In John Desko’s mind, the definition of Syracuse lacrosse for years has been offense. A fast-paced, high-scoring, run-and-gun attack has powered the Orange to 11 national championships and still serves as the staple of the SU program.

But based on the team’s first two scrimmages, this year looks to be different, even within the offensive scheme. Even after an 11-9 win last Thursday over No. 4 Maryland, which is expected to have one of the top defenses in the country, that performance was a break from tradition for the No. 1 Orange.

Last year, SU thrived on its traditional trademark of burying teams with fastbreak goals, capitalizing on any opponents’ mistakes it could with a quick score on the other end. Struggles ensued in 2010 when Syracuse got bogged down in slow-paced, settled situations.

Against the Terrapins on Thursday, none of the Orange scores came in transition. And although the team would like to see a little more success on the break, the half-field success was a welcome change.

‘We got some plays set up for six-on-six, and some of those were generating some good plays and some goals and some great scoring opportunities,’ senior attack Stephen Keogh said. ‘It’s good to see that we’re clicking six-on-six.’

In last season’s first-round loss to Army in the NCAA tournament, the settled offense’s difficulties ultimately cost Syracuse a chance at a third straight national championship.

The Orange took an 8-6 lead with 12:05 left as Keogh scored off a Black Knights turnover next to the Army goal. After that, the SU attack stalled. Army tied up the score five minutes later and completely eliminated the Syracuse transition game for the remainder of the game.

Forced into six-on-six play, the Orange couldn’t put shots on target. Players missed each other on simple passes. Any rare good looks ended in saves or blown opportunities. And it finally ended with a Black Knight score in the second overtime.

‘I think we were just kind of sloppy,’ Keogh said earlier this year, looking back at the loss. ‘I think we took Army a little bit too lightly. They played a great game. But I don’t think we executed right, and we shot the ball poorly.’

But against Maryland on Thursday, settled situations created the most success for the Syracuse offense. The Orange held possession for minutes at a time, working the ball around the zone until an opportunity opened up.

The biggest contributions came from the first attack unit of Keogh, redshirt junior Tim Desko and sophomore JoJo Marasco. Two of Keogh’s three scores came when Marasco found him cutting to the top of the crease. Desko flashed the ability to create for himself in the half-field set with three unassisted goals. Marasco served as the offensive playmaker, finding Keogh for two early tallies and finishing off the day with two scores of his own.

‘We felt good,’ Marasco said. ‘We’re starting to become more comfortable with each other. We’re just going to keep going with that path and follow it, and hopefully it’s going to work out for us.’

In head coach Desko’s mind, it was a good sign for his team to have so much success in six-on-six play, especially against the Terrapins. He also added that the signature transition attack will improve as the season goes on.

‘It’s good to get that many against a team like Maryland in settled situations,’ he said. ‘I think we’re going to get more. … A team like us, we do like some transition. I think we’re going to keep getting better at that.’

And that’s good news for his son Tim.

The younger Desko said he hopes the high-flying, fast-paced attack returns to the Orange’s arsenal as the regular season begins. But he also said it’s important for SU players to take what teams give them.

They struggled to do that against Army last year. But if the scrimmage with Maryland is any sign, this Syracuse team can thrive with a more methodical style than its predecessors.

‘These teams are starting to slow down on us a little bit,’ Tim Desko said. ‘I love the run and gun. That’s what we do. Hopefully, we can pick that back up again. But we just have to develop with what we go against.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

 

Published on February 14, 2011 at 12:00 pm