MEN’S LACROSSE TO APPEAR ON ESPNU SIX TIMES IN 2010

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The two-time defending NCAA champion Syracuse men’s lacrosse team highlights ESPN’s 2010 college lacrosse television schedule, which was released on Tuesday, Dec. 29. The Orange will make six national television appearances on ESPNU this season as part of the network’s increased college lacrosse coverage.

The Orange’s road dates with Johns Hopkins (March 20), Rutgers (April 18) and Notre Dame (May 1) will air on the network live as will the team’s BIG EAST opener versus Georgetown (March 7) and its neutral-site game against Princeton (April 10) at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic. In addition, the Syracuse-Virginia matchup in Charlottesville will appear on ESPN360.com and be broadcast on ESPNU via tape delay.

Overall, the ESPN family of networks will televise 57 college lacrosse games in 2010, including 42 regular-season contests and 15 NCAA Tournament games across ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com.

For the fourth year in a row, ESPN will televise the complete NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. ESPNU will televise all eight first-round games and the four quarterfinal contests. ESPN2 will televise the national semifinals on May 29 and ESPN will offer the national championship game on May 31. In addition, ESPN360.com will simulcast the national semifinals and the championship game.

ESPNU is available in more than 65 million households and has long-term carriage agreements with nine of the top 10 providers – Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 614), DISH Network (Channel 148), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

http://www.lacrossehero.com

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

by Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Duke attackman Ned Crotty dodges behind the cage. He splits to his left hand, then to his right. There’s no outlet.

North Carolina defenseman Ryan Flanagan waits for his opening. Crotty rolls back to his left hand — or tries to, anyway. Flanagan slaps up on Crotty’s stick and sends it propelling into the air.

Quint Kessenich barks through the console speakers, “Yard sale!”

…

Lacrosse fans have craved this kind of virtual reality in their living rooms for decades: a big-budget video game dedicated to their sport. Thanks to the social networking phenomenon, the clamor has reached fever pitch.

Karl Brummer, a rising high school senior at Trinity School in Minnesota, started a Facebook group three months ago lobbying EA Sports, a brand most recognized for perennial hits like NHL and Madden NFL, to produce a lacrosse video game.

“I felt like making a Facebook group and seeing how big it would become,” Brummer said. “I didn’t expect it to have any influence.”

The Official EA Sports Lacrosse Video Game Petition Group now boasts nearly 157,000 members, 3,500 wall posts and 160 discussion topics.

“The group is having a big influence on the lacrosse community. Most of the petitioners are lacrosse players, so this group unifies them. The group also raises awareness to Facebookers who have never heard of the sport,” Brummer said. “It is actually getting noticed by video game designers.”

One member of the group, Carlo Sunseri, has decided to do something about it. A Pittsburgh native and former three-time captain of the Robert Morris men’s lacrosse team, Sunseri left a 2007 Major League Lacrosse tryout for the Washington Bayhawks disillusioned with how he played compared to others there. He would not get signed.

“My parents asked me what I’d do if I had a million dollars,” Sunseri said, “and I said build a lacrosse video game.”

Sunseri tracked down a Scottish video game developer through Microsoft’s Xbox Live Community Games — a virtual console for user-generated content. It’s the perfect third-party community for someone like Sunseri with limited funding and contacts. He had never built a video game before, but found a developer who could fashion a lacrosse game from a soccer game recently released on the same platform.

Sunseri, a self-proclaimed entrepreneur and assistant coach at Robert Morris, provides project management and lacrosse know-how.

College Lacrosse 2010 has been in development for nearly three months and will be available for download through the Xbox Community Games channel in September, Sunseri said.

“Once on Xbox, it will be available to 20 million people in 26 different countries. The potential to spread the game of lacrosse is unparalleled to anything that’s been released on the market,” he said. “I’ve played lacrosse my whole life. I’ve always played video games, as well. I’ve always dreamed of playing lacrosse the video game just like we play Madden, NHL and FIFA.”

Sunseri recently provided a virtual demo of the game for Lacrosse Magazine. Although the graphics remain under development, he said, the game’s strengths are its customization and lacrosse-specific movements. For instance, Sunseri circumvented the NCAA’s steep licensing fee by allowing users to customize team names, jerseys, colors and rankings. They can unlock the game in NCAA tournament mode or pro mode — with versions planned for both indoor and outdoor.

Game-play features include:

• College lacrosse rules, such as 10 seconds to advance.
• Offensive formations, such as 2-3-1 and circle.
• Six different camera angles.
• Networking, with the ability to play friends online.
• Various dodges, including swim, split and spin moves.
• Training mode for passing, shooting and one-on-ones.
• Defensive control for stick checks (with same planned for offense and cradling).

With its low-budget workarounds and limited availability, College Lacrosse 2010 might not satisfy the lacrosse community’s growing hunger for a mainstream video game. Others have ventured into this territory before (see below), but with limited scope.

“But if the first game is successful,” Brummer said, “then bigger companies such as EA will have to make a game eventually, as well.”

Public relations contacts for EA Sports did not immediately return e-mails seeking comment for this story.

It’s in the Game

Though mainstream brands such as EA Sports have yet to venture a lacrosse video game into the market, previous efforts by smaller companies have found varying degrees of success.

* Blast Lacrosse was licensed by the National Lacrosse League and Professional Lacrosse Players Association, produced by Aklaim Sports and released in May 2001 for Sony’s PlayStation. It features the NLL’s nine teams at the time and fast-paced play mirroring the comic book-like movements of NBA Jam and NFL Blitz.

* On Feb. 15, 2005, the NLL announced that its partner, Activision, would produce a new video game to be released for the 2007 season. Former commissioner Jim Jennings, who resigned before the 2009 season, told NLL.com that the game would be released in 2009.

* Brine Lacrosse, a video game for mobile phones published by the equipment manufacturer of the same name, was released in March 2006. Produced by wireless entertainment provider SkyZone Entertainment, it features Mikey Powell on its title screen and regionally-based teams from Baltimore, Long Island, Upstate New York, New England, the Midwest and the West Coast.

* Activision included lacrosse among its offerings in Big League Sports for Nintendo Wii, released in December 2008. It features 22 events in six sports, including a one-on-one situational game for lacrosse. Big League Sports has “a singular focus on putting players in the most thrilling situations while competing in their favorite sports,” the press release stated.

* Virtual Wall-Ball was released in February 2009 as part of the US Lacrosse Widget, powered by Lacrosse Magazine. The computer game allows users to rack up points while playing wall ball on their desktops, with a highest scores platform and varying degrees of difficulty.

Trio of Balise, Deane and Jacovina chosen by Chicago Machine.

Dec. 11, 2009

AMHERST, Mass. – Four former UMass lacrosse stars were selected in the 2010 Major League Lacrosse Supplemental Draft held on Dec. 10. Three former Minutemen were selected by the Chicago Machine: Jake Deane (second round), Brian Jacovina (sixth round) and Tim Balise (11th round). Brett Garber was taken by the Washington Bayhawks in the third round.

Each off-season, the Supplemental Draft allows for teams to reload their rosters in preparation for the upcoming season’s training camp. This year’s draft totaled 12 rounds in order to get each team’s roster up to 35 players. From here on, teams are allowed to add up to 5 more players immediately from the Player Pool or wait to host an open tryout first. Players who were drafted and remain on a team roster will automatically be invited to their team’s training camp, while those who went undrafted will hope to be claimed at a later date.

Deane has played with Chicago for the last three seasons. Last year he played in 12 games and had seven goals along with 72 groundballs. He led UMass to the 2006 NCAA Championship Game and was a senior captain. As an honorable mention All-American, he dominated the field as a long stick defensive midfielder and primary face-off man. His face-off percentage was ranked 5th in the nation at 61.5 (233-379).

Garber spent last season with the Boston Cannons. In four games, he had four goals. At UMass, he played four years. He was team Captain during his senior season (2007). Named Second Team All-ECAC and to the All-New England First Team in 2007. He was tied for second on his team and fourth in the ECAC in goals (26) during his senior campaign (2007). Garber was All-New England First Team as a junior in 2006.

Jacovina has been in the MLL since 2007, playing with Boston and Denver in 2008. He had two goals in seven total games that season. The 2007 UMass grad was named to All-New England First Team that year. He was also named to the 2007 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Eighth Division I All New England Senior Scholar Athlete Team. He was a tremendous two-way player, who ran on first midfield, also played defensive midfield and on face-off wing. In 2007, he led UMass with 18 assists, tied for third in points (24).

Balise graduated from UMass in 2009 as an Academic All-American. He was also named a USILA Scholar All-American in late May. He graduated from UMass with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Psychology. Balise won an endless number of academic awards in his career. He was recently named a UMass Spring Scholar Athlete and the UMass Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also named to the NEILA Scholar-Athlete Team in addition to being an NEILA First-Team playing selection. He was also named to the All-ECAC First Team. Balise followed up a 33-goal effort in 2008 with 31 goals and five assists as a senior.

The 2010 Major League Lacrosse season begins on Friday, May 18th. Season highlights include the 2010 MLL All Star Game in Boston, MA on July 8, 2010 and the New Balance MLL Championship Weekend will be at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD on August 21st and 22nd.
–

ason Yellin
Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations
UMass Athletics
250 Boyden Gym
Amherst, Mass 01003
Office: 413-577-3061
Cell: 413-687-1756
Fax: 413-545-1556
www.UMassAthletics.com

MEN’S LACROSSE TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Orange lacrosse fans can purchase 2010 men’s lacrosse season tickets beginning Wednesday, Dec. 16. Tickets will be available online at SUAthletics.com or by calling the Carrier Dome Box Office at 1-888-DOMETIX or 443-2121.

A six-game reserved season ticket is $60, while a youth (ages 12 and under) reserved season ticket is $30. A six-game season parking pass is $60, while day-of-game parking is $10.

Renewals will be mailed in late December to current season ticket holders.

Single-game general admission tickets are $10 and youth (ages 12 and under) single-game general admission tickets are $5. These tickets go on sale on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-888-DOMETIX and choosing option 1.

Syracuse University students are admitted free with a valid SU ID card. ‘Cuse Kids Club members will also be admitted for free with their membership card.

For further questions on tickets, parking or seating for people with disabilities, please call the Carrier Dome Box Office at 1-888-DOMETIX.

Syracuse opens the 2010 campaign with a 7 p.m. home game against Denver on Friday, Feb. 19.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

OLD RIVALS, NEW FOES DOT SYRACUSE’S 2010 SCHEDULE

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Traditional rivals as well as some more unfamiliar foes make up the crux of Syracuse’s 2010 men’s lacrosse schedule, released on Friday, Dec. 4. Longtime rivals Virginia, Johns Hopkins and Cornell highlight a slate that also features new additions like Denver and St. John’s as the Orange prepares for the inaugural season of the BIG EAST lacrosse league.

Overall, the team’s 14-game schedule includes six matchups with teams that reached the 2009 NCAA Championship and nine contests against squads that finished with at least a .500 record last season. In addition, Syracuse will play six conference games as Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Providence Villanova and St. John’s join the Orange as members of the BIG EAST.

Syracuse begins its quest for a third straight NCAA title on Feb. 19 against Denver at the Carrier Dome, marking just the second time in school history the Orange will take on the Pioneers. The following weekend the Orange hosts Army on Feb. 28.

The Orange hits the road for the first time on March 7 at Virginia. Following its highly-anticipated showdown with the Cavaliers, Syracuse returns home on March 13 for its BIG EAST opener against Georgetown. Road dates with Johns Hopkins (March 20) and Hobart (March 23) follow before the Orange returns to conference play with a home game against Villanova (March 29).

After the Wildcats, Syracuse hosts Albany on April 3 before embarking on a challenging stretch run. Five of the Orange’s last six games are on the road and it closes the season with four straight games against BIG EAST opponents.

The late season gauntlet begins with a neutral-site game against Princeton on April 10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium. The contest is part of the Konica Minolta Big City Classic, a tripleheader that also features Delaware versus Hofstra and Virginia against North Carolina.

Three days later, on April 13, Syracuse travels to Ithaca, N.Y. to face Cornell in a rematch of last year’s national championship game won by the Orange in overtime. Syracuse will also play at Rutgers on April 18 before returning to the Carrier Dome for its home finale against Providence (April 24).

The Orange concludes the regular season with back-to-back road games at Notre Dame (May 1) and at St. John’s (May 8).

In addition to the 14 regular-season dates, the Orange will host Le Moyne and Hofstra in a three-way scrimmage on Feb. 7 and welcomes Maryland to the Carrier Dome for a scrimmage on Feb. 12.

The 2010 campaign marks the 91st varsity lacrosse season at Syracuse. The Orange tied the school record with 16 wins for the second straight season and posted an overall record of 16-2 in 2009 on its way to its second consecutive national championship.

2010 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE

Sun., Feb. 7  Le Moyne/Hofstra   Carrier Dome  12 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 12  Maryland  Carrier Dome  12 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 19  Denver  Carrier Dome   7 p.m.
Sun., Feb 28  Army  Carrier Dome   5 p.m.
Sun., March 7  at Virginia  Charlottesville, Va  1 p.m.
Sat., March 13  Georgetown *  Carrier Dome   2 p.m.
Sat., March 20   at Johns Hopkins  Baltimore, Md.   8 p.m.
Tues., March 23   at Hobart  Geneva, N.Y.   7 p.m.
Mon., March 29  Villanova * Carrier Dome  3 p.m.

Sat., April 3  Albany   Carrier Dome  4 p.m.
Sat., April 10  vs. Princeton #  E. Rutherford, N.J.  6:30 p.m.
Tue., April 13   at Cornell   Ithaca, N.Y.   7 p.m.
Sun., April 18  at Rutgers *   Piscataway, N.J  TBA
Sat., April 24  Providence *  Carrier Dome   2 p.m.

Sat., May 1   at Notre Dame *  South Bend, Ind.  TBA
Sat. May 8   at St. John’s *  Queens, N.Y.  1 p.m.

Home games in bold
!- Scrimmage
# – Big City Classic (New Meadowlands Stadium; E. Rutherford, N.J.)
* – BIG EAST Conference game

-SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM-

Old Westbury, N.Y. (Dec. 2, 2009) – NYIT men’s lacrosse head coach Bill Dunn has announced the Bears 2010 lacrosse schedule. NYIT’s schedule showcases seven home games, highlighted by the annual Northern Boulevard rivalry game against the defending NCAA Division II Champions, C.W. Post and conference rival Mercyhurst College. The Bears non-conference schedule will have Bentley, Florida Southern, Limestone, Seton Hill and St. Anslem’s.

The Bears will kick off the regular season with a trip to Florida where they will take on Limestone on Feb. 13th in Orlando, and Florida Southern on Valentine’s Day Feb., 14th in Lakeland.

With the expansion of  the East Coast Conference to 11 eleven teams in 2010, the Bears have 5 associate members added to the schedule. The conference slate will start on March 6th as NYIT hosts ECC new comer Lake Erie College, then on Mar. 13th the Bears will travel to Philadelphia Pa. for a contest against Chestnut Hill. Then the following week travel back to the Keystone state to play at Seton Hill on Saturday March 20th.  NYIT will end its home campaign with Mercy College on Apr. 24th, then cap off the regular season at Wheeling Jesuit on May 8th.

December 1, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OSU/Women’s Lacrosse Contact: Alissa Clendenen (614-292-0134; Clendenen.5@osu.edu)

Ohio State Announces Captains for 2010 Season
Trio of Buckeyes will guide team into season opener Feb. 14

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Head coach Sue Stimmel and the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team named captains for the 2010 season. Seniors Rachel Cornicello and Laura Burke, along with redshirt junior Brittney Zerhusen, were selected in a vote by their peers and coaches.

“All three captains are hard working, committed and have a great working relationship with the team and the coaches,” Stimmel said. “They each bring a different leadership style that complements the others. I am looking forward to working with them this season as we strive to get back to the NCAA Tournament.”

Cornicello, a native of Lynbrook, N.Y, played in all 17 games in 2009 and finished her junior season with four goals and 12 assists, including a four-point effort (1g, 3a) vs. Detroit April 14. The senior attacker also added tallies vs. Notre Dame, St. Bonaventure and California.

A product of Upper Arlington, Burke started at midfield in 16 games a year ago, finishing the season third on the team in draw controls with 27 and sixth in groundballs (21). Against California March 24, controlled a personal season-high five draws.

Zerhusen redshirted the 2009 season because of injury, but returns to the attack for 2010 hoping to pick up where she left off after a stellar sophomore season. The Sykesville, Md., native started all 18 games in 2008, recording a team-high 36 goals to tie for seventh in the program’s season record book. She also made her mark nationally, tying for fourth in NCAA after tallying seven first-half goals vs. Bucknell March 28.

The 2010 Buckeyes open the season Feb. 14 against William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., before returning to Columbus for their home opener Feb. 20 vs. American. Find the complete schedule here.

BALTIMORE – Eight members of the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team were selected as preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse on Monday, Nov. 30. Headlining the Orange’s selections was junior longstick midfielder Joel White (Cortland, N.Y.) who was picked to the first team. Syracuse and Duke each had eight players recognized by the Inside Lacrosse staff, the most of any school.

In addition to White, junior defenseman John Lade (Randolph, N.J.) and senior attackman Cody Jamieson (Six Nations, Ontario) and were picked to the second team. Junior Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario) was named to the third team at attack. Junior midfielder Josh Amidon (Lafayette, N.Y.) and junior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) were also named to the third team. Junior midfielder Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) and senior defenseman Matt Tierney (Montclair, N.J.) were honorable mention choices.

White, a 2010 Orange co-captain , was a USILA Honorable Mention All-American in 2009. He finished second on the team with 63 ground balls. He also contributed five goals and three assists. As the team’s primary longstick midfielder, White helped lead a Syracuse unit that finished fourth nationally in scoring defense (7.38 gpg), the team’s highest finish since the NCAA began tracking the national leaders in 1996. White was also picked to the 2009 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team for his role in the Orange’s run to the national championship.

Lade was also a key component in Syracuse’s defense. A 2009 honorable mention All-American, Lade started all 18 games after transferring from Villanova and collected 53 ground balls, the most for an Orange close defender.

Jamieson played in six games and tallied nine goals and three assists a year ago. Eight of his goals and all three assists came in SU’s four NCAA Tournament games, including the game-winner in overtime of the national title game versus Cornell. He joined White on the 2009 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team.

Like White and Lade, Keogh was an honorable mention All-American in 2009. He led the Orange with 49 goals, tied for the seventh-best season total in school history. Keogh led the nation with 12 man-up goals and ranked fourth nationally in goals per game (2.72). He set career highs with five goals and seven total points in SU’s 2009 season-opening win against Providence.

Amidon provided some scoring punch as a member of the team’s second midfield last season. He registered 14 goals, including a pair of game-winners. Amidon also had nine assists on the year.

Miller was one of the Orange’s top defensive midfielders last season. He played in all 18 games and tallied two goals and six assists. He scooped up a career-best five ground balls in the NCAA semifinal win against Duke.

Tierney started every game last season on close defense. He was named to the NIKE/Inside Lacrosse Team of the Week for his performance in the team’s quarterfinal win against Maryland after he helped hold the Terps’ starting attack without a goal in an 11-6 Orange victory.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -