Syracuse Lacrosse: Post Game Recap- Rivalry Game Versus Virginia

Syracuse Lacrosse got a statement win against #9 Virginia on Sunday. The rivalry game tested each teams mettle, but in the end the Orange came out victorious 14-13. Inside the Loud House recaps the game.

Syracuse Lacrosse, by all rights, should have lost this game. Down multiple times throughout the contest, and with no momentum, the game looked over midway through. Even I, one of the most devout Syracuse fans (if I may say so myself) almost turned off my monitor ( I was watching it on WatchESPN). It looked like it wasn’t going to be Syracuse’s day.

Then, things changed and the game did an entire 180. It was everything this rivalry was and is. Close, tense, and a nailbiter. If you read my last post about this rivalry, you’ll see most Syracuse-Virginia lacrosse games are decided by a goal or less. These game are almost always close and whoever scores at the end usually pulls out the victory.

Next: Syracuse Lacrosse: Rivalry Game Versus Virginia Preview

Today’s game was more of the same. Syracuse wearing their throwback unis and the old fashioned SU logo never gave up. When the game got out of reach in the third, they found out their identity. Rather than give up, they fought back and made a game of it. Every Syracuse Lacrosse fan knows if you push SU’s buttons they’ll respond; and respond they did. So let’s dive into the game shall we.

First Half:

The Orange started off slow, trailing early 1-4 before finally awaking right before the first quarter ended to tie up the score at 4-4. In the second quarter, Virginia Attacker Michael Kraus took off. He tallied 3 goals in that period. Virginia would tack on one more and Syracuse would go scoreless in that quarter. Considering Syracuse’s offense that is quite an astounding defensive feat! At halftime the score was 8-4 according to Syracuse.com.

The Pivotal Third Quarter:

Virginia continued strong to start out the third with a score, but Syracuse Lacrosse would match. Unfortunately, Virginia would strike again to make the score a five goal advantage of 10-5. At that point all the momentum was favoring Virginia.

However, Syracuse held defensively for several minutes and kept the lead at only five. There were several possessions where The Cavaliers had a chance to go up six and couldn’t finish. Luckily, Virginia’s lack of success led to good offense for Syracuse. The Orange made them pay time and time again.

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Syracuse would get within one late in the third quarter at 10-9. For fans in attendance this was an extraordinary feat considering how the rest of the game had played out.

The Orange down 10-5 midway through the third got four goals in a row by Jamie Trimboli, Nate Solomon, Matthew Lane, and Brendan Bomberry. The fact that 4 different players scored during this four-nothing Orange run made the comeback even more impressive.

Unfortunately, near the end of the third quarter of play, Virginia would get a goal from the dreaded Michael Kraus. After three quarters of play, Syracuse lacrosse was down 2 at 11-9, but very much in the game. The Orange outscored the Cavaliers 5-3 in the third.

The Comeback Fourth Quarter:

In the fourth, Syracuse Lacrosse kept the momentum going. They got two early goals from Solomon and Sergio Salcido to tie the game at 11. The two sides would trade goals to tie the score at 13-13 with 5:45 left. Syracuse and Virginia would play possession for the last few minutes, but it was Syracuse who got the ball last.

Under a minute to play, Salcido ripped a nasty shot with 15.1 second left in to give Syracuse its first and only lead of the game at 14-13 according to NunesMagician.com. The Orange would go on to win by that score. Salcido described it this way to the Daily Orange:

"“When I got the ball, I looked over and they were shutting everyone and making me take the matchup they liked. I knew my team needed me to make a play.”"

Highlights & Coach Post-Game Reaction:

Check out the replay of the game winning shot by Salcido below:

Coach John Desko couldn’t hide his pride when he had this to say after the game (via Syracuse.com):

"“I thought our guys played hard the whole way, especially in the second half being down like we were down. To be able to pick away at it and get back into it, and win it at the end, is a great win for Syracuse today. I’m proud of the way our guys played down the stretch. When you’re in the ACC and you have four ACC games, we’ve just won 25 percent of them. So it was a good win for us. Hopefully it’s going to be a good win for us come tournament time.”"

Stats & Records and a Look Ahead:

As for stats from the game, Virginia’s Michael Kraus had four goals and two assists to lead the Cavaliers. Meanwhile Salcido, who had the game winning goal, had two goals, while Solomon and Lane had 3 goals and 2 assists each to lead the Orange, according to Cuse.com.

The Orange improve to 3-1 record on the year, while the Cavaliers falls to 4-2, according to Syracuse. More importantly, for the time being Syracuse leads in the rivalry 17-16. The Orange also now hold the 1 point edge at 430-429.

Additionally, they continue their streak of not losing to the Cavaliers in the Dome since 2009. Ben Williams, with seven ground-balls today set an all-time program record with 287. That’s quite a feat for the senior.

Syracuse Lacrosse takes on St. John’s in Queen’s, NY for their first road game of the season next Saturday. The Red Storm are 1-4 on the year.