Like any coach, Syracuse head lacrosse coach John Desko has used the team’s scrimmages as a measuring stick for the season. And with each match, Desko has noticed a progression while also recognizing that more work still needs to be done.After Syracuse grabbed a pair of wins over Fairfield and Le Moyne last week, he mentioned how all aspects – offense and defense – need to improve in terms of goal scoring and better defensive choices.This past Friday, the No. 5 Orange grabbed a 7-6 victory over No. 7 Navy in five periods. Looking back at that game, assistant coach Kevin Donahue noted a new focus that the Orange will work on this coming week – faceoffs.’We picked up better both offensively and defensively,’ senior midfielder/attack Brian Crockett said. ‘At the same time we got killed in possession time of not having the ball a lot.’In SU’s victory over the Midshipmen, the Orange didn’t have to pick up its intensity after lagging behind in the early moments like it did against Fairfield and Le Moyne. Comparatively speaking, SU’s offense was more productive. Though it only scored seven goals, the Orange faced a much more talented team than what SU saw in last week’s scrimmages.But Syracuse probably could’ve scored more if it controlled possession more. Last year with Denny Brennan and Geoff Krough taking most of the draws, SU won 53 percent of its faceoffs. But Desko knows that an increased percentage can result in more chances to score this season.’The faceoff becomes crucial in clearing situations,’ Desko said last week. ‘A high percentage of the time you get it to the offensive end of the field. Turnovers will be important not to turn it over too quickly and maintain possession on our end and keep constant pressure on the defense.’

Leveille finds net againMike Leveille continued to score goals despite playing with a more talented attack line that includes Kenny Nims, Joe Yevoli and Brett Bucktooth. The sophomore scored one goal, his sixth of the preseason. Freshman midfielder Patrick Perritt also emerged from the mix by scoring two goals of his own.’As a freshman last year, there’s obviously a lot of stuff you have to adapt to,’ Leveille said during fall ball last semester. ‘It’s a lot different than the high school game. It’s really a lot of stuff to learn.’Last year as a freshman, Leveille started all 13 games and contributed with 30 goals, the second-highest scoring total behind Crockett’s 35 goals.

Escaping the snow … barelySyracuse certainly looked forward to its match against Navy, a reunion of the 2004 national title game in which the Orange was crowned the champions. But the Orange didn’t look forward to it so much that it was willing to stay in Maryland a few extra days. Originally, Syracuse was set to play Navy on Sunday at noon. But due to weather forecasts calling for a snowstorm to hit Pennsylvania and Maryland, Syracuse and Navy decided to play at 4 p.m. on Friday so SU could drive back to New York before Mother Nature paid a visit. ‘The head coaches decided it was better to play the game so we could get out of town early on Saturday,’ assistant coach Kevin Donahue said. ‘It was a good decision. We were on our heels but we were a couple yards ahead of (the storm).’Syracuse plays Maryland in a scrimmage on Saturday slated for 1 p.m. at Alfred Wohl Field, Syracuse’s practice field. But with the weather forecasting a likely snow shower with a 60 percent chance of precipitation, there’s a possibility the Terrapins will host the Orange instead. That decision will not be made until later in the week.