A few quick thoughts on UVA and Army | Syracusefan.com

A few quick thoughts on UVA and Army

JeremyCuse

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Meant to get this out earlier but as often happens you blink and Sat becomes Wednesday.

Won't get to in depth into the UVA game but needless to say it was a less then stellar performance. I thought we had a chance but only if Phaup could dominate again which after the first few draws was clearly not going to happen. Though he battled well but the lack of any depth behind him and abysmal wing play skewed his numbers. Speaking of wing play SU has to change somehting up there, we look lost. Get Kennedy back there (yes I know he's playing close but it can be done) and get me a few different looks at SSDM until we can catch lightning in a bottle. At this point I'd even give Curry a run or two and let use his speed as it's not doing us much good on offense. Savage has to also be put in for a handful of draws a game, Phaup needs some rest and you have to have Savage ready should Phaup get injured much less next year.

Offensively the team is all over the place. Much of the hyperbole from the off-season was just that hyperbole. Were not looking to run, not doing much in the way of new or "freer" offensive sets and we went from playing 3 midlines under Desko to essentially 1.25. I am unclear what Gait and March are trying to do but its not working and isn't sustainable for the entire season. SU has to run a second mid line occasionally and when Berkman is struggling to make an impact against a shorty get Birtwistle or Ferris in there for a few runs to change things up. I am not going to crush Curry, this is who he is as a player, on for a game then a non factor for a few games then another big game and then 1-20 for shooting. It's not a knock its just his MO his entire career here, anyone expecting anything different wasn't being honest. Quinn has been excellent so far and Cook showed some flashes on Sat but my god the turnovers and bad decisions make you want to jump through the TV and shake him. No idea why were not seeing more of Buttermore, Cordes, COrsi or Birtwistle, beyond a few runs in the 1st quarter. Birtwistle got open twice and had some good looks against UVA in the 1st and then never saw the field again. WHY? Man up also needs work, odd mix of players. Ball movement needs to be a lot faster and why Buttermore isn't out there is mindboggling.

Defensively the team is still a work in progress. Clearing and bad bounces cost SU at least 6 goals against UVA and thats probably conservative. Lack of physicality on the D end beyond Kennedy and a few others is glaring. Thought the SSDMs were better but Dami and Rick can't match up with Shutz. He has to be poled or you give Murphy a short stick one or the other. Caccamo getting on the field was great to see, I suspect he will play a ton today. Fraterrigo (sp) should probably be bumped back to LSM as Olexo has been a bit uneven. Team really misses Clary, getting him back soon would really be a boost. Gavin has been pretty good, tough to draw much from the two top teams in back to back games and he had a few great saves that could have made both scores a lot worse. Off ball D has to tighten up and SU HAS to be better with ground balls and clearing, it killed them against UVA. I hate to call him out but Aviles had one of the worst turnovers I have ever seen from an SU player in my life late Sat. He crossed midfield on a clear and then turtled up like he had never cleared against a defender when a UVA pole approached him. He kept backing up until he nearly went over the midfield and then through a backward pass that did go over and back. He is a former all state middie I don't know what that was but that was horrific and maybe why SU isn't pressing more with middies on clearing or transition. Aviles is a good player and a former all-state Middie at a powerhouse program. Him panicking there was a bad sign.

As for the Army game, not an ideal opponent with the issues SU is having right now as Army crushes mistakes and its defense is always a nightmare for SU and that's with way more talented offenses then what SU has right now. That said there are some areas that SU may have an advantage in. Marcus Hudgins hasnt' played all year for Army and as their top defender its a massive loss (similar to us losing Hiltz). The other Sr starter Wiegand has only played 1 game which was NJIT as wgdsr pointed he's either just coming back from injury or was beat out ( I believe its the former). Army is now starting a Freshmen, a Jr Deacon Donaldson who barely played last year and Sr. Bryan Lehman who played in six games last year. While Schupler is still in goal and a pain in the @ss for sure, the D in front of him looks a lot different then it did in the pre-season. Doesn't mean we should expect an offensive explosion today but if Hudgins is still out and Wiegand doesn't start SU should have more opportunities. I am not as familiar with Army's SSDM but their usually good size and a problem so I wouldn't expect anything less. Will be interested to see how Curry and Dordevic fare today and if we see some additional bodies as Army usually doesn't have a ton of depth and can get worn down. Schupler is a veyr good goalie but if you can get to him early he will sometimes struggle (see the Rutty game). Varying shot angles and placement will be key.

Nothing earth shattering really stands out regarding other aspects of the game. Kennedy will likely draw Nichtern to start and I assume the staff will see how it goes before making any changes. SU will need to be slow to slide as Nichtern is the key to everything Army does offensively and won't hesitate to pass if SU slides to quickly. Caccamo did a real nice job on Moore in the 2nd half of last weeks game so he maybe an option here if Kenendy struggles. That said tough to ask a Freshmen to step in there and Moore was coming off an injury so its unclear how much he was hobbled. Still Caccamo looked impressive and I wouldn't be shocked if he got the call if Kennedy struggled. Kennedy's been OK so far, two really tough matchups in a row where I thought he did OK, not great but not terrible either. Kennedy is very familiar with Nichtern, would really like to see him play well today. From an overall defensive standpoint if I am SU I might consider shutting of Nichtern ala Teat a few years ago and seeing if Army can beat me with someone else. It's tough to pull off but when done right is very effective. Army has other good players in Burek, Abshire, Morin and Byrnes but Nichtern is far and away the key to their offense. If you can limit him or shut him down Army will struggle mightily to score. They have gone to Paul Johnson the 4th attackmen to spark the offense a bit and he's scored 8 goals and kept them in the Rutty game. He should draw the #2 pole whenever he is in the game. Burek is the top middie point and assist wise so I assume he draws Olexxo.

Overall this is a tough game for SU coming off a physical and somewhat draining game against UVA just 4 days before. SU will need to go deeper in its bench offensively and defensively they have to clean up the errors and clearing issues. Phaup should have an advantage though Army's backup is getting more and more run and has outplayed the Sr starter Grabher. Still Phaup should be the best FOGO on the filed but SU's wing play will need to be light years better. Hard to see this being anything but those classic SU vs Army matchups that see-saw between a 1-2 goal lead for one team. From an SU standpoint its pretty much a must win if this team has aspirations about contending for an NCAA bid and thats not hyperbole. Personally I don't love the timing or scheduling of the game but Gait set it up like this so now he needs to go and get the W. A 1-3 start while not overly surprising given the schedule could lead to the wheels coming completely off when you look at the schedule ahead.
 
Meant to get this out earlier but as often happens you blink and Sat becomes Wednesday.

Won't get to in depth into the UVA game but needless to say it was a less then stellar performance. I thought we had a chance but only if Phaup could dominate again which after the first few draws was clearly not going to happen. Though he battled well but the lack of any depth behind him and abysmal wing play skewed his numbers. Speaking of wing play SU has to change somehting up there, we look lost. Get Kennedy back there (yes I know he's playing close but it can be done) and get me a few different looks at SSDM until we can catch lightning in a bottle. At this point I'd even give Curry a run or two and let use his speed as it's not doing us much good on offense. Savage has to also be put in for a handful of draws a game, Phaup needs some rest and you have to have Savage ready should Phaup get injured much less next year.

Offensively the team is all over the place. Much of the hyperbole from the off-season was just that hyperbole. Were not looking to run, not doing much in the way of new or "freer" offensive sets and we went from playing 3 midlines under Desko to essentially 1.25. I am unclear what Gait and March are trying to do but its not working and isn't sustainable for the entire season. SU has to run a second mid line occasionally and when Berkman is struggling to make an impact against a shorty get Birtwistle or Ferris in there for a few runs to change things up. I am not going to crush Curry, this is who he is as a player, on for a game then a non factor for a few games then another big game and then 1-20 for shooting. It's not a knock its just his MO his entire career here, anyone expecting anything different wasn't being honest. Quinn has been excellent so far and Cook showed some flashes on Sat but my god the turnovers and bad decisions make you want to jump through the TV and shake him. No idea why were not seeing more of Buttermore, Cordes, COrsi or Birtwistle, beyond a few runs in the 1st quarter. Birtwistle got open twice and had some good looks against UVA in the 1st and then never saw the field again. WHY? Man up also needs work, odd mix of players. Ball movement needs to be a lot faster and why Buttermore isn't out there is mindboggling.

Defensively the team is still a work in progress. Clearing and bad bounces cost SU at least 6 goals against UVA and thats probably conservative. Lack of physicality on the D end beyond Kennedy and a few others is glaring. Thought the SSDMs were better but Dami and Rick can't match up with Shutz. He has to be poled or you give Murphy a short stick one or the other. Caccamo getting on the field was great to see, I suspect he will play a ton today. Fraterrigo (sp) should probably be bumped back to LSM as Olexo has been a bit uneven. Team really misses Clary, getting him back soon would really be a boost. Gavin has been pretty good, tough to draw much from the two top teams in back to back games and he had a few great saves that could have made both scores a lot worse. Off ball D has to tighten up and SU HAS to be better with ground balls and clearing, it killed them against UVA. I hate to call him out but Aviles had one of the worst turnovers I have ever seen from an SU player in my life late Sat. He crossed midfield on a clear and then turtled up like he had never cleared against a defender when a UVA pole approached him. He kept backing up until he nearly went over the midfield and then through a backward pass that did go over and back. He is a former all state middie I don't know what that was but that was horrific and maybe why SU isn't pressing more with middies on clearing or transition. Aviles is a good player and a former all-state Middie at a powerhouse program. Him panicking there was a bad sign.

As for the Army game, not an ideal opponent with the issues SU is having right now as Army crushes mistakes and its defense is always a nightmare for SU and that's with way more talented offenses then what SU has right now. That said there are some areas that SU may have an advantage in. Marcus Hudgins hasnt' played all year for Army and as their top defender its a massive loss (similar to us losing Hiltz). The other Sr starter Wiegand has only played 1 game which was NJIT as wgdsr pointed he's either just coming back from injury or was beat out ( I believe its the former). Army is now starting a Freshmen, a Jr Deacon Donaldson who barely played last year and Sr. Bryan Lehman who played in six games last year. While Schupler is still in goal and a pain in the @ss for sure, the D in front of him looks a lot different then it did in the pre-season. Doesn't mean we should expect an offensive explosion today but if Hudgins is still out and Wiegand doesn't start SU should have more opportunities. I am not as familiar with Army's SSDM but their usually good size and a problem so I wouldn't expect anything less. Will be interested to see how Curry and Dordevic fare today and if we see some additional bodies as Army usually doesn't have a ton of depth and can get worn down. Schupler is a veyr good goalie but if you can get to him early he will sometimes struggle (see the Rutty game). Varying shot angles and placement will be key.

Nothing earth shattering really stands out regarding other aspects of the game. Kennedy will likely draw Nichtern to start and I assume the staff will see how it goes before making any changes. SU will need to be slow to slide as Nichtern is the key to everything Army does offensively and won't hesitate to pass if SU slides to quickly. Caccamo did a real nice job on Moore in the 2nd half of last weeks game so he maybe an option here if Kenendy struggles. That said tough to ask a Freshmen to step in there and Moore was coming off an injury so its unclear how much he was hobbled. Still Caccamo looked impressive and I wouldn't be shocked if he got the call if Kennedy struggled. Kennedy's been OK so far, two really tough matchups in a row where I thought he did OK, not great but not terrible either. Kennedy is very familiar with Nichtern, would really like to see him play well today. From an overall defensive standpoint if I am SU I might consider shutting of Nichtern ala Teat a few years ago and seeing if Army can beat me with someone else. It's tough to pull off but when done right is very effective. Army has other good players in Burek, Abshire, Morin and Byrnes but Nichtern is far and away the key to their offense. If you can limit him or shut him down Army will struggle mightily to score. They have gone to Paul Johnson the 4th attackmen to spark the offense a bit and he's scored 8 goals and kept them in the Rutty game. He should draw the #2 pole whenever he is in the game. Burek is the top middie point and assist wise so I assume he draws Olexxo.

Overall this is a tough game for SU coming off a physical and somewhat draining game against UVA just 4 days before. SU will need to go deeper in its bench offensively and defensively they have to clean up the errors and clearing issues. Phaup should have an advantage though Army's backup is getting more and more run and has outplayed the Sr starter Grabher. Still Phaup should be the best FOGO on the filed but SU's wing play will need to be light years better. Hard to see this being anything but those classic SU vs Army matchups that see-saw between a 1-2 goal lead for one team. From an SU standpoint its pretty much a must win if this team has aspirations about contending for an NCAA bid and thats not hyperbole. Personally I don't love the timing or scheduling of the game but Gait set it up like this so now he needs to go and get the W. A 1-3 start while not overly surprising given the schedule could lead to the wheels coming completely off when you look at the schedule ahead.
Brilliant summary!!
 
This team will be significantly different next year. Could see up to 3 or 4 true freshmen starting and 5-6 seeing meaningful minutes.

I completely agree - beyond 5 /6 guys Dordevic, Hiltz and maybe Cordes, Corsi and Concammo (tbd) I’m not sure I see any of the remaining current squad guaranteed significant PT next year ..I think the complexion will be totally different all around
 
I completely agree - beyond 5 /6 guys Dordevic, Hiltz and maybe Cordes, Corsi and Concammo (tbd) I’m not sure I see any of the remaining current squad guaranteed significant PT next year ..I think the complexion will be totally different all around
Carter Rice. If there was one bright spot yesterday it was him. Flawless in the 1v1 and rarely if ever needed a slide, no dumb penalties or mistakes in clearing/transition. Just a true freshman. Undersized if going up against a huge guy who takes the body but extremely useful against smaller speedy guys, which teams always have.
 
FWIW Saam Olexo had a heck of a stat line -

one goal, eight groundballs, two caused turnovers. Can't really remember how he did in his individual matchups but we've been crying out for better goundball play from the defense and he delivered there. Also a tremendous goal.
 
Carter Rice. If there was one bright spot yesterday it was him. Flawless in the 1v1 and rarely if ever needed a slide, no dumb penalties or mistakes in clearing/transition. Just a true freshman. Undersized if going up against a huge guy who takes the body but extremely useful against smaller speedy guys, which teams always have.

Yes Rice is going to be a good one, he was overwhelmed physically against Schutz but other then that he's been excellent. He and Rosa have a chance to be an excellent SSDM duo, the talent is clearly there.
 
FWIW Saam Olexo had a heck of a stat line -

one goal, eight groundballs, two caused turnovers. Can't really remember how he did in his individual matchups but we've been crying out for better goundball play from the defense and he delivered there. Also a tremendous goal.

Thought he played pretty well, got beat a few times if my memory is serving me right but the stat line speaks for itself. Good player whose only going to get better and him and Clary (if he ever gets healthy) are a hell of a duo.
 

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