GENEVA, N.Y. — For Hobart goalie Max Silberlicht, it was the second time he’s seen JoJo Marasco work in person on a lacrosse field. Although, the first time was more of a scouting session for Silberlicht — he watched his own brother, Jake, play with Marasco in the 2008 Empire Games.

But even then, watching Marasco as a high-schooler, Silberlicht saw potential. And that’s why he wasn’t surprised with Marasco’s breakout game Tuesday.

‘He was a workhorse for ‘Cuse today,’ Silberlicht said of Marasco. ‘He filled in some shoes as a freshman. That was pretty good.’

Marasco looked like anything but a freshman Tuesday night, busting out with two goals and one assist in Syracuse’s come-from-behind 9-8 overtime victory over Hobart on Monday. Controlling the ball for large chunks of time, he saw extended time at both midfield and attack, making his presence felt in all aspects of the game.

Looking like a seasoned veteran, Marasco took on extended roles without the presence of attack Tim Desko, who missed his second straight game Tuesday night with an injury.

When he found an opening, Marasco took it to the net. And he found those openings on two big occasions in the latter portion of the Orange’s win.

First, he answered the call in the middle of the third quarter. SU’s offense was slumping, fresh in the midst of a 26-minute-plus scoring drought that extended from the end of the first quarter to the middle of the third.

Shot after shot was turned away by Silberlicht. The Orange fired one errant shot after another.

Then, Marasco finally got his team going. He worked in a one-on-one matchup behind the net, coming around and firing past Silberlicht to pull Syracuse within two at 5-3 with five minutes left in the third quarter.

‘We had (Hobart midfielder) Mike Lazore absolutely manhandle him, I thought,’ Silberlicht said. ‘So he didn’t really get much. But when he did, he made the best of his opportunities, and that’s what a good player does. He’s a good player.’

Just like that, Marasco sparked SU’s rejuvenated second-half offense. But he wasn’t even close to done. A freshman might’ve been discouraged at Silberlicht’s save on his behind-the-back attempt that seemed sure to hit the back of the net.

Not Marasco. He got the ball right back on the Orange’s next possession. Spinning and shooting left-handed, he tied the game up at 6-6, jumping into senior midfielder Max Bartig’s arms in celebration after his momentous goal.

‘I was able to show that I can dodge from up top and from behind,’ Marasco said. ‘I was able to get a couple goals in. So yeah, I think this could be a game that I was finally able to come out, and it worked out great.’

And yet, Marasco was equally as important aside from the points he scored. Midway through the fourth quarter, he set the pick that let senior attack Chris Daniello run behind the net and tie the game up again at 7-7.

It was late in the fourth quarter when Marasco looked well beyond his years. Checking the clock, he saw 2:10 remaining. He thought about dodging toward the goal but pulled back. He then milked another 40 seconds off the clock from the back of the net before giving the ball up.

‘I tried to use my game sense with that,’ Marasco said. ‘Coach (John Desko) always talks about relaxing, getting the ball around and using some time up. I looked around and it was kind of unsettled — it wasn’t really set. Just by pulling it out, it helps the offense to finally get everyone on the field.’

When the Kraus-Simmons trophy was presented to Desko, he smiled, paused and called over his two captains, Joel White and Daniello.

Marasco could only cheer on the celebration enthusiastically. For now, anyway. But on a cold, rainy night at McCooey Field, Marasco looked just as much the part as his fellow upperclassmen. And the veterans, including junior attack Stephen Keogh, took notice.

‘I thought he stepped up big time,’ Keogh said. ‘He went hard to the cage. He can dodge from up top and behind. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a playmaker for us, and he stepped up big time for us today.’

bplogiur@syr.edu

 

Published on March 23, 2010 at 12:00 pm