It was another easy day for the Orange men's lacrosse team as it cruised by the St. John's Red Storm in the inaugural Big East lacrosse tournament championship. Syracuse shut down St. John's in the first half, heading into the locker room up 7-0. The second half was a lot more relaxed. The Orange got a lot of subs into the game and ended up with a 12-4 victory.
Here are my three thoughts from the game:
1. Consistency is key...
I used this same thought earlier this season, but in a negative sense. Earlier in the year, the Orange couldn't put a good 60-minutes of lacrosse together and that was its downfall. Fans would see moments of greatness during one half and a terrible performance the next. On Thursday against Villanova and again against St. John's, the Orange have been playing consistent and both games have been blowouts. That really shows the power this team has when its clicking. All the guys expected to play well are now playing well. One senior who is really shining is Tommy Palasek [13] during his final year in Orange. He had six points today on three goals and three assists. He was named the MVP.
2. Wardwell is bursting with confidence...
Freshman Bobby Wardwell [14] has finally figured things out. It took him a while to gain that confidence in net. But that's expected for a guy who didn't start until half-way through the year. After a first-half shutout today, his confidence is as high as it has been all year heading into a crucial time, the NCAA Tournament. Wardwell finished the day with seven saves and he only gave up three goals. With about six-minutes left in the game, Dominica Lamolinara [15] entered the game to replace Wardwell, just because coach Desko was trying to get a lot of different guys into the game.
3. Syracuse is a headache for high seeds...
The top eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament get home-field advantage in the first round. Syracuse will earn a seed somewhere in the 9-to-16 range and will travel to a top seed's school. With the way the Orange have been playing lately, opposing schools wont be happy to welcome Syracuse to town. A couple likely options are UMass and North Carlolina, but that's subject to change. Regardless of where the Orange ends up, it'll most likely be the toughest first-round match-up a team will face.
