Powellfan
Renowned lacrosse analyst
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 5,903
- Like
- 9,564
Well, its hard to beleive we are looking at our first Syracuse lacrosse game in almost a year, but a lot from this past year has been hard to beleive. Very excited for Sunday and very grateful for each game we get this season. This SU team has as much talent as any Orange team in the last 10 years, but they have a difficult schedule that starts out with a real test in Army, who always gives the Orange a tough game.
The key against Army is figuring out a way to stop Brendan Nichtern. This is of course easier said than done, as Nichtern is extreamly good at both scoring and passing. He is the proverbial straw that stirs the drink. He is a high volume player that dominates the ball for Army. Against UVA he had 10 shots (finishing with just two goals) but also had three assists. Very strong, very fast, there aren't a lot of holes in his game. I expect Brett Kennedy to get this matchup, as the two faced off last season in a tale of two halves. Nichtern dominated the first half scoring two goals and dishing two assists, but didn't register a point in the second half. Kennedy will have to be physical but smart, he got into foul trouble a few times last year against some of the more physical attackmen. Aiden Byrnes for Army also looks like a good player, he had 3 goals and brings good size - no other Black Knight had more than a point against UVa.
The other issue Syracuse will be facing is Wyatt Schlupper in goal - he is very athletic and does not let up easy goals. He was overshadowed by Porter last year but he finished his last outing in the Dome with 16 saves. he had 11 saves against UVA, not his best outing but UVA has some explosive shooters. I expect he'll be better against Syracuse (all Army goalies seemingly are). Also Army has a very good defender in Marcus Hudgins, who also didn't play his best game against Virginia (Matt Moore had a hat-trick). I imagine he will get the Rhefuss matchup. Hudgins was flanked by two absolute physical monsters with Jack Weigand and Kyle Beyer both checking in at 6'3 220. Seriously, they are huge. The Orange of course have a very slight attack unit, so will be interesting to see who has the upper hand. The SU attack was nowhere to be seen last year and they will have to be better this time around.
Lastly, it seems as though Army picked up where they left off last year in the face-off department, winning just 9-25 against UVA. Phaup and Varello should do well here as they went 16-19 against the Knights last year (though Army does have a different fogo, in the 6'3 James Pryor). Even more worrisome for the Knights was they did not clear well at all against the Cavs, failing on almost half of all attempts (10-19). That is really bad. Hopefully Griffin Cook and the gang can cause as many headaches for Army, but with this being Syracuse's first game of the year after a shortened preseason, they may also have some trouble clearing the ball.
Despite all the possession issues, I think if they had shot the ball better, the score against UVA could have been a lot closer for the Knights. Syracuse will have to bring their all to this game, as its not just an opponent they struggle against usually, but one who has a game under their belt and two extra weeks of practice (and a scrimmage against Bryant). So there is lots for SU to catch up on. The good news is the bring back lots of experience in a number of fifth year players that Army cannot draw on. I think SU takes this one, but I think it might be closer than it should be given that SU just hasn't had a typical start up to the season. There will be bumps along the way. The key for me is the SU attack, they just have to perform better than they did last year, when they registered double donut holes.
Sorry that went long, but gosh darn I am excited for SU lacrosse.
The key against Army is figuring out a way to stop Brendan Nichtern. This is of course easier said than done, as Nichtern is extreamly good at both scoring and passing. He is the proverbial straw that stirs the drink. He is a high volume player that dominates the ball for Army. Against UVA he had 10 shots (finishing with just two goals) but also had three assists. Very strong, very fast, there aren't a lot of holes in his game. I expect Brett Kennedy to get this matchup, as the two faced off last season in a tale of two halves. Nichtern dominated the first half scoring two goals and dishing two assists, but didn't register a point in the second half. Kennedy will have to be physical but smart, he got into foul trouble a few times last year against some of the more physical attackmen. Aiden Byrnes for Army also looks like a good player, he had 3 goals and brings good size - no other Black Knight had more than a point against UVa.
The other issue Syracuse will be facing is Wyatt Schlupper in goal - he is very athletic and does not let up easy goals. He was overshadowed by Porter last year but he finished his last outing in the Dome with 16 saves. he had 11 saves against UVA, not his best outing but UVA has some explosive shooters. I expect he'll be better against Syracuse (all Army goalies seemingly are). Also Army has a very good defender in Marcus Hudgins, who also didn't play his best game against Virginia (Matt Moore had a hat-trick). I imagine he will get the Rhefuss matchup. Hudgins was flanked by two absolute physical monsters with Jack Weigand and Kyle Beyer both checking in at 6'3 220. Seriously, they are huge. The Orange of course have a very slight attack unit, so will be interesting to see who has the upper hand. The SU attack was nowhere to be seen last year and they will have to be better this time around.
Lastly, it seems as though Army picked up where they left off last year in the face-off department, winning just 9-25 against UVA. Phaup and Varello should do well here as they went 16-19 against the Knights last year (though Army does have a different fogo, in the 6'3 James Pryor). Even more worrisome for the Knights was they did not clear well at all against the Cavs, failing on almost half of all attempts (10-19). That is really bad. Hopefully Griffin Cook and the gang can cause as many headaches for Army, but with this being Syracuse's first game of the year after a shortened preseason, they may also have some trouble clearing the ball.
Despite all the possession issues, I think if they had shot the ball better, the score against UVA could have been a lot closer for the Knights. Syracuse will have to bring their all to this game, as its not just an opponent they struggle against usually, but one who has a game under their belt and two extra weeks of practice (and a scrimmage against Bryant). So there is lots for SU to catch up on. The good news is the bring back lots of experience in a number of fifth year players that Army cannot draw on. I think SU takes this one, but I think it might be closer than it should be given that SU just hasn't had a typical start up to the season. There will be bumps along the way. The key for me is the SU attack, they just have to perform better than they did last year, when they registered double donut holes.
Sorry that went long, but gosh darn I am excited for SU lacrosse.