Syracuse held its first scrimmages of the preseason on Saturday in the Ensley Athletic Center. The Orange defeated Le Moyne, 10-1, in the only half of play that was open to media members, and lost earlier in the day to Hofstra, 9-8.
With the departure of seven starters and both wings on the faceoff unit from last season, Syracuse head coach John Desko is still doing plenty of mixing and matching.
Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s first games of 2016.
Ben Williams is healthy, and his success will be even more pivotal this year
After dealing with an offseason shoulder procedure, Syracuse’s faceoff man is at full-go. He converted 12 of his 19 opportunities at the X on Saturday, including a 5-for-6 performance against Le Moyne.
Williams, a junior, is coming off his first season with the Orange as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leader in faceoff percentage. He scored three times last year from the X, and Desko said he’d like to take further advantage of Williams’ athleticism, keeping him on the field longer past the moment he takes the faceoff.
“(Williams) shoots the ball pretty well on the run, which not a lot of face-off guys do,” Desko said. “So I think that’s an added threat and (if we’re) getting the right matchup in the right situation we’d hope to take advantage of that.”
Cal Paduda backed up Williams at the X, and went 5-for-12 in faceoff attempts between both scrimmages.
Syracuse will roll out a more balanced midfield unit this year
The Orange arguably started five attack nearly every game last year, but the offensive-oriented Hakeem Lecky and Nicky Galasso had to slot in as midfielders. SU graduated its entire first-line midfield, which accounted for nearly a quarter of the team’s points last year.
Saturday showcased a variety of midfield units, with Tim Barber, Sergio Salcido and transfer Nick Mariano a likely trio to get the starting nod. Barber scored four goals between the two scrimmages, including an acrobatic shot as he was falling down about 5 yards in front of the crease.
Salcido added a goal against Hofstra, and his speed on the outside is a big reason the Orange expects a more even performance from its middies this season.
“This year it’s a lot more balanced,” Barber said. “It’s not just the offensive guys that are going to be staying out there, we’re definitely going to be pushing the ball in transition a lot.”
With two weeks until the season opener, there’s still a lot to prove
There’s no definitive way for Syracuse to handle losing five of its top six goal-scorers from a year ago. Junior Jordan Evans said he’s excited to return on attack, a position he vacated the past two years so he could get playing time as a midfielder. He scored twice against Le Moyne, running the offense without Dylan Donahue, who sat out to rest.
“I felt more comfortable today,” Evans said. “It was good to get our offense flowing in this game.”
Nick Piroli, a transfer from Brown, didn’t score on Saturday but will likely stand alongside Donahue and Evans as the third attack.
Defensively, Syracuse returns more starters than any other spot with Jay McDermott and Brandon Mullins anchoring the back line again. The third spot will be filled by freshman Nick Mellen, who didn’t shy away from contact against several of Le Moyne’s attacks.
He stands to be the youngest starter on the field for the Orange this season, something Desko embraces.
“He’s got great quickness in his feet and ability to cover people and clear the ball,” Desko said. “… He’s just someone we’re trying to get as much experience as a freshman as possible with this group.”
