GENEVA, N.Y.—The second-ranked Syracuse University lacrosse team got a strong performance from senior goalie Evan Malloy and perfect special teams play to power past Hobart College 17-11 in the Kraus-Simmons Trophy game at Boswell Field tonight.
 
Malloy posted a career-high 17 saves, including eight in the fourth quarter, while the Orange (8-1) scored on all five of their extra-man opportunities and killed of all four of their man-down situations. Senior midfielder Nick Mariano led the offense with seven points on four goals (3 man-up) and three assists. Sophomore attackman Nate Solomon also netted four goals while senior midfielder Sergio Salcido handed out a game-high four assists. Senior Ben Williams was 17-of-28 on faceoffs with six ground balls.
 
The Statesmen (4-6) got a five-point effort from senior attackman Frank Brown. He scored three times and added two assists to raise his career point total to 98, 11th all-time among Hobart's Division I Statesmen. Senior midfielder Max Romm scored twice. Sophomore Matthew Pedicine was 14-of-31 at the X with a team-high six ground balls. Senior goalie Jackson Brown finished with nine saves.
 
Hobart outshot Syracuse 53-31, but Malloy's efforts kept the Statesmen at arm's length throughout the night. The Orange had a 30-24 edge in ground balls, but committed five more turnovers than the home team (14-9).
 
Syracuse opened the scoring 39 seconds into the contest and built a 4-1 edge by the 6:41 mark of the first quarter. Hobart closed the frame with back-to-back scores by sophomore midfielder Bryan Hancock and first-year midfielder Eric Holden to make it a 4-3 game.
 
In the first five minutes of the second quarter, Solomon sandwiched a pair of goals around Mariano's first extra-man tally to make it 7-3 Orange. Frank Brown set up first-year attackman Justin Scott midway through the quarter. Senior midfielder Kevin Murphy scooped up the ground ball on the ensuing faceoff and fed Frank Brown for another Hobart scored with just 12 seconds run off the clock to get the Statesmen within two, 7-5.
 
Syracuse carried a 9-5 lead into halftime thanks to consecutive goals by Solomon and sophomore attackman Brad Voigt. The latter finished with two goals and an assist.
 
The Statesmen got the second half off on the right foot on goals by Romm and Frank Brown about a minute apart to cut SU's lead to 9-7. The Orange responded with two goals of their own to restore their four-goal advantage.
 
Frank Brown fed junior Mason Burr as he made a quick cut to the front of the cage and dunked home his third goal of the year to make it 11-8 with less than five minutes gone in the second half. However, Mariano fired in back-to-back extra-man goals for a 13-8 Syracuse lead through three quarters.
 
Hobart used one more two-goal burst to cut SU's lead to three early in the fourth quarter. Junior long-stick midfielder Christopher Willman scooped up a ground ball in the offensive zone and fired in his first goal of the year. Four minutes later, senior midfielder Tanner John scored on a big overhand shot from the left alley.
 
Syracuse put the game out of reach with three goals in a span of just 1:09 in the middle of the final quarter.
 
Hobart will be back in action on Saturday, April 8 when the Statesmen resume Northeast Conference play at Saint Joseph's University (3-7, 0-2). The opening faceoff in Philadelphia is slated for 1 p.m. The Orange will return home to host Cornell University at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11.