One goal contest leans in favor of Syracuse men's lacrosse

Despite winning only four of 22 faceoffs, Syracuse beat Yale 11-10 in the NCAA First Round on Sunday. 

After SU's Ben Williams won the opening faceoff, he lost the next six and was subsequently pulled for Dan Varello during the second quarter. Both Williams and Varello would be used on faceoffs for the remainder of the game.

SU goalie Evan Molloy, who finished the game with 15 saves, said that despite the off night for Williams he knows that he will step up in a future game.

Photo: Morgan Bulman

Midfielder Sergio Salcido signs a fan's t-shirt following Syracuse's victory over Yale on Sunday.

Syracuse got on the board early as Sergio Salcido found Brendan Bomberry for his 27th goal of the season. Molloy was called into the game early on, making some quick saves, including one bouncing in front of the net. During the start of the game, Yale had a series of long possessions, something Molloy noticed and used to his advantage. However, Yale scored back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead early. The second goal came from a late switch onto Yale’s Joseph Sessa, who slotted the ball passed Molloy. Both teams traded goals to end the first quarter, concluding with a long distance score from Salcido, his 17th of the year. 

Yale attacker Ben Reeves was a thorn in the Syracuse defense the entire game. He had a pair of goals and assists by halftime. His second goal of the evening came after running around the back of the goal and putting the ball high above Molloy.

The start of the third quarter did not start well at the faceoff for Syracuse either. A violation on Varrelo lead to a Yale possession. Following the shot clock turned on, a goal by Yale freshman attack Jackson Morrill increased its lead on the Orange to 3, which ended up being their largest of the game.

Syracuse began to turn the game around after having man-up opportunities during the third quarter. Following a quick amount of shots by the Syracuse offense, they capitalized on a goal by Brad Voigt, his 10th of the season to cut the Orange deficit to one.

Yale’s Matt Gaudet scored to increase the lead back to two, but Syracuse bounced back. Three goals to conclude the quarter through Nick Mariano, Jordan Evans and Jamie Trimboli brought Syracuse its first lead in 27 minutes and the crowd to its feet.

Both teams had chances to start the fourth quarter and Syracuse’s Ryan Simmons finally scored following a succession of passes by the Orange. However, Yale’s Reeves appeared again with two straight goals to tie the game at 10. Reeves is one of five finalists for the Tewaarton Award, given to the top collegiate lacrosse player each year.

SU head coach John Desko called timeout with 3:12 remaining in the game, where he intended on creating the play to win the game. A succession of passes led to Evans finding Stephen Rehfuss, who placed the ball passed Yale goalie and brought the home crowd to its feet. 

A late turnover by Yale in the final minutes was caused by Molloy, who finished with 15 saves.

Desko praised Molloy on his defensive abilities throughout the game.

Syracuse will play Towson in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 21 at noon. The game is taking place in Newark, Del.