The second game of today’s doubleheader was starkly different than the first. Both teams came out guns blazing, but as it has been all season, Virginia just had more ammunition. The Cavalier offense was just too much too often for the Orange to handle. The Hoos rolled to yet another victory, 17-10.
Syracuse opened the day’s scoring when Brett Bucktooth put in a feed from Dan Hardy. UVa got on the board when Danny Glading drove high, rolled side-to-side, and stuck a shot over Orange keeper Peter Coluccini’s shoulder. Steve Giannone gave the Wahoos the lead which they would never relinquish when he scored, making it 2-1.
The Cavalier shooters got the redshirt freshman Coluccini rattled early. A barrage of shots never allowed him to make a few saves and get comfortable.
“Most teams have that one go-to guy, but Virginia has about four or five go-to guys on the field all the time,” Coluccini said. “It’s disheartening for a goalie. …They are great shooters, and when they get those goals early, it does a lot to you mentally and physically.”
Garrett Billings scored, cutting and dunking inside. Kyle Dixon drove and bounced a shot past Coluccini. Matt Ward threw a nasty dodge, getting completely free after a sharp change of direction, leaving him wide open to fire in a jumping bounce shot. Drew Thompson cleanly won a faceoff, grabbed the ball, and when Syracuse defenders never picked him up, he came right in and scored.
The flood of UVa goals was interrupted when Pat Perritt drew a slide and kicked to Brian Crockett, who put it between Cavalier keeper Kip Turner’s legs. Turner would redeem himself though, with a great stop on the doorstep.
UVa put in two more before the quarter ended. Billings finished a feed on the crease from Dixon while taking an onslaught of checks. Mike Culver gobbled up a groundball and started a fast break that ended with him assisting Ward to make it 8-2 UVa.
The second quarter belonged to the Orange. The Cavs would score off the bat when Matt Poskay put in the Thompson assist. Dan Hardy answered for the Orange with a sick goal. He drove down and in towards the pipe, then with almost no angle, he ripped a behind the head shot that beat Turner to the near post.
Bucktooth added another when Mike Leveille found him during an unsettled situation. Kenny Nims scored for the Orange when he shook his man behind the cage, drove around and bounced in a jumper. Then Matt Abbott drove, got inside his man, and beat Turner to the near pipe.
UVa couldn’t be kept quiet for long though, as Ben Rubeor fought through a bombardment of checks to score on a bouncer. Cuse would match it though, as Joe Yevoli rocked back-and-forth behind the cage and then hit Crockett on the wing who finished. The half ended with the Orange down only three, 10-7.
The Cavaliers took the game back at the start of the third. Ward added another on a Poskay feed. Virginia dominated the game between the lines. They disrupted many Syracuse clears. They attacked every groundball. They turned Orange rushes into general melee, and they capitalized on almost every opportunity they got.
“We feel it’s an important part of our game,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “We emphasize riding on clears enough that it is an important part of our game plan. If you want to be a team that pushes the tempo of play, than riding has to be a big part of your game.”
Ward got his hat trick when Thompson hit him during a three-on-two. Nathan Kenney would answer that with one of the most impressive goals of the game. He rolled inside and literally ripped a goal through the back of the net. Soon after, the Orange got a two-man advantage, but they couldn’t capitalize. The quarter ended with UVa slowly swelling their lead again, 12-8.
Turner started the fourth strong, stuffing Hardy on an inside roll. The Cavaliers began finishing off Syracuse as Matt Poskay scored from the wing when no one decided to slide to him. Jared Little added another off a feed from Rubeor. Coluccini did look a little more comfortable, but great chances for great shooters left him with little hope of getting great stuffs. Glading beat him again on a drive from behind the net.
Cuse grabbed another goal when Yevoli slammed in a high pass right on the doorstep from Leveille. But the crisp passing of UVa paid off again as Billings caught a feed on the crease from Rubeor and fired in a shot.
The Orange scored their final goal as Yevoli drew everyone to him and dumped over top to a cutting Nims who tucked it around Turner. Syracuse had other chances, but every dropped stick shot Turner read the whole way.
Little slammed the door shut for UVa with his empty net goal off a Jack Riley feed. The Cavaliers road off with this one, 17-10.
Though the loss ends the Orange season, coach John Desko loves the character his team showed battling uphill. “I couldn’t be more proud of this team after what we’ve been through with people we’ve lost and the injuries we’ve had,” he said. “I’ve never been so proud of a Syracuse team.”
Starsia knew just how dangerous this team could be. “Beating them once in a season is an accomplishment, twice is a rare feat.”
His team is now ready to continue their undefeated quest. They play a real wildcard of an opponent in UMass. The Cavaliers remain focused on the goal they have been striving since this time last year.
“We made a commitment to ourselves,” Matt Poskay said, “when we lost that semifinal game last year to get back here and finish the job this time.”
