As more youngsters are being introduced to the lacrosse world, NCAA Division I lacrosse is slowly, but surely, on the rise. A few years ago, the level of play dropped off significantly after the top 10 teams, but as the sport’s popularity has continued to expand, the competition has grown as well. This seems to have hurt the Hoyas, as a much-improved St. John’s Red Storm proved on Saturday when they defeated Georgetown 10-9 in a close matchup.
Coming off a big win against Maryland, the Hoyas started off with less zeal than usual. From the start, they had trouble gaining possession with face-offs, and the Red Storm controlled the tempo of the game early on. As a result, the Hoyas became visibly impatient on the offensive side of the field.
Difficulties arose on the defensive end as well. Georgetown’s defenders had trouble clearing the ball, making it difficult to obtain valuable possessions.
Not all was unsuccessful for the Hoyas on Saturday, however, as the team proved it could rally late in the game. Trailing 8-4 after three quarters, the Hoyas were able to cut the lead to 8-6 with goals from juniors Andrew Brancaccio and Rickey Mirabito.
Entering the final two minutes trailing by three points, the Hoyas scored two quick goals, with junior Scott Kocis playing a part in both, tallying an assist and a goal. Much of the Hoyas’ success late in the game was due to senior Dan Vinson, who won possessions for Georgetown on seven of 12 face-offs. However, Vinson’s performance proved to be too little too late for the squad.
The Hoyas will look to rebound this week as they face off against the Syracuse Orange, who are coming off a hard-fought loss to Virginia. Syracuse has traditionally played a fast-paced offense, led by a stellar attack force that includes All-American Kenny Nims and young gun Stephen Keogh. Nims accounted for 34 goals and 24 assists last season, and Keogh started in all 18 games and tallied 20 goals as a freshman in 2008.
“Syracuse is a very explosive offensive team,” Hoyas’ head coach Dave Urick said. “They’re the kind of team that can put you in dire straits real quick.”
The Hoyas will look to limit the offensive runs of the Orangemen. To do so they will need to be more successful facing off in order to keep the ball in their own hands, and they will need to play ground balls more aggressively than they did against St. John’s. Georgetown will also need consistent and strong performances out of its defensive players, Barney Ehrmann, Eric Bicknese, and Stevie Bauer. Finally, goalie Jack Davis may have to come up with some big saves against this explosive Syracuse attack if the Hoyas hope to control the momentum of the game early.
Face off is Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Multi-Sport Field.
