No. 17 Syracuse (1-1) and No. 13 Army (2-0) face off in the Carrier Dome at 4 p.m. Sunday. SU dropped its first home-opener since 2013 Feb. 9 against Colgate and then avenged last year’s blowout loss against Albany, 13-5. Our beat writers are split on tomorrow’s outcome.

Here’s how the Orange and the Black Knights match up.

Last time they played: Syracuse beat Army last year in a triple-overtime thriller. Then-SU goalie Dom Madonna found a streaking Ryan Simmons down the middle of the field. Simmons received the pass, scored the winner and triggered a raucous celebration. Nate Solomon and David Lipka scored a pair of goals each and six other Orange players scored. Army was led by David Symmes (two goals, one assist) and Conor Glancy (three goals). Danny Varello and Seth DeLisle split time at the X, while John Rango handled most of the faceoff opportunities for Army, going 14-for-21.  

The Army report: Army lost a majority of its offense due to Symmes and Glancy’s graduation, but leading scorer Nate Jones returned, in addition to goalie AJ Barretto. The Black Knights went 5-8 in 2018 and lost four of their five matchups against ranked opponents. Yet, it had eight games decided by three goals or less.

Army kicked off 2019 with a pair of road wins. It beat then-No. 18 Massachusetts in overtime on Feb. 9 and bested then-No. 8 Rugers, 10-9, before topping Marist 10-4 last week. With a few young pieces paired with a veteran group, the Black Knights seem primed for a better season.

How Syracuse beats Army: Like most Syracuse games this season, the outcome will be determined by whether SU can score consistently or not. Is Bradley Voigt, who scored a career-high seven points last weekend, a surprise superstar? Will the midfield continue handling the absence of Tucker Dordevic, who’s out for the season with a foot injury? Tyson Bomberry and the Orange defense shut down Tehoka Nanticoke last weekend. It will need to stop freshman Brendan Nichtern (seven goals) and junior Miles Silva (eight scores), and most importantly, take advantage of an apparent advantage at the faceoff X.

Stat to know: 27.3 percent — The Black Knights’ faceoff percentage. A year ago, Rango led Army to a 49.3 win-rate at the X, and Evan Condon (16-for-51) has taken the majority of draws this season. Army’s faceoff percentage currently doesn’t rank on NCAA stats board. The lowest — Fairfield’s 32.4 percent — ranks 69th.

Player to watch: Brendan Nichtern, freshman attack, No. 20

Nitchern, a native of Massapequa, New York, has started one game but still leads Army in points (13). He averages more than seven shots a game and led the Black Knights in their two close wins. His lone weakness, it seems, are turnovers. The freshman has 11 through his first three games.

Published on February 24, 2019 at 9:16 am

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez