Utah came into this matchup after dropping three consecutive games and looked to get back on track with a program-defining win. The experience of Syracuse proved to be too much, however, as the Orange waltzed into Rice Eccles Stadium and came away with a convincing 15-5 win.
First Half
The first half was one to forget for Utah as Syracuse jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Cade Faulkner fought hard to keep the Utes in this game, scoring his first of three goals on the day to cut into the Orange lead, 4-1, with a little over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. Syracuse continued to find answers as another three-goal burst to end the first quarter gave the Orange a commanding 7-1 lead entering the second quarter of action.
Utah’s offensive struggles continued throughout the remainder of the first half as Syracuse held the Utes scoreless in the second quarter, taking a massive 11-1 advantage into halftime.
Second Half
The Utes found a new sense of urgency as the third quarter got underway as Colby Plotts took it coast to coast, giving Utah their second goal of the day. The Utes defense was phenomenal in the third quarter, holding Syracuse scoreless while Faulkner and Will Overly both netted goals as Utah continued to chip away at the deficit. The third quarter gave Utah a bit of momentum as the Syracuse lead was cut to 7 entering the final quarter of action.
Both teams exchanged goals to start the fourth quarter as Faulkner ripped the net for his third goal of the day, but it was too little too late for the Utes as Syracuse chewed the clock and scored timely goals to negate any chance Utah had of mounting a comeback. The Orange were able to add four goals in the final quarter of play as the Utes would eventually fall, 15-5.
After scoring a season-high 19 goals as a team in week one of the season against Ohio State, Utah’s offense has continued to struggle over their last four outings, and that was the theme once again today.
What’s Next for the Utes?
Utah will head back on the road to take on Dartmouth next week, Saturday, March 8th at 10:00 a.m. MST. As the Utes start to creep closer to ASUN play, these next few games against non-conference opponents will be crucial for Utah to get back on track.
