VILLANOVA, Pa. – Bobby Wardwell led the charge into the locker room. The centerpiece of Syracuse’s stifling display, he and the rest of the Orange raced across the field and through the tunnel at halftime, carrying an insurmountable seven-goal lead.

Syracuse was well on its way to winning the Big East championship. Wardwell, a freshman goaltender, was a huge reason, shutting out St. John’s in a dominant first half.

‘You got to give credit to Bobby Wardwell. He made so many great saves there in the first half, holding them to zero,’ SU defender Brian Megill said. ‘That’s almost unheard of in college lacrosse in Division I.’

Wardwell made five saves in net to blank the Red Storm (8-7) in the first half of a dominant 12-4 victory for Syracuse (9-7) in the Big East tournament championship at Villanova Stadium on Saturday. He finished with seven saves and allowed just three goals in nearly 54 minutes of action to help the Orange earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Wardwell turned in perhaps his best performances of the season at the conference tournament, allowing just nine goals and turning away 19 shots in two games in Villanova.

‘He played well,’ St. John’s head coach Jason Miller said. ‘He certainly did what they needed him to do to win this week.’

The Syracuse defense came out aggressive from the start, constantly pressuring the St. John’s attack. Megill said the unit communicated well and was quick on its switches and slides to prevent the Red Storm from getting good looks.

With the Orange dictating the game, Miller said his team never got comfortable in the first 30 minutes of the game. And when the Red Storm players did earn a quality opportunity, they fired it straight into Wardwell’s stick.

On St. John’s first possession, attack Colin Keegan ripped a deep shot from straightaway right at Wardwell, who effortlessly snared it for his first save. A little over four minutes later, SJU midfielder tried to beat Wardwell low from the right alley, but the freshman stayed focused and smothered the one-hopper by the post.

Wardwell said he played with confidence, especially with the SU defenders locking down their assignments.

‘I feel a little more confident at the start of each game,’ Wardwell said. ‘But it’s mostly because of the defense. I know all the guys in front of me are great.’

Wardwell and the Syracuse defense combined to frustrate St. John’s when it appeared to have a chance to get back in the game. The Red Storm went 0-of-3 on extra-man opportunities in the first half as the Orange defense either blocked its shot attempts or forced the Red Storm to rush through its possession.

On SJU’s final and best opportunity before halftime, Wardwell bailed out the defense after a rare breakdown.

St. John’s worked the ball around before hitting its top playmaker, attack Kieran McArdle, for a wide open shot from in close on the right side of the cage. McArdle wound up and unleashed a hard shot aimed for the top left corner.

Wardwell read it perfectly and made an easy save.

The Red Storm didn’t get another chance and Syracuse went into the break with a 7-0 lead – the first time the Orange shut out an opponent in a half all season. SU midfielder Bobby Eilers said Wardwell’s standout performance fueled another breakout game for a suddenly explosive SU offense.

‘We got Bobby Wardwell holding a shutout, we don’t want to be taking stupid shots and let them have a fast-break transition goal,’ Eilers said. ‘So we just are willing and content to work the ball around on offense and take time off the clock.’

With that commanding lead, SU could play patiently to put the finishing touches on a blowout victory in the second half.

And though the Orange still had 30 minutes, head coach John Desko could take his time getting to the locker room at halftime, calmly walking across the field knowing his team was in control.

Already through the tunnel, Wardwell was thankful for his defense’s play in front of him.

‘I think we all kind of really gel as a defensive unit,’ Wardwell said. ‘I don’t think they had a shot inside of 10 yards in the first half.’

rjgery@syr.edu 

Published on May 5, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu