No. 8 Syracuse (5-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) and No. 19 Hobart (8-1, 2-0 Northeast) square off at Boswell Field at David J. Urick Stadium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. SU dropped its first road game of the season — the last team in the country to travel — at No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday, 13-10. The Orange fell into an early 11-2 hole, and despite a 7-0 run in the second half, they slipped under-.500 in conference play. Hobart has only one loss this season to then-No. 4 Cornell. The Statesmen dominated St. Bonaventure, 18-8, in their last game on March 27.

Here’s how the teams matchup when they play for the Kraus-Simmons Trophy.

Last time they played: Syracuse beat Hobart last year, 11-4, in the Carrier Dome to win the Kraus-Simmons Trophy for the 30th time. SU’s man-up unit scored on all three tries and paired it with a stout man-down defense. Stephen Rehfuss scored twice in the fourth quarter and finished with a hat trick and two assists. Defender Nick Mellen held his assignment — Chris Aslanian — scoreless.

The Hobart report: The Statesmen are led by their second-ranked offense (16.11 goals per game). Aslanian, last year’s leading-scorer, returns. Last year, the attack scored 23 goals and dished 24 assists in 14 starts. He’s performed at a high level with better passing numbers, with 13 scores and 26 assists in nine games. The highlight of the Statemen’s offense, though, is Eric Holden. After 47 points in 2018, he’s totaled a team-leading 28 goals and has taken 92 of Hobart’s 500 shots. Hobart also has four other double-digit goal scorers, with Jason Knox totaling 25 goals. Goalie Sam Lucchesi returns as well with a .573-save percentage so far. Last year’s faceoff-specialist — Matthew Pedicine — is back taking the majority of tries at the X. He won 65.9% of his attempts last year and he’s improved to win at the X at a 67.2% clip. Pedicine has also improved with ground balls, snagging 110 this season.

Hobart kicked off 2019 with back-to-back 20-goal performances before losing to Cornell 19-16. The Statesmen offense kept scoring afterward, though. They’ve tallied double-digit scores in each of their games this season.

How Syracuse beats Hobart: The biggest issue for SU in its latest-loss to the Fighting Irish was its initial defensive blunders. Brendan Gleason and Bryan Costabile each compiled first-half hat tricks and were the latest top-threats to exploit the Orange’s veteran backline. Syracuse head coach John Desko has repeatedly mentioned his team’s need to start strong. But time and again, it hasn’t. If the defense can perform at the level its capable of — it held UND scoreless for 20-plus minutes — then SU’s offense should have a chance to execute another scoring-run. An improving Rehfuss and an emerging Brendan Curry can secure the Kraus-Simmons for the Orange.

Stat to know: 6 — Hobart’s average scoring-margin, good for second-best in the nation. The Statesmen have paired a dynamic offense with a defense that’s allowed less than 10 scores a contest. Hobart’s backline is comprised of mostly veterans and the entire unit has caused 65 turnovers.

Player to watch: Jason Knox — 6-foot-4 freshman attack

Knox has quickly become a top-threat in Hobart’s elite offense. In his debut, he recorded his first score. And on Feb. 16 against Siena, he reached a season-high with nine goals on 11 shots. And he’s scored at least two goals in his last four games. Knox’s ability to stretch a defense can further test Syracuse.

Published on April 1, 2019 at 9:27 am

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez