Powellfan
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After a dissapointing performance against a very good UVA team, Syracuse has little rest before a tough rival comes to town. Army blew out the Orange last year, 18-11. The Orange looked discombobulated on offense and couldn't stop Brendan Nichtern. Syracuse didn't seem to know how to handle their midfield getting double poled (and Chase Scanlan never figured out how to dodge a short stick). The Orange were also coming off a taxing offseason that included potential big name transfers and big suspensions. That won't be the case this year but Syracuse does still have to deal with Nichtern.
The big story line for me this game is the Army star attackman. Last year he went off for 4 goals and 3 assists with Brett Kennedy guarding him. In 2020 Nichtern had 2 and 2 with I beleive Kennedy drawing him. I assume that Kennedy will again draw this matchup - the big question is will the coaches change the assignment if things go the way they went last year? Kennedy drew Connor Shellenberger last year and the star Cavs attackman scored seven points. These weren't all Kennedy's fault as Shellenberger did a good job in unsettled situations, but it's still a bit disconcerting. Nichtern has an absurd 30 points in four games, albeit against not the toughest competition. The next leading scorer on Army has just 12 points. He is the core of the team, and if you stop him you stop Army. But that is really difficult to do. Nick Caccamo was pretty impressive in his first extended playing time, would the coaching staff consider moving him to Black Knight quarterback if things aren't going well? Army brings a lot of size on offense, their top eight scorers are all over six feet or taller. Can the Orange match their physicality?
The Orange looked better on offense last week but still only put up 11 goals. Things still do not look in synch for Syracuse on that end of the field. One storyline to look out for, it does not look like Marcus Hudgins, the Black Knight star defenseman played against NJIT on Saturday. He is a load and would probably erase whoever he is guarding (most likely Dordevic). If he's out that would be a huge sigh of relief for the Orange. But the Knights always play solid defense, and once against they are big on that side of the field. Wyatt Schlupper is once again back stopping the Knights and is saving the ball at a 60% clip. He stopped 13 shots and gave up 11 the last time he was in the Dome. The Orange will have to be patient and work for good shots. Expecting to hit from long ally dodges or from way outside simply won't work. One big worry for me is the first midfield played almost the entire game for the second game in a row and has just three days rest before going against one of the most physical teams in the country. Curry looked gassed at the end of the Virginia game and is struggling mightily. Can he rebound and find his shot? He is shooting 1-20 in his last two games. If he can't can the Orange avoid relying on him so much and find other players to pick up the slack?
The Orange should have the advantage at the face-off x as Phaup typically does well against Army. That said it does look like Army has a freshman, Will Colleti, with a 62% winning percentage, though not sure if most of that is due to weak opponents. Phaup won the face-off battle last year, but that didn't seem to factor in much to the final score. There was talk about a 10-man ride being deployed against Loyola in their scrimmage - they haven't done that so far in the regular season, but might we see it against Army?
I don't want to be too dramatic, but this feels like a huge game for the Orange. Win this and not much is guaranteed as the schedule is still really hard. But lose it, which is a very distinct possibility, and they would be underdogs against all but maybe Stony Brook, Hobart and Albany on their schedule. I hate to call this a must win game when it is still March, but there is not much opportunity for slip ups with the schedule Gait laid out. They have to do well here, and didn't do themselves many favors scheduling this game midweek after a road trip to #2 team in the country. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Orange listed as underdogs in this game. Hopefully they gain a spark in this game.
The big story line for me this game is the Army star attackman. Last year he went off for 4 goals and 3 assists with Brett Kennedy guarding him. In 2020 Nichtern had 2 and 2 with I beleive Kennedy drawing him. I assume that Kennedy will again draw this matchup - the big question is will the coaches change the assignment if things go the way they went last year? Kennedy drew Connor Shellenberger last year and the star Cavs attackman scored seven points. These weren't all Kennedy's fault as Shellenberger did a good job in unsettled situations, but it's still a bit disconcerting. Nichtern has an absurd 30 points in four games, albeit against not the toughest competition. The next leading scorer on Army has just 12 points. He is the core of the team, and if you stop him you stop Army. But that is really difficult to do. Nick Caccamo was pretty impressive in his first extended playing time, would the coaching staff consider moving him to Black Knight quarterback if things aren't going well? Army brings a lot of size on offense, their top eight scorers are all over six feet or taller. Can the Orange match their physicality?
The Orange looked better on offense last week but still only put up 11 goals. Things still do not look in synch for Syracuse on that end of the field. One storyline to look out for, it does not look like Marcus Hudgins, the Black Knight star defenseman played against NJIT on Saturday. He is a load and would probably erase whoever he is guarding (most likely Dordevic). If he's out that would be a huge sigh of relief for the Orange. But the Knights always play solid defense, and once against they are big on that side of the field. Wyatt Schlupper is once again back stopping the Knights and is saving the ball at a 60% clip. He stopped 13 shots and gave up 11 the last time he was in the Dome. The Orange will have to be patient and work for good shots. Expecting to hit from long ally dodges or from way outside simply won't work. One big worry for me is the first midfield played almost the entire game for the second game in a row and has just three days rest before going against one of the most physical teams in the country. Curry looked gassed at the end of the Virginia game and is struggling mightily. Can he rebound and find his shot? He is shooting 1-20 in his last two games. If he can't can the Orange avoid relying on him so much and find other players to pick up the slack?
The Orange should have the advantage at the face-off x as Phaup typically does well against Army. That said it does look like Army has a freshman, Will Colleti, with a 62% winning percentage, though not sure if most of that is due to weak opponents. Phaup won the face-off battle last year, but that didn't seem to factor in much to the final score. There was talk about a 10-man ride being deployed against Loyola in their scrimmage - they haven't done that so far in the regular season, but might we see it against Army?
I don't want to be too dramatic, but this feels like a huge game for the Orange. Win this and not much is guaranteed as the schedule is still really hard. But lose it, which is a very distinct possibility, and they would be underdogs against all but maybe Stony Brook, Hobart and Albany on their schedule. I hate to call this a must win game when it is still March, but there is not much opportunity for slip ups with the schedule Gait laid out. They have to do well here, and didn't do themselves many favors scheduling this game midweek after a road trip to #2 team in the country. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Orange listed as underdogs in this game. Hopefully they gain a spark in this game.