Syracuse, N.Y. — The field of play did not provide a sanctuary for the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team on Saturday.
A 22-8 pounding by Notre Dame made the cloud above Syracuse’s head only rain harder amid the Chase Scanlan turmoil.
SU head coach John Desko thought the Orange were ready to focus on lacrosse after a turbulent week.
Desko was wrong.
“I thought we had a really good week of practice,” Desko said. “We came out in the game and won some faceoffs, we competed. We had the early lead. We were all in the right frame of mind,” Desko said. “My hat’s off to Notre Dame, I thought they really played well. We competed in the second half but made a lot of mistakes. (We’re) obviously disappointed with the loss and the way we played the game.”
SU’s Jakob Phaup won just 9-of-27 faceoffs one week after a dominant performance against Virginia. The Irish defense kept the Orange off the board for a span of 26:02, allowing Notre Dame to rattle off eight consecutive goals and snag control of the game.
Desko ought to petition for a 25th hour in the day to focus on his defense because it is sliding towards historically bad marks.
- Syracuse has allowed 20 or more goals in two games during a season for the first time since 1977.
- Saturday was the fourth time this season the Orange allowed 18 or more goals in a game. The last time that happened was 1974, when Syracuse finished with a mark of 2-9.
- SU has now lost four games by at least seven goals this season, something it hasn’t done since 1975 when the Orange finished 3-8.
Syracuse can finish no worse than .500 and will earn a bid to the 2021 NCAA tournament following one final regular-season game against Robert Morris on Friday.
The Orange will have one last chance for revival in the NCAAs, but this season already feels like a lost cause.
It is continuing Syracuse’s trend away from elite status and toward a low point under Desko.
Desko’s Hall of Fame status leaves few other seasons to be candidates for that undesired award.
In 2007, Syracuse finished 5-8 but rattled off back-to-back national titles in 2008 and 2009 to make that a small bump in the road.
In 2012, Syracuse finished a mediocre 9-8 but went to the national title game as a response in 2013.
Syracuse went 49-16 under Desko from 2014-17 but did not get past the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament in that stretch.
From 2018 to now, Syracuse is 27-17 under Desko and has not escaped the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The great unknown in that stretch is 2020. Syracuse was 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season. The rub is Syracuse did not play an ACC game in 2020 and had yet to play the likes of Cornell, Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Virginia.
Perhaps the 2021 season is playing out like 2020 would have, just on tape delay.
The 2021 college lacrosse season has seen one of the greatest collections of talent in the history of the game, with so many great players using an extra year of eligibility with a provided Covid exemption from the NCAA.
Syracuse was no different, The Orange returned a bevy of talent that included seven preseason All-Americans from the 2020 team and added Owen Hiltz, one of the most talented freshmen in recent memory, to the mix.
The Orange’s historic flaws on defense and inconsistency at the face off X have exacerbated the problem on the field.
The Chase Scanlan saga threw a major distraction in the mix and tested the mettle of Desko’s ability to coach through a crisis.
Desko has the full support of his current players, as demonstrated on social media last week during the height of the Scanlan news.
Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack hasn’t shown he will make a bold move. He’ll cite Desko’s record and reputation in the game as reasons not to rock the boat. He can even point to a recruiting class in 2022 that includes three five-star recruits, including attack Joey Spallina and midfielder Carter Kempney. Spallina is Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1 recruit in the class.
But patience is wearing thin in other factions.
Syracuse has not won a national title since 2009 or been to a Final Four since 2013. It is 10 games above .500 since 2017 and is limping into another NCAA tournament where an early exit seems likely.
Being an elite program in college lacrosse is like registering a car: You have to renew it every couple of years to stay on the road.
Desko’s program has acquired so many dents recently it would have a hard time passing inspection.
Contact Brent Axe: Email | Twitter
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