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ast Friday, the ACC Network scheduled Instagram live Q&A’s for Syracuse midfielders Jamie Trimboli and Brendan Curry with ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra at 3 p.m. The production did not get off to a seamless start. Trimboli struggled to get onscreen. He attempted to join via the Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse account, then his personal one. He swapped his laptop for his cell phone, then back again. Nothing seemed to work. 

“I’ve been trying everything,” Trimboli said when he finally appeared almost 30 minutes later, his face barely recognizable through the blurry reception. 

Opposing coaches probably felt a similar level of frustration trying to game plan against the No. 1 ranked team in the country this spring. The virtual interview last week was the rare occasion when a member of the Orange’s first line midfield could not connect. 

On a team that boasts nine Inside Lacrosse Media All-Americans and the No. 6 scoring offense, the midfield still stood out. Trimboli and Curry each earned first-team All-American honors. Redshirt-sophomore Tucker Dordevic received honorable mention distinction. They can all create their own shots. Trimboli led all midfielders in the country with 3.4 goals per game, and the unit was on pace for a historic spring after averaging 10.2 points through five games. 

“I’m not sure if there’s a better midfield in the country,” Hobart head coach Greg Raymond said after a 21-13 loss to the Orange on March 1. 

Curry and Dordevic each scored a career-high five goals against the Statesmen. The trio combined for 17 points. A week earlier, Army’s defense held the Orange attack to zero goals. Syracuse still prevailed 9-7 on the back of five goals by Trimboli — another career high. Curry assisted on two of them to go along with two goals of his own. 

Yet, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The midfield’s ability to sacrifice their point totals for the sake of the group and play off one another is the key to their production. 

“The biggest thing with those guys and why they're so successful is that they’re really selfless,” said first year offensive coordinator Pat March. “When you talk about them as a specific midfield line, they're willing to defer to whoever has the hot hand in a game. They do a really good job of not pressing when one of them is playing better.”

One day before Syracuse advanced to the national championship game of the Nike/ US Lacrosse Magazine Virtual NCAA Tournament, we learned that connection will continue in 2021 inside the newly renovated Carrier Dome. Trimboli announced on April 23 he’ll make use of the NCAA’s provision of eligibility relief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and return for a fifth year. 

“If there’s an opportunity to spend another year at Syracuse University, competing day in and day out with my best friends, then sign me up for that,” he said in the statement posted on social media. 

Trimboli conferred with his parents and his supervisor at his upcoming summer internship at Angelo Planning Group about his plans. Their advice was unanimous. 

“How often do you get an extra year to play the sport you love at the highest level?” they asked him. Trimboli said he did not want to have any regrets and called the chance to play with his best friends “the icing on the cake.”

It’s the locker room and the connections with their teammates that Trimboli and Curry both noted they’ve missed the most. Curry called the 2020 squad the closest team he’s ever been a part of. That bond often manifests itself in the brutally honest verbal barbs that litter the team’s group texts. 

“It’s all in good fun because we love each other,” Trimboli said. 

While he might catch flack for the amount of product he uses in his hair, Trimboli’s shot might be even more slick. 

“He’s the best shooter in the country, in my opinion,” Curry told Carcaterra. “You almost celebrate on some of his shots before they even go in.”

Curry is also lethal shooting on the run with both hands. He moves so fast his arm pads inevitably slip way below his elbows every game. That’s been the case since he led Calvert Hall to the 2017 MIAA championship and kicked off an unprecedented dynasty.

“They just slide down after I shoot,” Curry explained of the wardrobe malfunction that elicits a fair share of chirps from his teammates. “The hassle of putting them back up is pretty annoying, so they just hang down by my gloves.”

After missing the entire 2019 season with a right foot injury, Dordevic rejoined the group and looked like he regained the form he showed when he burst onto the scene as a freshman. 

"Tucker's work ethic is second to no one in the entire country,” March said. “The way he rehabbed from those injuries and worked as hard as he did is incredible. There's no guy that's on the wall or out shooting more than him.” 

Dordevic tallied 10 goals and four assists through five games. 

“This is not how it should be,” he explained to Carcaterra about what he thought during the weekend after the season was suspended. “We should be at Rutgers right now.” 

Instead, he’s back home in Portland, Ore., sporting a dyed blonde hairdo that’s starting to take on more of an orange hue. When Curry is not in virtual class or in zoom meetings with the team, he’s passed the time with family cooking competitions in Lutherville, Md. 

“I actually came in second place,” Curry said of the most recent one, “which is disappointing.”

Back in Victor, N.Y., Trimboli is thankful he can still work out on the weight rack in his family’s basement. The four-time All-American selection hasn’t watched Tiger King on Netflix yet, but he did finish both 16-episode seasons of All American. He’s heard good things about Billions on Showtime, so he might start that next. 

This season’s abrupt end left many Syracuse upperclassmen craving to finish what they started. Yesterday, redshirt-senior attackman Stephen Rehfuss added his name to a growing list who’ve said they’ll be back for one more run in 2021. Along with Trimboli, defensive midfielder and captain Peter Dearth, face-off specialist Danny Varello and goalie Drake Porter, who registered a 57.7 save percentage in 2020, have announced similar plans. 

“My teammates and I will do whatever it takes to bring a National Championship back to ‘Cuse,” Porter said in his statement. “Hartford or bust.”

Trimboli said the number of seniors who’ve decided to pursue another year is a testament to the culture they’ve built. The wealth of returning talent gives the Orange hope they can make a run at a tournament that isn’t virtual. Syracuse lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2018 and 2019. This spring felt different. 

“Hopefully we can work as hard as we can to get that mojo again and put Syracuse back into championship weekend,” Curry said. 

On a Zoom call yesterday with the returning captains, Director of Operations Roy Simmons III told Trimboli, Curry and Dearth that whenever they return to campus will be different, not only because of the current circumstances. A No. 1 ranking brings heightened expectations from the outside. He told them to embrace the opportunity. 

“This is what Syracuse lacrosse is built for — the spotlight — so none of us are going to shy away from it,” Curry said. “We look forward to having that target on our back.”