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I won't lie, as the clock wound down in the third quarter, and Syracuse was stuck in rut offensively; for what seemed like an eternity, Syracuse was stuck with a meager 4-2 lead over the massive underdog Siena Saints out of the MAAC, and I'm sure that visions of Army danced in many a Syracuse fan head.
However, with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter, Josh Amidon was able to break the monotony, burying a goal past the seemingly impregnable Siena goalie Tom Morr who finished the game with an incredible 19 saves. From this moment on, a lot of the tension was lifted, and the Orange were able to coast to a relatively painless 10-4 lead.
The Syracuse offense was not without it's chances. They fired 51 shots at Morr, with a number of very solid chances, but were rarely able to crack him. It didn't help that many of these shots were directly at him, but he still had an incredible game against the high-powered Syracuse offense.
Luckily, Lelan Roger's defense was absolutely incredible all game long. John Galloway had a nice day, recording 8 saves of his own, and John Lade did John Lade things, shutting out junior Brian Neufield, who had recorded at least one point in his previous 52 games for Siena.
Syracuse dominated ground balls 34-15, was great on the ride all game long and forced 19 turnovers, allowing the Orange to absolutely dominate possession the entire game.
When the offense did find itself late in the game, it was Tommy Palasek who appeared to be the difference maker, with one goal and four assists. Palasek has really come into his own down the stretch this season, and has been a catalyst for the success that the entire unit has had since the loss to Cornell.
Josh Amidon had a great game, as well, recording two goals and an assist on the day, and JoJo Marasco did unspeakable things to the Siena defense, leading the Orange with three goals.
No. 1 Syracuse Crushes Siena (via ESPN). Check out JoJo Marasco's ridiculous behind the back goal at around 1:05.
Syracuse heads to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA for the quarterfinals. next Sunday at Noon to face the Maryland Terrapins, who are coming off of a dominant 13-6 win over UNC. For more on the Terps, check out The Glaude's tremendous preview over at College Crosse.