:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49816801/GettyImages-169490475.0.jpg)
Lacrosse Magazine released its All-Americans list on Thursday. There were a lot of familiar faces but some significant differences between this list and the USILA All-Americans.
|
USILA |
Lacrosse Magazine |
|
|
Attack |
Dylan Molloy, Brown Connor Cannizzaro, Denver Dylan Donahue, Syracuse Ben Reeves, Yale |
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver Dylan Molloy, Brown Pat Spencer, Loyola |
|
Midfield |
Myles Jones, Duke Deemer Class, Duke Bryan Cole, Maryland Zach Miller, Denver Sergio Perkovic, Notre Dame |
Myles Jones, Duke Zach Miller, Denver Sergio Salcido, Syracuse |
|
LSM |
Larken Kemp, Brown |
Larken Kemp, Brown |
|
SSM |
Isiah Davis-Allen, Maryland |
Isiah Davis-Allen, Maryland |
|
F/O |
Trevor Baptiste, Denver |
Will Gural, Brown |
|
Defense |
Matt Landis, Notre Dame Christian Burgdorf, Denver Michael Quinn, Yale |
Christian Burgdorf, Denver Matt Landis, Notre Dame Michael Quinn, Yale |
|
Goalie |
Jack Kelly, Brown |
Jack Kelly, Brown |
In my opinion, it was criminal for the USILA to leave Loyola's Pat Spencer off of its first-team. If I had to chose, I would have swapped the freshman and Dylan Donahue.
If I were to ask for a ranking of the best Syracuse Orange players in 2016, Sergio Salcido would not be number one, two, and most likely not number three either. Nevertheless, the junior out of Winter Park, FL had 53 points including 29 goals and 24 assists. Additionally, he had a .345 shooting percentage and a .560 shots on goal percentage.
While I can't say that I think Salcido is the best player on the Syracuse roster, I will say that without his emergence Nick Mariano does not post 35 goals on the year and the Orange most likely don't end with a 12-5 record. The benefit of having another dangerous dodger on the first line midfield next to Mariano cannot be understated. Salcido created a matchup issue for opponents who were forced to make a tough decision of which midfielder to pole and drew attention away from Mariano which created opportunities for the UMass transfer as well as for Derek DeJoe.
While the Orange have big questions at attack and defense next year, the return of Salcido will provide some consistency at the midfield position. The USILA had Salcido as a second team All-American in favor of Sergio Perkovic. Through 15 games, Perkovic had 26 goals and 4 assists with a .224 shooting percentage and a .578 shots on goal percentage. Although he is one of the best midfielders in the country, no doubt, I think Salcido deserved that first team USILA All-American nomination over Perkovic.
Salcido finished the year as one of the best scorers on the 2016 Orange, but it important to remember that he did this following goalless freshman and sophomore seasons. I think he would be a front runner for break out player of the year in college lacrosse, if there was such an award.