The schools participating in the NCAA men's lacrosse final four have offenses ranked in the top seven in the country. Only one has a defense to match: Syracuse.
For a program that has produced some of the sport's most explosive offenses - this season is no exception as the unit ranks second in the country, averaging 12.88 goals - the Orange's defense has emerged as one of the best in nation.
But the defense continues to fly under the radar - and that's fine with the members of that unit.
"It's kind of expected," senior defenseman Sid Smith said. "Syracuse has always been synonymous with its run-and-gun offense. So it doesn't bother us. We're used to it, but we're just trying to make a name for the defense."
If No. 2 seed Syracuse (14-2) - which meets No. 3 seed Duke (15-3) in an NCAA tournament semifinal Saturday at noon - hopes to capture its second straight national championship, the defense will have to play a major role.
This season, the defense is surrendering just 7.31 goals a contest, which is the school's lowest average since 1970 (7.00) and is better than last year's average (7.62). The unit has held 10 of its 16 opponents to fewer than 10 goals.
It's a far cry from 2007, when the Orange missed the NCAA tournament, in part, because of a defense that allowed 11.38 goals per game.
Some of the credit for Syracuse's makeover can be traced to Lelan Rogers, the former SUNY Cortland head coach who became the Orange defensive coordinator after 2007 and emphasized one-on-one defense, communication and fundamentals.
"We want guys who are passionate about playing defense," Rogers said. "[Volunteer assistant coach] Kevin Donahue and I were talking about how playing defense is a window to the soul. Some guys take pride in defense, and some don't. They make it look like they do, but their objective is to get the ball and get to the other end of the field. We try to get our guys to buy into our defensive system and the attitude of playing defense."
While last season's defense excelled at man-to-man play, this current group appears better suited to sliding to certain players and in certain areas. The strategy keeps opposing offenses guessing and forces them into committing turnovers or taking ill-advised shots.
"We were playing one defense earlier in the year, but we've had to adjust," coach John Desko said. "We've been sliding a little more than we have in the past, and they've adjusted to it well. The coaches have done a good job of preparing them as far as who their matchups are and guys that we might have to slide to."
