GameThread: Syracuse men’s/women’s lacrosse doubleheader

There are two Syracuse Orange lacrosse games this evening. The SU women’s team starts off the night against the Virginia Cavaliers on ACC Network Extra at 5 p.m. ET At 6, the Orange men’s team takes on the North Carolina Tar Heels on ESPNEWS in the ACC Semifinals. Then at 8 p.m. ET, the SU women’s take takes on Virginia. The earlier listing was indicative of the time listed on one ACC page, but apparently, that was not the case.

If WLAX beats UVA, they’ll face Boston College or North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game on Sunday in Richmond, Va. Our men’s semifinal will be followed up with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish battling the Duke Blue Devils on the other side of the bracket.

For more on the ACC women’s tournament, orangebookworm created an extensive preview. He also recapped last night’s contest, a big 20-13 victory over Virginia Tech.

As far as the men’s team goes...

The Orange came back from a 10-5 deficit to beat the Heels in overtime during the regular season matchup. Luke Goldstock had three goals and three assists in that game but couldn’t stop Sergio Salcido and a slew of Syracuse scorers. In the previous game, Ben Williams took 15 of 25 faceoffs, including the overtime faceoff helping to win the game for SU. However, Williams went 1-5 in the second period allowing Syracuse to be outscored 4-0.

These two squads have seen a lot of each other over the last few years, with Friday being the seventh game between these two programs since 2014. Williams once again go against the physical Stephen Kelly and will need to come up big. Sergio Salcido had his first game this year without a point last week against Binghamton and had a season low two shots. If the Orange are to win on Friday, and further more make a deep run into the NCAAs, Salcido needs to be present.

For me the biggest question for the Syracuse offense is how will Stephen Rehfuss fit into the game plan. The freshman has had four multi-goal games this year, including two against UNC, but it has really been feast or famine for this kid this year. I am excited to see him going forward, but I feel like he is on the edge of being a consistent, explosive playmaker. Now is the time, especially with him being the forgotten man on that first midfield line. Next year, Mariano and Saclido will be gone and the spotlight will be on him. It would be great to watch this kid find his grove going into the postseason.

Jordan Evans has 15 assists and 15 goals this year, but nine of those goals have come against Siena, Cornell, and Binghamton. Evans’ only game this year without a point was against North Carolina in the regular season matchup. Oftentimes, Evans falls into the shadows offensively but I like him in the groundball battles and on the rides. While he may never reach the expectations that were set for him, it would be nice to see him go out with a boom.

In goal, Evan Molloy was the 2016 ACC Tournament MVP for his 27 saves through two games. The defense in front of Molloy has been fantastic for most of the season, but faltered last week. I’ve heard a lot that Molloy is the type of goalie who makes the saves he’s supposed but isn’t spectacular. I somewhat disagree. He does make nearly all the saves he should, but we have seen some spurts of brilliance out of him. This is it for the senior and with only a season and a half under his belt as the starter these next few weeks are when he will cement his legacy.

NEWS & NOTES

The Daily Orange on Paolo Ciferri’s transition game.

The Daily Orange on Nate Solomon’s off-ball ability.

The Daily Orange lacrosse writers answer questions in a roundtable conversation.

The Daily Orange on Luke Goldstock and how he could cause problems for SU.

Syracuse.com on Ryan Simmons and his impact on the Simmons family legacy.

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Enjoy both Syracuse games, and as always... G’Orange!