3 things to look for in Syracuse lacrosse's matchup against St. Bonaventure

The Syracuse Orange host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Tuesday, March 21 at 6 p.m. (TV: ACC Network Extra). The Orange is coming in at 4-4 while the Bonnies are looking for their second win of the season.

Here's what to watch for in the men's lacrosse matchup.

Freshman Joey Spallina leads Syracuse in points and goals in 2023. Spallina scored 11 goals in the first three games of the season, helping lead the Orange to a 3-0 start. But through the Orange's four game skid (all against ranked teams), Spallina was stymied by stronger defenses, scoring just six goals in the four games combined.

In Syracuse's last game against Hofstra, Spallina got back to his scoring form, netting four goals while also adding three assists. The seven points tied his career and season high for a single game. When Spallina scores five or more points, the Orange are 3-1 on the season. When he doesn't they are 1-3.

If the Orange hope to start a new winning streak, Spallina will have to carry over his scoring dominance from the trip to Long Island.

One of the biggest question marks of the season for Syracuse has been at the faceoff X. Through eight games, the Orange hold just a .406 win percentage on faceoffs.

The Orange have used a combination of Johnny Richiusa and Jack Fine throughout the season. Richiusa has taken the majority of the faceoffs and has struggled, winning just 67 out of 162 faceoffs.

In an attempt to generate more possessions, head coach Gary Gait implemented a new strategy against Hofstra. Rather than trying to win the possession directly off the faceoff, the specialist would force a ground ball to his teammate, resulting in the possession win. Against Hofstra, the results were a mixed bag.

Richiusa and Fine combined to win just nine out of 28 faceoff opportunities. Richiusa won five out of 17 while Fine won four of 11. Despite the low numbers, the Orange still managed to outshoot Hofstra.

Syracuse will need to see improved performance at the X if they hope to take down the Bonnies and win down the stretch.

St. Bonaventure comes into the match with a 1-6 record on the season. Their only win came against Virginia Military Institution on Feb. 25. They also enter on a three-game skid. Last season, the Bonnies went 11-4 and won the MAAC regular season title. They would go on to lose 8-7 in the MAAC championship to Manhattan.

After a successful 2022, St. Bonaventure lost All-American goalie Brett Dobson who now plays in the PLL.

The Bonnies are led by attackers Sean Westley and Jake Rosa. Last season, Westley led the team with 56 points. Through seven games, Rosa has 21 points while Westley has 20.

It's been a tough season for the Bonnies thus far. Their last three games they have lost by a combined score differential of -24, and the offense has reached double digit goals in only three out of seven games.

----

Chat about this story and all things Syracuse and Syracuse recruiting on our premium message board, Cuse Classified!

Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.

Tips/questions/concerns? E-mail Recruiting Analyst Charles Kang here.

Not a subscriber to The Juice Online? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community.