No. 13 Syracuse (3-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) plays at No. 18 Rutgers (5-2) on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights are coming off an 8-7 win over No. 17 Lehigh. The Orange were shellacked last weekend, 18-7, by now-No. 10 Johns Hopkins. SU will look to get back into the win column before back-to-back games against top-5 opposition.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen.

Charlie DiSturco
Out of a Rut
Syracuse 13, Rutgers 10

Syracuse put up a horrible performance last week against Johns Hopkins right when the young offense seemed to have finally settled in. But with a week to recuperate, much like after its lost against Albany, the Orange will come out of the gate strong on Saturday. Expect SU’s defense to experience some difficulties stopping a balanced Rutgers attack, but to be the stalwart it normally is as the game winds down. With its offense re-equipped with Nate Solomon back from suspension, the Orange will be back on its feet on the road, where it last beat Virginia in the final seconds of play. This game will not be as close, as Syracuse will lead handidly for the majority of the game, handing the Scarlet Knights another loss.

Matt Liberman
The Scarlet Who?
Syracuse 10, Rutgers 9

Syracuse and Rutgers are two teams in need of a top-tier win right now. SU is coming off a devastating 18-7 loss in which Johns Hopkins beat the Orange down in nearly every facet of the game. Meanwhile, Rutgers has just one win against a ranked opponent, defeating Lehigh 8-7 this past week. Neither team scores the ball very well or wins faceoffs at a high rate. The key for SU in this one is to stop Rutgers’ supplementary attack. Nick Mellen struggled last week against Shack Stanwick, giving up five points. But what really hurt the Orange was the Blue Jays’ ability to get their other scorers involved like Cole Williams who chipped in another five points. Jules Heningburg is 13th in the country with 34 points, and is likely to add to his total this Sunday. But if SU can hold Heningburg’s teammates in check, SU should win this one. In Rutgers’ two losses this season, either Kiernan Mullins or Tommy Coyne was held to two points or less.

Josh Schafer
Jersey sliding back on track
Syracuse 11 Rutgers 9

Syracuse didn’t look its best against Johns Hopkins. Nothing seemed to work for the Orange for the second time this season on its home field. Earlier this season after SU struggled against Albany, it rebounded against Army. Look for a similar result on Sunday. Rutgers ranks 35th in the country with 10.57 goals per game, just two spots below Syracuse but nowhere near the Top 10 ranked offenses of Albany and Johns Hopkins. In games SU has been able to keep pace with opposing offenses it has performed well, look for that trend to continue against Rutgers.

Published on March 18, 2018 at 10:22 am