. His turnover late in the game was almost comical in the sense that you just had to laugh at it. For most of the season he's been able to punish teams that put a short stick on him, but for some reason against the Big Red, things just went haywire.

I agree the SU offense would really be helped by a very good dodger, or finisher that you just can't leave. Duke, ND and UVA all have primary finishers at attack, but you would never think of putting a short stick on them. Mule's not at that level. I think overall the SU offense is predicated on ball movement, but sometimes when things get stuck, and no slides are coming, you just need a guy to tell everyone to get out of the way. That said, that player is hard to find. Hopefully Mule bounces back, as I don't think there are any other players on the roster who could do better right now.

[molo]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

[coda]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

[AreaLax]

Pat March having to serve a 1-game suspension against UNC
https://x.com/brentaxemedia/status/1776 ... EO2hFStaxg

[wgdsr]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

[Powellfan22]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

I think difference is the quality of the finishers. You wouldn’t dare leave Dickson and Cormier on a shorty, just like you wouldn’t leave Taylor or Williams. I know teams have tried but they usually pay a price for it. Also at least for Dickson and Cormier it seems they can do enough dodging to make a shorty pay for it. Mule just isn’t at that level. Or at least he wasn’t against Cornell.

[Wheels]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

I think difference is the quality of the finishers. You wouldn’t dare leave Dickson and Cormier on a shorty, just like you wouldn’t leave Taylor or Williams. I know teams have tried but they usually pay a price for it. Also at least for Dickson and Cormier it seems they can do enough dodging to make a shorty pay for it. Mule just isn’t at that level. Or at least he wasn’t against Cornell.

Dickson also developed into a sneaky effective dodger. You can't short Cormier because of his size.

For Syracuse, I'd put Leo at attack just to force a close defender to guard him. Maryland had this issue last year with Dan Kelly. Teams started shorting him, and the double poles in the midfield just gummed up the offense. From what I've seen of Mule, he is a very good finisher; but unlike Cormier, he's small enough that a shorty can get on his arms and hands to disrupt his finishes. Bumping Leo down and drawing that close defender probably opens up more passing lanes, too, for finishes or skip passes. There's something to be said for getting as many athletes on the field as you can. Leo is a very good athlete.

[tech37]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

I think difference is the quality of the finishers. You wouldn’t dare leave Dickson and Cormier on a shorty, just like you wouldn’t leave Taylor or Williams. I know teams have tried but they usually pay a price for it. Also at least for Dickson and Cormier it seems they can do enough dodging to make a shorty pay for it. Mule just isn’t at that level. Or at least he wasn’t against Cornell.

Dickson also developed into a sneaky effective dodger. You can't short Cormier because of his size.

For Syracuse, I'd put Leo at attack just to force a close defender to guard him. Maryland had this issue last year with Dan Kelly. Teams started shorting him, and the double poles in the midfield just gummed up the offense. From what I've seen of Mule, he is a very good finisher; but unlike Cormier, he's small enough that a shorty can get on his arms and hands to disrupt his finishes. Bumping Leo down and drawing that close defender probably opens up more passing lanes, too, for finishes or skip passes. There's something to be said for getting as many athletes on the field as you can. Leo is a very good athlete.

I wouldn't change anything. SU has had success with the lineup as is. They didn't lose the game because Mule had a very bad night or because they don't have enough "athletes" on attack. So many other factors as to why they lost... aside from Mark, might want to look at the defensive end for one. Also, SU had at least a couple opportunities to put Big Red away but shot placement and/or lack of stick fakes made CU goalie look all-world and only helped to build their confidence.

[youthathletics]

I think the absence of the OC for most of the game played a huge part in the outcome. Of course Gait can coach the offense; the problem is that the game plan assumes there will be an OC on the field to participate in coaching. When you lose that set of eyes and have one less person to speak one-on-one to players on the sideline, etc., it can only hurt the rest of the staff's effectiveness.

Somehow, Cornell managed to score 17 goals in regulation without the additional set of eyes of an offensive coach. Matter of fact, there is no offensive coach.

My point was that Syracuse was down a coach and therefore had to adjust the coaching responsibilities of the remaining personnel. That had to have impacted the outcome. I happen to be a long-time Cornell fan and am well aware of the fact that we have no offensive coordinator. I would say the same about Cornell's coaching strategy if Paolo Ciferri got ejected.

I also posed that concern....but I was assured that since ggait played lacrosse 30 years ago, he had no problems, I am sure he is completely Intune with all facets of the O-game plans, individual discussion that took place all week, film breakdown with the OC and his players, and not to mention...each of the situational play calls that take place during TO's and in between OT's. Hell, might as get rid of the DC while their at it, ggait played against defenses so he also knows how to beat them no matter what he sees.

Yes, March's departure at the end of first period was a definite detriment to the Syracuse offense in period 2...when they only scored seven times. Maybe he sneaked into the halftime dressing room and his inspired insights resulted in the offense's brilliant second half performance.

If the sarcastic nonsense you wrote about Gait were true he has no business being a head coach at a Division I school. John Tillman graduated from Cornell 33 years ago and don't tell me he is not involved in Maryland's offense and defense, and that he couldn't step in capably if one of his assistant coaches were disabled during a game. Although, I have to say, watching the 2022 Syracuse- Cornell game on video, it sure appeared that Pietramala was the real coach of the team while Gait stood by and watched.

Maybe you are right and I am as well....by his own words " ~~~ I need to get to work, get up to speed and be well prepared to coach the offense. Also on clears and Man Up b/c those were also his responsibilities as well. ". https://x.com/Tim_Leonard4/status/1776346763349168455

[Laxitup21]

Bumping this thread. Somebody said Christian Mule was their second best scoring option before. Yaa, Idk about that one.

Couldn’t win the big one vs UMD.

Lot of hype on the train early on

Troll. Real brave stuff.

Not at all. I legit asked that question a few weeks back and some poster responds with a one word response “Mule” like he’s The artist Seal or something. Never heard of this transfer until this year so was kind of chuckling to see that play out last night. I don’t see the hype with him and Hiltz is not a dodger either. Leo would make for a fantastic attackmen as well imo. They will need the attack to score to make it far into may.

As I said, this is a nice team but pump the brakes. They didn’t win the big one. Beating Utah, UVM etc is not it. They need to make that step, that’s all I said.

Spallina did not get the better of Zap at all this game. The cuse O is a lot of pretty ball movement and will score their points but as I said, there are only a few superpowers this year ie Duke, UVA, and ND and everyone else. No disrespect to cuse but they always do this with their teams. Front load the home schedule for an extended amount of time with cupcakes (not umd) and never play on the road.

They will need to go 2-0 vs Hop and Army.

Was right about Mule here. Was getting short sticks vs Cornell

[coda]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

I think difference is the quality of the finishers. You wouldn’t dare leave Dickson and Cormier on a shorty, just like you wouldn’t leave Taylor or Williams. I know teams have tried but they usually pay a price for it. Also at least for Dickson and Cormier it seems they can do enough dodging to make a shorty pay for it. Mule just isn’t at that level. Or at least he wasn’t against Cornell.

Dickson also developed into a sneaky effective dodger. You can't short Cormier because of his size.

For Syracuse, I'd put Leo at attack just to force a close defender to guard him. Maryland had this issue last year with Dan Kelly. Teams started shorting him, and the double poles in the midfield just gummed up the offense. From what I've seen of Mule, he is a very good finisher; but unlike Cormier, he's small enough that a shorty can get on his arms and hands to disrupt his finishes. Bumping Leo down and drawing that close defender probably opens up more passing lanes, too, for finishes or skip passes. There's something to be said for getting as many athletes on the field as you can. Leo is a very good athlete.

I wouldn't change anything. SU has had success with the lineup as is. They didn't lose the game because Mule had a very bad night or because they don't have enough "athletes" on attack. So many other factors as to why they lost... aside from Mark, might want to look at the defensive end for one. Also, SU had at least a couple opportunities to put Big Red away but shot placement and/or lack of stick fakes made CU goalie look all-world and only helped to build their confidence.

This is definitely true. The offense scored plenty of goals. My concerns are more about playing higher end teams. The supposed differences between Cornell and Cuse were at the X and on defense. They took care of business at the X. The defense matched Cornell’s poor defense

[coda]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

Slightly different players. There will always be an exception to general rules, which the internet will find. Does not invalidate the point. Dickson is was more of an off ball wizard. His game was more about cutting, than camping out within 10 yards of the crease. He was one of the best off-ball players I have seen. Odd to say that a guy that played most of his career at Middie for UVa was not a capable dodger. Cormier’s size has made him an effective 5-8 yard dodger. He isn’t going to beat you from up top or behind, but he is very effective using his body in short areas to get his shot off. Cormier’s dodging ability is much closer to Spallina, than Mule’s.

[Wheels]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

I think difference is the quality of the finishers. You wouldn’t dare leave Dickson and Cormier on a shorty, just like you wouldn’t leave Taylor or Williams. I know teams have tried but they usually pay a price for it. Also at least for Dickson and Cormier it seems they can do enough dodging to make a shorty pay for it. Mule just isn’t at that level. Or at least he wasn’t against Cornell.

Dickson also developed into a sneaky effective dodger. You can't short Cormier because of his size.

For Syracuse, I'd put Leo at attack just to force a close defender to guard him. Maryland had this issue last year with Dan Kelly. Teams started shorting him, and the double poles in the midfield just gummed up the offense. From what I've seen of Mule, he is a very good finisher; but unlike Cormier, he's small enough that a shorty can get on his arms and hands to disrupt his finishes. Bumping Leo down and drawing that close defender probably opens up more passing lanes, too, for finishes or skip passes. There's something to be said for getting as many athletes on the field as you can. Leo is a very good athlete.

I wouldn't change anything. SU has had success with the lineup as is. They didn't lose the game because Mule had a very bad night or because they don't have enough "athletes" on attack. So many other factors as to why they lost... aside from Mark, might want to look at the defensive end for one. Also, SU had at least a couple opportunities to put Big Red away but shot placement and/or lack of stick fakes made CU goalie look all-world and only helped to build their confidence.

I'm thinking about the playoffs here. Allowing teams to short an attackman in a one-and-done tournament scenario certainly is risky. SU's midfield is very good, and it's deep. If you bump Leo down to attack, pretty sure there's a guy on the 2nd MF line that is really good. SU's already has an issue with attack dodging. Hiltz isn't a dodger. Spallina has trouble against top cover guys from Top 10 teams. And Mule gets shorted already. It's all putting so much pressure on the midfield. Guess we'll find out.

[JeremyCuse]

Actually, some teams have tried to short Cormier but haven’t had much success with the strategy.

Yes… you can have a straight finisher and be fine, if have some dodgers around him. Though UVa ride has suffered, compared to prior Lars teams. Tiernan (Michigan) and Cormier are at the top of the nation is goals per game, but you wouldn’t want both of them on your attack. 1 makes your attack great, 2 and it’s becomes questionable

uva had 2 finishers at attack last year and scored over 17 gpg. you can have all kinds of offenses. this is the syracuse thread. my 2 cents they didn't play the second half good enough. and yeah, maybe they don't have a late game guy yet. but that's not a death knell, either.

I think difference is the quality of the finishers. You wouldn’t dare leave Dickson and Cormier on a shorty, just like you wouldn’t leave Taylor or Williams. I know teams have tried but they usually pay a price for it. Also at least for Dickson and Cormier it seems they can do enough dodging to make a shorty pay for it. Mule just isn’t at that level. Or at least he wasn’t against Cornell.

Dickson also developed into a sneaky effective dodger. You can't short Cormier because of his size.

For Syracuse, I'd put Leo at attack just to force a close defender to guard him. Maryland had this issue last year with Dan Kelly. Teams started shorting him, and the double poles in the midfield just gummed up the offense. From what I've seen of Mule, he is a very good finisher; but unlike Cormier, he's small enough that a shorty can get on his arms and hands to disrupt his finishes. Bumping Leo down and drawing that close defender probably opens up more passing lanes, too, for finishes or skip passes. There's something to be said for getting as many athletes on the field as you can. Leo is a very good athlete.

I wouldn't change anything. SU has had success with the lineup as is. They didn't lose the game because Mule had a very bad night or because they don't have enough "athletes" on attack. So many other factors as to why they lost... aside from Mark, might want to look at the defensive end for one. Also, SU had at least a couple opportunities to put Big Red away but shot placement and/or lack of stick fakes made CU goalie look all-world and only helped to build their confidence.

I'm thinking about the playoffs here. Allowing teams to short an attackman in a one-and-done tournament scenario certainly is risky. SU's midfield is very good, and it's deep. If you bump Leo down to attack, pretty sure there's a guy on the 2nd MF line that is really good. SU's already has an issue with attack dodging. Hiltz isn't a dodger. Spallina has trouble against top cover guys from Top 10 teams. And Mule gets shorted already. It's all putting so much pressure on the midfield. Guess we'll find out.

Dup