Syracuse Lacrosse: Rivalry Game Versus Virginia Preview

Anyone that follows college lacrosse knows one thing: the Syracuse-Virginia rivalry is special. So what does this weekend’s game have in store for us? Inside the Loud House previews the Top-10 matchup.

Syracuse Lacrosse just picked up their first loss of the season in a nail biter to Army. Syracuse looked outplayed and outworked most of the game. They are still very talented and surely could still win it all, but they have to be more motivated. The Orange will have to regroup fast as they play rival Virginia on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome in the ACC opener for both teams.

The Orange are 2-1 this year, but their loss was against a quality, but unranked (at the time) Army team. Virginia on the other hand is 4-1, according to VirginiaSports.com and and their only loss was versus a Penn team that was ranked 20th when they faced them. Now Syracuse and Virginia are set to square off as Top 10 opponents.

According to NCAA.com, their Inside Lacrosse Rankings Virginia and Syracuse are ranked 9th and 10th respectively. These rankings only add fuel to fire of what is already a storied rivalry between these two.

Next: Syracuse Lacrosse: Orange Fall Short, Lose Nail-Biter to Army

Syracuse Lacrosse Rivalry Versus Virginia:

Ever since I was little, I was someone who listened to Syracuse Lacrosse games on the radio just as fervently as if it was Syracuse Basketball playing. I’m a huge fan of the sport, not to mention Syracuse Lacrosse is great almost every year. So when I hear Virginia is playing Syracuse, I know what’s at stake.

Memories of close calls, nailbiters, and ridiculous calls from the officials flood back to me and I want nothing better than the Orange to punish the Cavaliers. These two know each other very well, and conference realignment, which led Syracuse to the ACC, only made the rivalry all the more glorious.

Enough about the rivalry though let’s preview the matchup:

Scoring Offense:

Defensive Ranks:

Syracuse has an edge in this category as Virginia isn’t even in the top 50 in terms of scoring defense. Syracuse only allows 9.67 goals per game, (about 10) good for 27th in the nation, according to NCAA.com statistics. Bucknell, who is last on the list of the top 50 scoring defenses teams allows 12.25 goals per game. That means Virginia allows (at least) more than 12 goals per game, which is good for Syracuse. Since Syracuse has a solid offense and Virginia seemingly has a more porous defense it looks favorable for the Orange.

Advantage: Syracuse

Home Field Advantage:

Being at home is surprisingly not actually very helpful in this rivalry. The teams have played pretty evenly at each others home field. Since 2002, according to Cuse.com lacrosse schedules, Syracuse is 3-3 at Syracuse, while 3-4 in Charlottesville. The last time Syracuse lost in the Carrier Dome to Virginia was 8 years ago (2009) though. That game Syracuse came in #1 in the nation and Virginia #2. The final score was a close one, like many others in this matchup (as said before),12-13.

Home Field Advantage: Leans toward Syracuse

Head-to-Head record:

This statistic is probably my favorite and shows the rivalry better than anything else. In the 32 matchups these two teams have had over the years, the record head to head is 16-16, according to NunesMagician.com. Not only that, the teams have combined to score exactly the same number of goals. They each have 416 goals against each other. So no one has bragging rights on winning record or goals scored against the other. That’s how close these matchups have been in the 22 years we have faced them.

Advantage: Tied

Last Year’s Matchup:

Syracuse Lacrosse beat the Virginia Cavaliers in another close game. Syracuse (#3) beat Virginia (#17) 14-13 in Charlottesville, VA. It was a senior led party in the scoring column. Senior Midfielder Tim Barber led Syracuse with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Senior Attacker Dylan Donahue chipped in 2 goals and 3 assists. Derek Dejoe, a Senior Midfielder also got in on the action with 3 goals of his own. Nick Mariano, now a Senior, and the leader and star of this years team added 3 goals as well. Here are the Youtube highlights from last years game:

My Prediction: 14-13, Syracuse wins.

I think the same score as last year is in order for this year’s game. These games are almost always close and Syracuse wants to continue the home winning streak they’ve had against Virginia alive. The Orange will play much improved after losing last week to Army. Syracuse pulls out another close game and find a way to squeak out the win. The Orange defense makes some key stops in the fourth quarter and holds off a late surge by the Cavaliers.

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