ORANGE LACROSSE ANNOUNCES 2010 TEAM CAPTAINS

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  – Senior Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) and junior Joel White (Cortland, N.Y.) have been named captains for the 2010 season head coach John Desko announced on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Both players will serve in the role for the first time and they were each elected in a vote by their teammates.

Daniello, an attackman, had a breakout season a year ago, starting 11 of the Orange’s 18 games and tallying 24 points to help the Orange win its second straight NCAA title. He ranked fourth on the squad with 21 goals and posted four hat tricks during the regular season.

White has emerged as one of the premier longstick middies in the college game. An honorable mention All-American last season, White has 126 career ground balls and he ranked second on the Orange in that category with 63 in 2009.  He keyed an Orange defensive unit that listed fourth nationally in scoring defense and posted a 7.38 goals-against average last season.

White has also made his presence felt on offense during his career with 12 points and eight goals in his first two years. He was particularly effective in transition in 2009, finishing with five goals and three assists, including a one-goal, one-assist showing in a home win against Rutgers.

The Orange will wrap up its fall practice season with a pair of scrimmages at Navy on Saturday, Oct. 10. Syracuse will face the host Midshipmen at 12 p.m. on Rip Miller Field then face Harvard on the turf at Farragut Field beginning at 2:30 p.m.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

Notre Dame Lacrosse Announces Fall Ball Schedule
Fighting Irish to open Arlotta Stadium against Iroquois National Team on Oct. 16.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team has announced its 2009 fall schedule. The Fighting Irish will face the Canadian National Team twice on Oct. 11 in Orchard Park, N.Y. Notre Dame concludes the slate with a home game at Arlotta Stadium against the Iroquois National Team on Oct. 16.

Notre Dame will meet the Canadian National Team at Orchard Park High School in Orchard Park, N.Y., which is just south of Buffalo. There will be two games, with the first starting at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The second contest will follow immediately afterwards.

The Canadians won the world championship during the last world games. They will bring their top 50 players to face the Fighting Irish. Their roster will then be reduced to 23 members for the games next summer.

The game against the Iroquois National Team will be the first game held at the state-of-the-art Arlotta Stadium. Game time is slated for 4:00 p.m. (ET) and there is free admission for all fans. The official stadium dedication will take place the following morning (Saturday, Oct. 17) prior to the Notre Dame-USC football game.

The Iroquois are a unique entity, comprising the only Native American team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally. They have transitioned from box lacrosse to the field game. The Iroquois team members have also achieved great success. They boast NCAA All-Americans, professional players in the National Lacrosse League and many International Lacrosse Federation World Team members.

Lacrosse is one of the oldest team sports played in North America. Rooted in centuries of Native American tradition, the game took on many variations before reaching its present day form. The annual collegiate player-of-the-year trophy for men’s and women’s lacrosse is named the Tewaaraton Trophy. ‘Tewaaraton’ is the Mohawk name for their game and the progenitor of present day lacrosse.

Notre Dame posted a 15-1 record last season en route to garnering the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Championship. The win total and winning percentage were program records. Notre Dame won the Great Western Lacrosse League regular season and tournament titles.

The 2010 season will mark a new era for Fighting Irish lacrosse. Not only will Notre Dame begin play in Arlotta Stadium, the Irish also will be competing in the BIG EAST Conference. This will mark the first year the BIG EAST has sponsored men’s lacrosse. There will be seven members of the league that will compete in men’s lacrosse (Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova).

NOTRE DAME MEN’S LACROSSE 2009 FALL SCHEDULE
Date   Opponent   Site   Time
Sunday, Oct. 11  Canadian National Team*  Orchard Park, N.Y. 10:00 a.m. (ET)
Friday, Oct. 16  Iroquois National Team  Notre Dame, Ind.  4:00 p.m. (ET)

* – Notre Dame will play two games against the Canadian National Team
–ND–

DU Men’s Lacrosse to Face-off Against Denver Outlaws in First-Ever Colorado Lacrosse Showcase
Pioneers will host the Outlaws on Saturday, Oct. 24 with a historic game and clinic

DENVER – The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team and Major League Lacrosse’s Denver Outlaws will face-off for the first time in the inaugural Colorado Lacrosse Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on the DU campus. The game will be preceded by the Colorado Lacrosse Showcase Youth Clinic at 10 a.m., featuring the Denver Outlaws and an appearance by DU coaching legend Bill Tierney.

Fans will get the chance to see their favorite Outlaws players at both the game and clinic, including DU assistant coach Matt Brown. This will be the first scrimmage of the 2009-10 season under coach Tierney and the first time the Pioneers have squared off against a professional lacrosse team.

“I can’t think of a more exciting day of lacrosse for the Denver lacrosse community, or a greater setting for this contest than Peter Barton Stadium, located on our beautiful campus in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains,” Tierney said.  “It will be a great opportunity for our alumni, families and friends to observe the exciting things that are happening in and around the DU men’s lacrosse program.”

Tickets are $5 and will go on sale on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased through www.TicketMaster.com or at the DU Box Office, located in the Daniel L. Ritchie Center on the DU campus.

“This should be a great event for Colorado lacrosse,” said Outlaws head coach Brian Reese. “The Outlaws look forward to getting back on the field and taking on a very good collegiate team. I expect DU to be a very prepared and talented team and this will be a special kickoff to the Bill Tierney era in Denver.”

Admission for the youth clinic is $50 and includes a ticket to the Colorado Lacrosse Showcase game. Geared towards boys in second through eighth grade, the Outlaws will host the clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on the field at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

Skills covered in the clinic include shooting, dodging, footwork, one-on-one defense, clearing and transition work. An autograph session with the Outlaws players will also be included at 11:30 a.m.

To register or for more information on the clinic, visit www.DenverOutlaws.com/showcase.

- PIONEERS -

DU Men’s Lacrosse Unveils 2010 Schedule
Pioneers open up season on the road against defending NCAA National Champions Syracuse

DENVER – The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team will open up the 2010 season on the road against the defending NCAA National Champions Syracuse, DU head coach Bill Tierney announced today. The Pioneers will also embark on new adventure as a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, making the move with former Great Western Lacrosse League teams, Air Force, Bellarmine, Ohio State and Quinnipiac.

The Pioneers will enter the Carrier Dome on Friday, Feb. 19 to face an Orange team that posted a 16-2 overall record last season and a dramatic 10-9 come-from-behind win in overtime against Cornell at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., to capture the program’s 11th National Championship.

“Starting off the season against the defending National Champions is going to be a great test of our young team,” Tierney said. “It was important for us as a coaching staff to come here and make a statement to our players, and what better way than opening up a season against the best team in the country.”

Following their game with the Orange, the Pioneers remain on the road to face the Jacksonville University Dolphins on Sunday, Feb. 21, a program in its inaugural season of Division I lacrosse.

Denver opens up its home schedule on Saturday, Feb. 27 as it welcomes the Albany Great Danes to the Mile-High City. The Pioneers then welcome Air Force, Lehigh and Penn to Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium for the Ninth Annual DU Face-Off Classic on Saturday, Mar. 6 and Sunday, Mar. 7.

The Pioneers then host Canisius at home before heading on a two-game Northeast road trip to Notre Dame and Stony Brook, two teams that finished ranked in the top-25 last season. During the 2009 season, the Pioneers matched-up with the then No. 4 Irish in a GWLL game, dropping a 10-8 decision at Invesco Field at Mile High. Denver faced Stony Brook at home last season, turning in a 17-12 victory.

In a non-conference game, the Pioneers will host Air Force on Saturday, March 27 in the first of four straight home games, three of which are ECAC opponents. Denver opens ECAC play against Hobart on Saturday, April 3 and follows it up with games against Bellarmine and Quinnipiac the following weekend.

“Joining the ECAC is going to be a great asset for us,” Tierney said. “We are going to face some very tough teams that have strong lacrosse programs and if we play well, we can really make a statement in our first year. The good news for the Denver lacrosse community is that we will bring in some very good East teams to the Mile-High City.”

Denver then returns to the road to take on Ohio State on Saturday, April 17, followed by a match-up with Fairfield on Sunday, April 25 in a televised ESPNU contest.

Once again, the Pioneers will make the trip up Interstate-25 to host a game at Invesco Field at Mile High as they invite Loyola to the Rocky Mountain Region for another ECAC meeting on Sunday, May 2.

Denver closes out the regular season with its final conference game, making the journey south to the United States Air Force Academy on Saturday, May 8.

Heading into the 2010 season, the Pioneers return their top-two leading scorers from a season ago as senior Charley Dickenson (Dallas, Texas) and Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario) will be called upon to help lead the Denver offense.

“Everyone is starting fresh this season,” Tierney said. “Since we are new as a coaching staff and we have a big group of incoming players, everyone will be competing for a starting position. It’s a new language, new techniques and a new way of doing things that everyone needs to become familiar with. Our goal is to have fans say, ‘I can’t wait till the spring.’”

The Pioneers will open the fall with the inaugural Colorado Lacrosse Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium as DU takes on the Denver Outlaws for the first time ever. The game will be preceded by the Colorado Lacrosse Showcase Youth Clinic at 10 a.m., featuring the Denver Outlaws and an appearance by coach Tierney.

Tickets are $5 and will go on sale on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased through www.TicketMaster.com or at the DU Box Office, located in the Daniel L. Ritchie Center on the DU campus.

Admission for the youth clinic is $50 and includes a ticket to the Colorado Lacrosse Showcase game. Geared towards boys in second through eighth grade, the Outlaws will host the clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on the field at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

Skills covered in the clinic include shooting, dodging, footwork, one-on-one defense, clearing and transition work. An autograph session with the Outlaws players will also be included at 11:30 a.m.

To register or for more information on the clinic, visit www.DenverOutlaws.com/showcase.

2010 DU MEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE
DAY               DATE                 OPPONENT
Fri.                  Feb. 19             Syracuse
Sun.               Feb. 21             Jacksonville
Sat.                Feb. 27             ALBANY
DU Face-Off Classic
Sat.                Mar. 6               Air Force vs. Lehigh
Sat.                Mar. 6               PENN
Sun.               Mar. 7               Air Force vs. Penn
Sun.               Mar. 7               LEHIGH

Sat.                Mar. 13             CANISIUS
Tues.             Mar. 16             Notre Dame
Sat.                Mar. 20             Stony Brook
Sat.                Mar. 27             AIR FORCE
Sat.                Apr. 3                HOBART *
Fri.                 Apr. 9                BELLARMINE *
Sun.               Apr. 11              QUINNIPIAC *
Sat.                Apr. 17              Ohio State *
Sun                Apr. 25              Fairfield * %
Sun.               May 2                LOYOLA  * &
Sat.                May 8                Air Force *

* – ECAC Opponent
% – Game broadcasted on ESPNU
& – Played at Invesco Field at Mile High
HOME GAMES IN BOLD
All Times Mountain Time

- PIONEERS -