It was tempting to watch Syracuse’s 18-9 rout of Navy on Saturday and come away dazzled by, well, the things the Orange are known for doing well.

The slick stickwork. The eagerness to get into transition. The overwhelming offense.

But that same afternoon, the Orange (9-3) held the Midshipmen’s leading goal scorer (attackman Christian Daniel) without a point. Midfielder Greyson Torain, Navy’s other 20-goal scorer, didn’t find the net until the final five minutes.

Syracuse, which meets North Carolina in the first round of the ACC tournament Thursday, held an opponent to single digits for the fifth time in six games.

“I’ve said it for a couple weeks now: I think we have the best defense in the country,” Syracuse goalie Drake Porter said.

Porter’s played his part, no doubt. The junior matched his career high with 16 saves Saturday and carries a .576 save percentage into the conference tournament.

But that entire end of the field is playing as well for the Orange as it has in a while. Redshirt junior Nick Mellen, a third team All-American last year, is a splendid anchor for the close defense. Brett Kennedy is thriving at long pole. And Peter Dearth leads a short stick group that has evolved into a strength this season.

Statistically, there’s a case to be made this is the best Syracuse defense since the Joel White-led group of 2011. That’s the last time the Orange fielded a top-10 scoring defense (Syracuse currently sits at No. 10) or held opponents under 26-percent shooting for the season.

Syracuse Defense By Season

“We’ve really had our moments,” coach John Desko said. “I think we’re playing more consistently.”

That was certainly the case against Navy, which never got any traction against the Orange. The Mids were 0-for-5 on extra man and scored consecutive goals just twice all game — once in the middle of the first half, then again in the final seven minutes after Syracuse built a 10-goal advantage.

Coupled with a balanced offense, the Orange look capable of making a push for their first trip to Memorial Day weekend since 2013.

“If you look at our 1-on-1 defense [Saturday], against Torain there were times we didn’t even have to slide to him,” Porter said. “That’s incredibly impressive, and a lot of times he was covered by a short stick, which is even more impressive. The communication’s been there. The 1-on-1’s been there. The slides have been pretty crisp, so as a goalie I definitely have no complaints.”