CICERO — Syracuse hosted a true-home game away from the Carrier Dome for the first time in 30 years on Sunday afternoon at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Fans lined the fencing around the turf and tucked themselves into walkaways as the stadium filled 20 minutes prior to gametime.

After four quarters on a 40-degree spring afternoon, the No. 12 Orange (4-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) came back, again, and beat No. 2 Duke (7-1, 0-1), 9-8, in overtime Michael J. Bragman Stadium.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Three’s company

For the third-straight week, Syracuse overcame a mutli-goal, fourth-quarter deficit. Two weeks ago against Johns Hopkins, the Orange roared back with a 6-2 run. Last week, they toppled Rutgers with eight fourth-frame scores and won 18-14. Trailing 8-4 after scoring just once in the third quarter, the Orange mounted another rally.

Nate Solomon, Bradley Voigt and David Lipka each scored within minutes of each other and with 1:24 left, Stephen Rehfuss finished the equalizer. After losing the opening draw, SU posted a defensive stand. Duke matched. And eventually, Brendan Curry scored the winner, white jerseys moshed and the Orange secured their first conference win

Brick wall

SU’s first offensive possession looked promising. As Jacob Buttermore slid toward Turner Uppgren’s left, an Orange-clad fan in the sideline muttered, “Get it. Get it.” Buttermore craned back and ripped but missed wide.

Syracuse’s offense had little quality scoring-chances early on Sunday, and when it did, they were often wasted. Duke’s top-10 scoring defense in the country (9.00 allowed goals per game) stymied the Orange, throwing big bodies in front of the crease and letting SU’s shooters try from distance. The unit consisting partially of 6-foot-7 Walker Scaglione, 6-foot-4 Wilson Stephenson  and 6-foot-1 Cade Van Raaphorst clogged passing lanes and locked down shooters.

On one first half sequence, Syracuse totaled four shots and corralled the miss each time. Voigt was trapped in the corner securing a loose ball and flicked a pass to Rehfuss that drew applause from the crowd. But another misguided pass resulted in another turnover, triggering a groan from the crowd and a holler from the Duke sidelines.

Eventually, SU started missing the few open white jerseys that broke free in transition. When it settled, the Orange registered poor looks or bounced shots with an expiring shot clock. After the last shot of the first quarter one-hopped Uppgren, a fan yelled “Too easy.” It remained that way until the fourth quarter, when SU’s offense broke out.

As advertised

While the Blue Devils’ defense shone, Duke’s offense also relied on their season-long specialities. The visitors entered the game with eight different-double digit scorers and featured four-different producers to take the first and only advantage it would need.

Sophomore attack Joe Robertson — Duke’s point-leader — opened his first touch by swimming over a defender near the crease, diving and finishing. In the process, he earned a crease-push penalty that resulted in Duke’s second goal minutes later.

Duke operated from behind the cage, following a season-long trend of offense’s beating the Orange from the faceoff X. Leading by a handful of goals for a majority of the contest, feeders slowed the pace and drew defenders around the field before testing Porter.

With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Brad Smith assisted Jake Manown’s first goal of the game and displayed the effectiveness that carried Duke to a No. 2 ranking. After ball reached twine, Porter sat on his backside in front of the crease and chucked the ball toward the faceoff X.

Published on March 24, 2019 at 4:13 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez