Men's Lacrosse

Balanced offense has No. 6 Syracuse rolling to 6-1 start

Evan Jenkins | Staff Photographer

Senior midfielder Sergio Salcido (48) is among Syracuse's plethora of offensive options who can get to the cage and score.

When Sergio Salcido caught a pass near the restraining line during Syracuse’s 12-11 victory over Duke on Saturday, he peered at what unfolded before him. Fifteen yards to his left stood Nate Solomon, a sophomore attack who ranks third on SU in goals. In front of him, near the crease, a floating Brendan Bomberry looked for space. Behind the cage, Jordan Evans worked for position. To Salcido’s right stood Nick Mariano, the team’s leading points getter.

Salcido surveyed his options, each one capable of drawing a slide and getting a shot on goal. In a season of twists and turns — All-American defender Nick Mellen’s season-ending injury and a program-record six consecutive one-goal games — a balanced offense has let SU linger in games. Each of No. 6 Syracuse’s (6-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) four game-winning goals has come from a different stick. It’s a deep offense that has helped Syracuse to four consecutive victories.

The most recent came Saturday afternoon against the No. 11 Blue Devils. In overtime, Salcido sent a pass intended for Mariano. But a freshman in his first career start, Jamie Trimboli, reached out, cut it off and ripped the game-winner from 15 yards out. Not having a single go-to option can put players in unfamiliar situations. Yet Trimboli proved he’s one of many SU shooters capable of netting the dagger, too.

“Whomever they put on the field,” Duke head coach John Danowski said. “Maybe someone this week who hasn’t even seen the field could make a play. They have so many guys who can step in and stick it.”

Mariano, a senior attack who led SU in points last year, is Syracuse’s best offensive player. He leads SU in goals (15). Through seven games, 17 players have scored at least once. Mariano and Bomberry have 15 apiece and Solomon 11 for SU’s 15th-ranked offense that averages a shade over 12 goals per game.



“We’re not putting up the goal numbers we want,” Mariano said, “but we don’t have to rely on one or two guys to score. It’s the whole team.”

SU head coach John Desko said in January that replacing Dylan Donahue would involve several players. When asked whom they keyed-in on, Hopkins players chuckled after their loss to SU March 18. When studying SU on film, Duke’s Danowski pointed out SU’s balanced attack as the first thing that jumped out to him.

“It’s not easy to focus on just one guy,” Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala said. “While they may not have the high-powered scorer as usual, they’re an extraordinarily unselfish team and share the ball very well.”





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