Kenny Nims called the turnovers Syracuse committed against Virginia ‘unacceptable.’ Nims sat head down, slouched in his chair at the postgame press conference of his team’s lone loss thus far this season Feb. 27 talking about turnovers, a statistic not kept in lacrosse.

The No. 2 Orange (4-1) had a late run against the No. 1 Cavaliers but fell short, 13-12. One fewer turnover and maybe things would have been different.

‘I’m always concerned about turnovers no matter who we play,’ Syracuse head coach John Desko said. ‘The Virginia game we had all those turnovers and then we lose by one goal. That’s certainly disappointing.’

Virginia played a run-and-gun offense, so even when the Orange turned it over, it was able to regain possession quickly. But Saturday Syracuse will host Binghamton (2 p.m. TW 26), a team that enjoys slowing the pace of the game down. Turnovers could result in the Orange spending a significant amount of time without the ball.

‘We have to be real careful with turnovers,’ Nims, a senior attack, said. ‘Obviously in a game like Virginia when you are running up and down the field, you can afford to make a few more turnovers, but with a team like Binghamton, they are going to look to sit on the ball, so we need four, five goals early.’

Nims said Syracuse needs to be more disciplined and take care of the ball better. Fellow team captain Matt Abbott said sloppy play and forcing shots have been the cause of Syracuse’s turnovers. Abbott said turnovers and taking care of faceoffs are the Orange’s two biggest concerns at this point. Desko and Nims also voiced turnovers as a primary concern for the Orange.

Abbott said repetitions in practice and making smart decisions will help improve Syracuse’s turnover situation.

When the ball does leave a player’s stick, Syracuse hustles for it. The Orange has beat out its opponents in groundballs, 157-139, so far this season, helping it regain possessions it may have lost due to earlier turnovers or lost faceoffs.

‘I think you want to, as the year goes on, to eliminate turnovers or keep them to a minimum,’ Desko said. ‘Because you want to be getting better, and I think it shows improvement.’

SU prepares for Binghamton zone

As Syracuse prepares for Binghamton’s zone defense, it will have to simultaneously get ready for Hobart, which has been one of the biggest surprises in the country this season.

The Orange takes on the Statesmen Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Desko said normally the coaches will look for similarities between the two opponents SU will face and prepare for both at the same time that way. But after watching one of Binghamton’s previous games, he said the Bearcats (1-4) exclusively play a hybrid defense he is not used to seeing.

‘That’s a whole new animal,’ Desko said of Binghamton’s defense. ‘We cannot overlook anyone and need to come up with a game plan that will work for both teams.’

Desko said it was important to look ahead to Hobart (5-0) because of its recent hot streak, including a 15-8 win over Georgetown Saturday.

Knight’s status for Saturday still uncertain

Josh Knight suffered an injury during Syracuse’s 14-11 win over Johns Hopkins’ Saturday and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. The team is still waiting for test results of the injury, but Desko said he ‘would bet Knight will be out’ for the Orange’s game Saturday.

Knight is the second faceoff man to be injured this season. Two weeks ago, Desko announced Jake Moulton will miss the rest of the season with a hand injury.

Before his injury, Knight was 13-of-28 at the X. Moulton. He has won 20 of 40 faceoffs this season.

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on March 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm