Syracuse vs. Georgetown: Halftime thoughts
In what may be considered a surprise, top-ranked Syracuse leads No. 15 Georgetown by just two goals, taking a 4-2 advantage into the locker room at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in the first game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic.
The Orange (3-0) has sandwiched a pair of tallies from sophomore attackman Davey Emala with a pair of goals, but the Hoyas (2-2) have played solid defense.
Georgetown has done a good job of switching assignments to confuse Syracuse’s attack, senior goalkeeper Jack Davis has turned away five shots, and the Hoyas have handcuffed the Orange in transition.
The only issue? Not enough possessions for Georgetown, especially in the second quarter. The Hoyas lost all three faceoffs, were outshot 6-1, and were outscored 2-0.
Other notes:
*Although Syracuse won all three draws in the second quarter, Georgetown has split all eight faceoffs in the first half and actually has scooped up 19 ground balls to the Orange’s 13. Hoyas coach Dave Urick had said that winning faceoffs and collecting loose balls would be key for a unit that was winning just 48.8 percent entering this contest and had picked up 35 fewer ground balls thus far.
*Syracuse is led by senior midfielder Jeremy Thompson and senior attackman Stephen Keogh, who have each recorded a goal and an assist. Senior attackman Tim Desko, who scored a career-high five goals in the Orange’s 12-10 win against No. 2 Virginia on March 4, has been limited to one assist by defenseman Chris Nourse.
*Emala, a Baltimore native and Gilman graduate, has scored both of Georgetown’s goals, but he has gotten little help from his teammates. Don’t be surprised if Syracuse assigns senior defenseman John Lade to shadow Emala.
