Syracuse men’s lacrosse ranked No. 1 in the country for first time in nearly 2 years
Ally Moreo | Photo Editor
A six-game win streak and strong performance at Hobart has boosted Syracuse to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Inside Lacrosse Top 20.
The last time Syracuse was ranked No. 1 came at the end of the 2015 season, before the Orange fell to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse (8-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring four of the game’s last five goals. Senior Nick Mariano and sophomore Nate Solomon both tied career-high performances en route to an 17-11 SU victory.
The six-goal win ended SU’s program-record streak of seven straight one-goal games. Syracuse dominated in man-up, finishing 5-for-5 on the day. Three of Mariano’s goals came from man-up, including two goals in the third quarter. Mariano finished with seven points, Solomon pitched in four goals and senior midfielder Sergio Salcido had five assists.
The Orange gave up 53 shots, but goalie Evan Molloy made 17 saves. Senior close defender Scott Firman posted another solid performance, holding Hobart’s offensive leader pointless. One difference maker was Hobart’s 0-for-4 performance while man-up.
Senior faceoff specialist Ben Williams bounced back after a recent skid at the X, finishing the day 17-of-28. The last time Williams won more than 50 percent of faceoffs came nearly a month ago, on March 11 in a win at St. John’s.
The Orange hosts Cornell on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Big Red (3-6, 2-2 Ivy) enter the matchup on a two-game winning streak.
Published on April 10, 2017 at 9:25 am
Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco