Some random thoughts a few days removed from the game.
-There might not a player that drives me more "batty" than Jake Stevens. The stat sheet credits him with only two turnovers against Virginia, but I thought I counted at least three, not counting an early shot with no backup that should have counted for a turnover. He got beat pretty easily by Ryan Colsey which I believe gave the Cavs the lead in the 4th quarter. And yet, he brings so much to the table, and I love his motor. Finished the game with five groundballs, two goals and two assists, one of which was a great pass to LSM Matt Wright on the doorstep of the goal. I thought he would be mainly a finisher for the Orange, but he leads all midfielders in assists with 15. I wish he and English wouldn't turn the ball over so much - 33 combined, but with all they are asked to do, and with the speed they play with, I think this is just a natural side effect. Stevens only had 4 turnovers last season for the Tigers, so hopefully it is something he can get under control as the playoffs start.
-Defense left a lot to be desired against the Cavs, though they had their moments certainly. I loved how they turned Griffin Schutz into a passer, with really quick double teams that really seemed to spook the Cavs best midfielder. He finished with just one goal.
-The pick game was really bad though, and something that needs to be addressed. The fact that UVA uses picks shouldn't have been a surprise as they use them a ton to free up Shellenberger. No idea whose fault it is, but given that it's the last game of the regular season, I was expecting better of the defense in this regard. Rice and Figuerias, two of the better players on the defense got so mixed up on one pick, they both let the ball carrier go which led to an easy goal for Virginia.
-The spacing in general on defense seemed very strange to me, they gave the Cavs way too much space, but also weren't packing the middle, daring UVA to shoot from outside. They let Shellenberger get his hands free way too much. I know a lot of goals were scored in transition, but there seemed to be way too much hesitancy in the group in general.
-Was great to see Hiltz have such a great game, he really seems to be the key for this team. He was 3-12 shooting on the day, but I really believe he should be leading the team in shots. He passed Spallina for first on the team after this high volume outing (97-95). He has such range, and can place the ball all over. He has just enough dodging capability to keep defenders on their toes. I don't know why he's been up and down this year, but if he stays up I think Syracuse could go quite far in the tournament. The fact he also put together five assists on the day just makes his performance that much more impressive. I saw the player that got me so excited his freshman year on Saturday.
-It's funny the things you miss in the midst of a tight and exciting game. I noticed Mule on the sidelines at the end of the game, but completely missed that Leo had been inserted at attack. I don't think he saw much of the ball at the end of the game, but it seemed to do enough to trip up the UVA defense, as English did draw a pole. I really believe some sort of combination of Spallina/Hiltz/Leo on attack, with English/Rhoa/Stevens or Thomson at midfield is the best lineup. But having the depth this team does, I think Mule should remain at attack for the majority of the game. Hopefully that doesn't mess up confidence or chemistry, and Mule had a nice bounce back game (hat trick on four shots, only one turnover).
-Overall great win and the environment of the game seemed off the charts. Going forward hopefully this is a game they can build on and propel them forward. There's still a lot to work on - the late game efforts of the face-off group is starting to be a concern, the short sticks still make me very nervous outside of Carter Rice, but there is so much this team does right. Should make for exciting May.
