DEFENSE LEADS SYRACUSE PAST RUTGERS, 12-2

E. HARTFORD, Conn. – No. 4 Syracuse (12-1, 4-0) remained unbeaten in BIG EAST play with a 12-2 win against Rutgers (5-7, 0-3) in the second game of the ESPNU Warrior Classic on Saturday, April 23 at Rentschler Field. The Orange defense nearly pitched a shutout, holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless for a stretch of 53:30. During that time, Syracuse reeled off 11 goals to put the game away.

The victory was the 57th for SU’s senior class, tying the Class of 1986’s school record for wins over a four-year period. The Orange’s 2011 seniors are 57-7 in 64 games since the start of the 2008 season.

Junior Tommy Palasek (Rocky Point, N.Y.) had a career day, finishing with six points on three goals and three assists. The Orange also got four points (2g, 2a) from sophomore JoJo Marasco (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.). Junior Collin Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.), who played two years at Rutgers before transferring to Syracuse, had two goals against his former team. Senior Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) also scored twice.

However, the story of the game was defense. The Orange surrendered the game’s opening goal, an unassisted tally by Will Mangan at the 11:04 mark of the first period. The next Rutgers goal didn’t come until there was 2:34 left in the game. In between, the Orange defense put up a goose egg. It was a virtuoso performance that included forcing a season-high 24 turnovers and harassing the Scarlet Knights into an 11-for-18 (.611) showing on clears.

“I thought we rode extremely well,” SU head coach John Desko said after the game. “Our riding helped our cause. I think we got a couple off goals off our ride. Any time a team is holding the ball like they (Rutgers) were trying to against us, it’s great to ride them and get those possessions back.”

Rutgers’ 53:30 scoring drought is the longest on record for a Syracuse opponent dating back to the late 1980s when times of goals became available. Its two goals were the fewest against the Orange since Binghamton managed two in a 16-2 Syracuse win on March 22, 2008.

Despite being locked down for the majority of the game, Rutgers hold a brief 1-0 advantage after Mangan’s goal. But Miller tied the score with 2:50 left in the first quarter on a rocket from 10 yards out, and Marasco gave the Orange a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter, scoring off a restart with 15 seconds to play in the opening period.

Marasco’s tally seemed to ignite of the Syracuse offense. The Orange rattled off three goals in the first nine minutes of the second quarter to extend its advantage to 5-1. Then, with less than a minute to play in the half, Marasco intercepted a Rutgers clearing pass and found Donahue for his first goal to push the lead to 6-1 at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Palasek and senior Josh Amidon (LaFayette, N.Y.) found the cage and lead swelled to seven, 8-1. Palasek’s third-quarter strike may have been SU’s prettiest goal of the day. Senior Joel White (Cortland, N.Y.) set it up by shoveling the ball to classmate Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario) as he was being knocked to the ground. Keogh picked up the ball and flipped it to Palasek for the layup.

Syracuse poured in three more goals in the fourth quarter before Kory Kelly’s man-up goal ended the Rutgers drought. Following Kelly’s goal, SU freshman Billy Ward (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) put the finishing touches on the win, notching his first career goal with 24 seconds remaining.

Syracuse outshot the Scarlet Knights, 35-16, for the game. Nine of Rutgers’ shot attempts came in the fourth quarter when the Orange was subbing liberally.

Despite not facing many shots, SU senior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) finished with six saves. He allowed one goal in a little more than 54 minutes of work. Galloway gave way to freshman Matt Lerman (Villanova, Pa.), who played the last 5:59 and totaled two saves.

The Orange’s victory sets up a showdown with undefeated and top-ranked Notre Dame to decide the BIG EAST regular-season championship on Saturday, April 30. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.

Game Notes: The Orange is now 10-0 all-time in BIG EAST play … The victory was SU’s seventh straight against Rutgers … Senior Jeff Gilbert (Liverpool, N.Y.) was credited with his first assist of the season on Marasco’s first-quarter goal … White collected eight ground balls against the Scarlet Knights to pass Pat McCabe and Toby Price for fifth SU’s all-time ground ball … White has 264 career ground balls and he’s averaging seven ground balls per game in SU’s last four outings … Attendance for the ESPNU Warrior Classic, which also included Hofstra versus Massachusetts, was 4,748.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

SYRACUSE LACROSSE REMAINS UNDEFEATED, HOLDS OFF PRINCETON, 7-5

PRINCETON, N.J. – Top-ranked Syracuse (9-0) extended its winning streak to nine games with a 7-5 win against Princeton (2-6) before a crowd of 5,401 Saturday, April 9 at Princeton Stadium. The Orange held the Tigers scoreless in the fourth quarter and scored twice in the final period to emerge victorious.

Senior Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario) recorded his 19th career hat trick, leading the Orange with three goals, including the game-winner with 7:30 left in regulation. Classmate Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) had two points (1g, 1a) in the victory.

Playing without injured star John Lade (Randolph, N.J.), Syracuse also received a tremendous performance from its defense Saturday. The Orange gave up only five goals, the third time in the last four outings Syracuse held its opponent to five goals or less. It killed all five of Princeton’s man-up opportunities, including a one-minute penalty against sophomore Brian Megill (Clark, N.J.) for slashing late in the fourth quarter while clinging to a 6-5 lead.

Redshirt sophomore David Hamlin (New Hartford, N.Y.) made his first career start in place of Lade. He drew Princeton attackman Luke Armour as his primary assignement and held him to one goal for the game.

It appeared Princeton would provide little resistance to Syracuse early on. The Orange opened up a quick 2-0 lead on goals by senior Josh Amidon (LaFayette, N.Y.) and Thompson in first two minutes of the game. After Armour got the Tigers on the board at the 8:11 mark, senior Joel White (Cortland, N.Y.) delivered a bounce pass to an open Keogh for a layup with 1:43 remaining the first to push the SU lead to 3-1.

In the second quarter, Princeton’s Chris McBride scored unassisted with 8:44 left in the half to pull the Tigers within one, 3-2. But the Orange defense blanked the Tigers for the rest of the period, and Syracuse got goals from Keogh and junior Tommy Palasek (Rocky Point, N.Y.) to go up 5-2 at the half.

However, Princeton refused to left Syracuse pull away. Mike Grossman and McBride found the cage less than a minute apart to reduce the Orange lead to 5-4 with 9:24 left in the third quarter. Tom Schreiber made it three straight Tiger goals when he found the cage with 29 seconds to go in the period to tie the game at five.

Princeton’s defense held the Orange scoreless for a stretch of 26:55, including the entire third quarter. Goalie Tyler Fiorito made five of his 10 saves in the third frame to give the Tigers’ offense an opportunity to knot the score. It wasn’t until redshirt sophomore Steve Ianzito (Clay, N.Y.) found Keogh inside for a 6-5 SU lead with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter that the Orange finally broke the scoring drought.

That was all the Syracuse defense needed. The Tigers generated just two shots the rest of the game.

Junior Kevin Drew (Katonah, N.Y.) put the finishing touches on the win, firing a shot into the empty Princeton net from 12 yards out while falling to the ground with 1:17 remaining to produce the final score. Fiorito was caught out of position on the play when he left the cage in an attempt to force turnover.

Senior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) recorded six saves against the Tigers to earn his 53rd career victory. His save on Jeff Froccaro’s shot while Princeton was man-up with 2:36 to play in the fourth quarter gained possession for the Orange and ultimately led to Drew’s insurance tally.

McBride’s two goals paced the Tigers. Schreiber also finished with two points on one goal and one assist.

The Orange held the advantage at the faceoff X for the first time in six games. The Orange won eight draws to five for Princeton. Thompson led the way, winning five of his eight attempts. Syracuse also owned the advantage in ground balls, 29-26.

Syracuse returns home to the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, April 12 for a 7 p.m. showdown with Cornell. The game will be televised live locally on Time Warner Sports.

Game Notes: Ianzito’s assist on Keogh’s game-winner was the first of his college career … Keogh has nine career game-winning goals, including four this season … Saturday’s game was the 200th of John Desko’s head coaching career … It also marked the first time in the 23 meetings between Princeton and Syracuse since 1992 that one of the participants was unranked at the time of the game … Princeton’s 2001 NCAA title team celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday and was recognized in a ceremony at halftime.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

#2 SYRACUSE HOLDS OFF #18 ARMY, 11-9

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 2 Syracuse (2-0) jumped in front of No. 18 Army early and turned back a furious rally by the Black Knights to record an 11-9 triumph on Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Carrier Dome. The Orange led 7-0 in the first quarter and 9-3 at halftime. But Army (1-2) closed the gap to 10-9 in the fourth quarter before a goal by senior Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) with 1:06 to play sealed the game.

“Army kept playing like they always do and their goalie (Tom Palesky) came alive for three quarters,” SU head coach John Desko said. “He played a superb game. Fortunately, we came alive at the end of the fourth quarter, made some things happen and forced them to come out and play us and we were able to put a couple more goals in to seal the deal.”

It was Syracuse’s 15th win in the last 17 meetings with Army and the victory avenged a 9-8, double-overtime loss at the hands of the Black Knights in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore JoJo Marasco (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) tied his career high with five points (3g, 2a) for the Orange, including his second career hat trick. Redshirt junior Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) turned in a career performance, finishing with three goals. Thompson and classmate Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) also scored twice for Syracuse.

Syracuse came out firing on all cylinders early on. The Orange scored three times in the first three minutes and led 7-1 after the first period. It was a dominating quarter by the hosts. Syracuse outshot the Black Knights, 9-1, and won six of the quarter’s nine faceoffs. Marasco and Desko each scored twice in the period. Marasco’s second goal gave the Orange a 7-0 lead at the 3:31 mark. Finally, Garrett Thul converted a man-up chance on the Black Knights’ first shot of the game with 34 seconds to go in the opening stanza to get Army on the scoreboard.

Miller opened the second-quarter scoring with a laser from 12 yards out to extend the lead to 8-1. After tallies by Jeremy Boltus and Thul, Marasco struck again with 2:34 left before halftime to give the hosts six-goal advantage, 9-3, at the intermission.

Marasco’s goal proved to be the last for the Orange until the fourth quarter. Army’s defense stiffened and held Syracuse without a goal for next 26:43. In the meantime, the Black Knights went on a four-goal run to close the gap to 9-7 with 6:35 to go in regulation. Brandon Butler drew Army within five, 9-4, on a transition goal at the 9:18 mark of the third quarter. Pat Brennan, Tyler Kamide and Rob McCallion all followed with goals to pull the Black Knights within two.

Desko finally stopped the Orange scoring drought with 5:51 to play, increasing SU’s advantage to 10-7 with an unassisted goal. But McCallion found the cage himself with 3:26 left, then connected with Thul for a goal at the 2:15 mark to trim the the SU advantage to 10-9.

After Thul cut it to one, Thompson won the next faceoff and the Orange put the ball in Marasco’s stick to take time off the clock. Marasco successfully evaded the Army defense for more than a minute before being trapped by two defenders. He was knocked to the ground, but rolled the ball to Thompson, who scooped it up and scored to push the SU lead to 11-9. Senior Tim Harder (Garden City, N.Y.) won the ensuing faceoff to give possession to the Orange and Syracuse successfully ran out the clock.

“We worked on that in practice and I tried to stay up top so they couldn’t come up and double me and the goalie couldn’t come out of the net,” Marasco said of the Orange’s last goal. “I was able to move the ball pretty well and protect my stick, but then they came up and doubled me. I tried to stay on my feet as best as I could and Jeremy was there to help me get the ball in the net.”

Orange senior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) registered nine saves in the contest, including seven in the second half, to record his 46th career win. He is one shy of tying the Syracuse career wins record of 47 held by Jay Pfeifer. Galloway’s nine stops increased his career saves total to 471, passing Alex Rosier (466 saves) for ninth on SU’s all-time list.

Thul led the way with three goals for Army. McCallion and Boltus also recorded three points for the Black Knights. McCallion finished with two goals and one assist, while Boltus contributed one goal and a team-best two assists. Palesky made nine saves in the cage, including six in the second quarter, to help keep Army in the game.

After Syracuse dominated the statistics early, things evened out in the final three quarters. The Orange finished with a 34-28 advantage in shots and a 28-22 edge in ground balls. Syracuse also won 14 of the game’s 23 faceoffs. The Orange was 6-for-8 at the X in the fourth quarter, including the two crucial wins by Thompson and Harder in the final 2:15 that helped secure the victory.

The Orange closes out its three-game homestand on Friday, March 4 when it hosts top-ranked Virginia at 6 p.m. inside the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and arrive early to the Dome Friday. A large crowd is expected.

Game Notes: Senior long-stick midfielder Joel White (Cortland, N.Y.) collected three ground balls to move into a tie with Mike Powell for 10th on the SU career list with 211 ground balls … The 2011 campaign marks the fourth straight year Syracuse has started the season 2-0 … The Orange held its 13th consecutive opponent to single-digit goals … Desko improved his career coaching record to 9-2 all-time against the Black Knights.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 16, 2010
Contact: Mike Morrison (315) 443-2608

SU LACROSSE RETURNS TO BIG EAST PLAY SUNDAY AT RUTGERS

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 2 Syracuse (9-1, 2-0) returns to BIG EAST play on Sunday, April 18 with a 6 p.m. clash against Rutgers (5-5, 1-1) at Yurcak Field. It’s the first of four straight conference games for the Orange to close the regular season. Syracuse has won seven in a row, including an electrifying 8-7 triumph at Cornell Tuesday. Rutgers was also in action Tuesday, losing at Princeton, 10-8.

Sunday’s game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU. Fans can also hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange – TK 99 (99.5 FM). Live streaming audio of the radio broadcast is available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.

THOMPSON CRACKS SEASON TOP 10 IN FACEOFF WINNING PERCENTAGE
Junior Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) is currently sixth on the Orange’s season record list for faceoff winning percentage (min. 100 attempts). He is 65-for-101 (.644) at the faceoff X this year and he’s won better than 50 percent of his attempts in every game this season. Chris Cercy set the school season record in 2000, winning slightly better than 71 percent of his draws. Cercy is the only player in Syracuse history to finish with a season mark higher than 70 percent.

GALLOWAY JOINS 40-WIN CLUB
Junior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) became the 15th Division I goalie in NCAA history to win 40 games on April 13 at Cornell. Galloway is 40-5 since 2008. He’s currently tied with Mike Federico (Johns Hopkins), Matt Palumb (Syracuse), Joey Kemp (Notre Dame) and Brian Carcaterra (Johns Hopkins) for 11th on the Division I career wins list. Galloway’s 40 career victories are the most of any active Division I netminder. Princeton’s Scott Bacigalupo is the all-time leader with 51 wins for the Tigers from 1991-94.

SYRACUSE VERSUS THE BIG EAST
Syracuse is 61-12 all-time against the other six members of the BIG EAST, including a 27-5 record under head coach John Desko. Syracuse is 15-4 against Georgetown; 3-0 versus Notre Dame; 1-0 against Providence; 37-8 versus Rutgers; 2-0 versus St. John’s and 3-0 against Villanova. The Orange has won 12 in a row against current BIG EAST teams since losing to Georgetown (10-8) in 2006. Syracuse notched a 15-12 win over the Hoyas earlier this season in its inaugural BIG EAST Conference game. It also drubbed Villanova, 20-6.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers began the year 5-2, but has hit a rough patch lately. The Scarlet Knights have dropped their last three decisions to fall to 5-5 overall. Rutgers hasn’t won in the month of April. The last victory for head coach Jim Stagnitta and his team was on March 27 when the Scarlet Knights defeated Notre Dame (10-8) in its BIG EAST Conference opener.

Senior midfielder Justin Pennington is the engine that drives the Scarlet Knights. A preseason All-BIG EAST performer, Pennington leads Rutgers in goals (20), assists (12) and points (32). He also lists third on the club with 25 ground balls. Attackman Kory Kelly and midfielder Gerhard Buehning are tied for second on the squad with 19 goals. No other Rutgers player has more than nine goals.

Jacob Fradkin is the only Rutgers defender to start every game. He has 20 ground balls and leads the Scarlet Knights with 16 caused turnovers. Against Princeton, senior Sean Hover and junior Brian Shemesh joined Fradkin in the starting lineup. Goalies Rudy Butler and Billy Olin have shared time in the cage this season. Butler has seven appearances with six starts. He’s made 37 saves and owns an 8.08 goals-against average. Olin has played in six contests, starting four. He has 28 saves and a 9.72 goals-against average. Olin was between the pipes for all 60 minutes Tuesday at Princeton.

THE SYRACUSE-RUTGERS SERIES
Syracuse and Rutgers have played at least once every season since 1979. The Orange owns a dominating 37-8 lead in the series thanks in large part to a 20-game series winning streak from 1956 to 1995. Overall, the Orange is 14-6 in road games against the Scarlet Knights. The Orange has won the last five games in the series and has defeated Rutgers by an aggregate score of 79-39 in those five contests.

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Mike Morrison
Asst. Director of Athletic Communications
Syracuse University
Manley Field House
Syracuse, NY 13244
Ph: 315-443-2608
Fax: 315-443-3405
www.suathletics.com

Syracuse University: New York’s College Team

Lacrosse Apparel / Lacrosse Clothing

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. – No. 3 Syracuse (7-1) squares off against No. 5 Princeton (7-1) in the nightcap of the Konica Minolta Big City Classic at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 10 at New Meadowlands Stadium. The lacrosse tripleheader is the first sporting event to take place at the new home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets. The Orange carries a five-game winning streak into the contest, while Princeton has won its last three.

Saturday’s game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU. Fans can also hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange – TK 99 (99.5 FM). Live streaming audio of the radio broadcast is available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.

ABOUT THE BIG CITY CLASSIC
This is the second year of the Big City Classic, an event organized by Inside Lacrosse. It features three games. No. 10 Hofstra and Delaware kick things off at 1 p.m. with No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 North Carolina following at 4 p.m. No. 3 Syracuse and No. 5 Princeton is the nightcap. They will take the field at 6:30 p.m. The last two games are televised live on ESPNU and feature the top four teams in the NIKE/Inside Lacrosse Poll.

NOTE: The Syracuse Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Coaches Poll to reflect teams rankings at the time of the game. Princeton is No. 5 in this week’s coaches poll.

The same six teams took part in the inaugural event last season at Giants Stadium. The tripleheader drew an NCAA regular-season record crowd for a lacrosse-only event (22,308). Princeton won last year’s matchup with Syracuse, 12-8.

ORANGE IN THE APPLE
In addition to spreading the game of lacrosse, the Orange’s participation in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic is one of the many steps taken by SU Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross to brand the Orange as “New York’s College Team.” His initiatives have been heavily focused in the New York metro area. Consider:

The Orange football team will play three games at New Meadowlands Stadium in the coming years (USC in 2012; Notre Dame in 2014 and 2016).
“Orange is in the Apple” campaign. Started in 2005 and includes strategic advertisements and business partnerships in and around New York City.
The men’s basketball team has an overall record of 87-78 all-time at Madison Square Garden. The team played three times there in 2009-10 and won the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in November.
Head football coach Doug Marrone is a native of the Bronx and was an assistant coach with the New York Jets from 2002-05.
Sixteen players on the Orange lacrosse roster hail from the New York City area, New Jersey and Connecticut.
The New York metro area is one of Syracuse University’s largest alumni bases with approximately 30,000 strong in the region, including several former men’s lacrosse players.
The last two NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Players work in the area. Mike Leveille (2008) works for the accounting firm KPMG in Manhattan and Kenny Nims (2009) is employed by NewEdge USA, a brokerage firm also located in Manhattan.

FILLING THE TROPHY CASE
Overall, Syracuse and Princeton have combined to win 16 of the last 22 NCAA Championships. The two teams have played one another for the national title four times (1992, 2000, 2001, 2002). The two sides split those meetings with SU winning in 2000 and 2002 and the Tigers emerging victorious in 1992 and 2001.

MORE ON THE SYRACUSE-PRINCETON SERIES
The Orange has won five of the last seven meetings with the Tigers and holds a 16-9 advantage in the all-time series. Ten of the 25 meetings in the series have come in the NCAA playoffs. In 1999, the two clubs played an epic four-overtime game won by the Tigers, 15-14, which stands as the longest game in SU history.

X MARKS THE SPOT
Syracuse leads the BIG EAST and ranks fifth nationally in faceoff winning percentage. The Orange has won 59.1 percent (120-203) of its draws this year. The Orange boast the top two faceoff men in the BIG EAST. Junior Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally (.616, 53-86). Senior Gavin Jenkinson (Stuart, Fla.) is second in the league and 11th nationally (.592, 58-98).

BALANCE IS THE KEY
A total of 16 Syracuse players have at least one goal this season and 17 members of the Orange roster have recorded at least one point. Seven players have at least 10 points and seven have at least nine goals. Senior Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) is SU’s points leader with 24. Junior Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario) leads the way with 22 goals.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY
Junior midfielder Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) has been a steady leader for the Orange all season. Offensively, he’s quietly scored 12 points, including nine goals, as a member of the first midfield. He’s also one of the team’s top defensive middies. Miller has six goals in the last three games, equaling his career best with a pair of tallies at Hobart (March 23), versus Villanova (March 29) and against Albany (April 3). In the Albany game, Miller matched his career high with three points.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Under the direction of first-year coach Chris Bates, the Tigers are off to a 7-1 start. Princeton’s only blemish is a one-goal loss to No. 2 North Carolina on March 16. Bates replaced Bill Tierney last summer after Tierney accepted the head coaching job at Denver.

The Tigers boast four double-digit goal scorers led by cousins Jack and Chris McBride. Both are attackman. Jack McBride leads the team with 18 goals, while Chris has 14. Middies Mike Chanenchuk (14g) and Jeff Froccaro (11g) round out Princeton’s double-digit goal scorers. Attackman Rob Engelke leads the club with 13 assists.

Defensively, Long Ellis has 17 ground balls and leads the squad with 13 caused turnovers. Goalie Tyler Fiorito has 78 saves and sports an 8.62 goals-against average. Fiorito tallied 15 saves against the Orange last season.

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BALTIMORE, MD – The second-ranked Syracuse men’s lacrosse team jumped to an 8-1 third-quarter lead and held off a late rally by seventh-ranked Johns Hopkins as the Orange picked up a 10-7 win before 6,504 fans at Homewood Field Saturday evening.  The win, the fourth straight for Syracuse over Johns Hopkins, runs the Orange record to 4-1 on the the year.  The Blue Jays dropped their second straight and slip to 4-3.

Senior Max Bartig fueled the 8-1 run to open the game for the Orange as he opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game and later added back-to-back goals in the first seven minutes of the third quarter to push a 5-1 halftime lead to 7-1.  Junior Stephen Keogh’s second goal of the game made it 8-1 less than a minute after Bartig’s third goal of the game, but JHU, which had been held off the board for more than 23 minutes, rallied.

Senior Steven Boyle sandwiched a pair of goals around a tally by freshman Zach Palmer and sophomore Tom Palasek scored on a nifty dodge from the side to slice the deficit to 8-5 less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter.

A goal by Jeremy Thompson for Syracuse 45 seconds after Palasek’s goal halted the four-goal run for the Blue Jays, but Palasek struck again just over five minutes later to make it 9-6 and freshman John Greeley scored his second goal of the game with just under three minutes remaining to bring the Blue Jays within two at 9-7.

The Blue Jays hopes for a comeback were dashed just nine seconds after Greeley’s goal as Joel White scooped up the ground ball on the ensuing faceoff and raced into the Blue Jay zone, where he got his hands free from eight yards out to the left of Blue Jay goalie Michael Gvozden and blew home his first goal of the season.

The story of the game was the performance of the Syracuse defense, which kept the Blue Jays away from the goal for nearly three full quarters before the late-game rally.  Junior John Galloway posted nine saves, including seven in the second half – two of which came on back-to-back shots from in close in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter.  What could have been a 5-2 deficit for the Blue Jays if either of those two shots go was instead a 6-1 hole when Bartig scored at the 13:37 mark.

Bartig led the Orange with his three goals, while Thompson and Keogh added two goals apiece.  Senior Cody Jamieson added one goal and three assists for Syracuse, which held advantages in shots (37-26), groundballs (36-25) and faceoffs (14-of-20).

Boyle totaled two goals and two assists, while Greeley and Palasek’s two-goal games were the first of their career.  Gvozden was solid goal for the Blue Jays as he posted 14 saves, including several of the highlight-reel variety.

Johns Hopkins returns to action next Saturday when the Blue Jays play at top-ranked Virginia.

#2 Syracuse (4-1) 3-2-3-2/10

#7 Johns Hopkins (4-3) 0-1-2-4/7

Goals:  S:  Bartig-3, Thompson-2, Keogh-2, Jamieson, Marasco, White.  J:  Boyle-2, Palasek-2, Greeley-2, Palmer.  Assists:  S:  Jamieson-3, Daniello-2, Amidon.  J:  Boyle-2, Palasek, Palmer.  Saves:  S:  Galloway-9.  J:  Gvozden-14.  Shots:  S-37.  J-26.  EMO:  S:  2-for-2.  J:  1-for-4.  Attendance:  6.504.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The top-ranked Orange (2-1) staged a late rally, but couldn’t overcome a 7-0 run by No. 2 Virginia (4-0) and lost to the Cavaliers, 11-10, on Sunday, March 7 in front of 7,501 fans at Klöckner Stadium.

The game was another classic, fast-paced Syracuse-Virginia matchup that featured momentum swings and high drama. In the end, the Cavaliers prevailed, but not without one last charge from Syracuse.

The Orange trailed 10-6 with 13:46 left in regulation after Rhamel Bratton scored his fourth goal of the day for Virginia. But when the Orange and Cavaliers get together no lead is safe and Syracuse proved it.

The Orange scored four of the game’s last five goals, including consecutive tallies by senior Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) and junior Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) five seconds apart, to make the score 11-10 Virginia with 5:21 to play.

With the game likely hinging on the next goal, Syracuse and Virginia played solid defense down the stretch. Both offenses held the ball for long stretches. The Cavaliers had possession late, but junior Thomas Guadagnolo (Jordan, N.Y.) forced a turnover to give Syracuse the ball back and head coach John Desko called timeout with 1:15 remaining.

On the restart, the Cavaliers held firm for the next minute. The Orange searched for cracks in the Virginia defense, but never got off a shot, and the Cavaliers eventually forced a turnover by junior Josh Amidon (Lafayette, N.Y.) with 14 seconds left to secure the win.

The loss ended the nation’s longest winning streak. The Orange had won 11 in a row heading into Sunday’s showdown between college lacrosse’s two highest-ranked teams.

Daniello led the Orange with a personal-best five points, including a career-high three assists. He had a hand in Syracuse’s first four goals, scoring once and assisting on three more. Junior Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario), Thompson and redshirt sophomore Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) each had two goals Sunday.

Junior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) finished with a season-high 18 saves, one short of his career high.

The Orange needed the late rally because the Cavaliers held Syracuse’s high-powered attack without a goal for 28:23 during the second and third quarters. Virginia scored seven goals in that time to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 9-5 advantage. Bratton, Brian Carroll and Chris Bocklet each had two goals for the Cavaliers during the run.

It was an uncharacteristic scoring drought for the Orange, which looked to be in control of the game early after outstanding man-up efficiency and great goaltending by Galloway propelled the team to a 5-2 lead.

All five goals were extra-man tallies as Syracuse benefitted from five Virginia penalties in the opening half.

At the other end of the field, Galloway turned in eight first-quarter saves, including six in a row after Bratton opened the scoring with a goal on the game’s first shot.

Galloway’s play helped keep Virginia at bay until the team’s man-up unit could take over, which it did when Desko scored twice on passes from Daniello after Ryan Nizolek was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Desko’s back-to-back goals gave SU a 2-1 lead with 8:13 left in the first quarter.

Keogh added a third extra-man goal before an unassisted tally by Steele Stanwick with 4:44 to go in the first stopped the Orange surge. It was but a brief respite for the Cavaliers, who committed two more penalties that Syracuse took advantage of.

Daniello found the cage at the 2:58 mark of the first and Thompson scored 1:29 into the second period to give the Orange its largest lead of the game (5-2).

But then the Orange went dormant. Thompson’s goal was the last for Syracuse until junior Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) rifled a shot past Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman with eight seconds to go in the third. By then the score was 9-6 Virginia and the Orange was never able to even the game.

Bratton’s four goals paced the Cavaliers, while Stanwick (2g, 1a) and Carroll (2g, 1a) each had three points. Stanwick’s second goal was the winner, coming in transition with 7:27 remaining in the contest.

Ghitelman totaled 10 saves to earn the win.

The Orange held a slim 13-12 advantage at the faceoff X. However, the Cavaliers won 10 of the 15 draws in the first half to limit Syracuse’s possessions and help key their 7-0 run.

In the second half, the Orange went 8-for-10 on faceoffs and won 5-of-7 in the fourth quarter to help spark its comeback.

Thompson was the catalyst for Syracuse. He was 7-for-12 on draws and collected a career-best five ground balls.

Syracuse returns to action on Saturday, March 13. The Orange hosts Georgetown in its inaugural BIG EAST Conference game at 2 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

Game Notes: Virginia has won seven of the last eight meetings with Syracuse and Sunday’s contest was the fourth consecutive one-goal game between the two teams … Syracuse has lost five games since start of the 2008 season, three of which have been to Virginia … Desko’s two goals tied his career high for the second straight game … Thompson’s two goals were also a personal best … The Orange went 5-for-6 on man-up opportunities against Virginia … SU’s five extra-man goals were the most for the team since it scored six against Providence in the 2009 season opener.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Syracuse senior attackman Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) is one of 20 candidates for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the sport of men’s lacrosse. The award, presented annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I student-athletes in several sports, focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition.

A 2010 team captain, Daniello has been named to the SU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in four of his first seven semesters on campus and will graduate with a degree in finance in May.

On the field, Daniello has played in 30 career games with 11 starts. He has 25 career goals and was fourth on the team in 2009 with 21 tallies to help Syracuse to its second straight national championship.

The list of 20 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the regular season. Those 10 names will be placed on a ballot for nationwide voting by coaches, media and fans. The winner will be announced and recognized at the 2010 NCAA Lacrosse Championships in Baltimore, Md.

CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School and the program was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving early to turn professional. The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg and was inspired by the story of former Duke star Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but elected to return to college where he led the Blue Devils to the national championship and earned his degree.

This marks the fourth year of the award for men’s lacrosse. Former Syracuse standout Mike Leveille won it in 2008. Cornell’s Max Seibald received the award in 2009 and the Big Red’s Matt McMonagle was the inaugural winner in 2007.

- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange men’s lacrosse team began the 2010 season on Sunday, Feb. 7 with a pair of scrimmage victories at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated Hofstra, 7-6, and Division II Le Moyne by the score of 15-8.

Senior attackmen Cody Jamieson (Six Nations, Ontario) and Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) each had five points on the day to lead the Orange. All five of Jamieson’s points came against Le Moyne. He had three goals and two assists versus the Dolphins. Daniello netted a goal against Hofstra and registered a goal and three assists versus Le Moyne.

Redshirt sophomore Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) contributed four points on the day. He had one goal and a team-best two assists against Hofstra and added a goal against Le Moyne. Redshirt freshman Steve Ianzito (Clay, N.Y.) tied Jamieson for team-high goal-scoring honors in the game against Le Moyne. He had three tallies.

Both of Sunday’s scrimmages were 90 minutes in duration. The match against Hofstra featured three 15-minute regulation quarters and one 15-minute period of running time. The Syracuse-Le Moyne contest consisted of three 15-minute regulation periods and a 10-minute quarter of running time. The scores were reset to zero at the end of each period.

Against Hofstra, the Orange trailed by two early on goals by Stephen Benz and Denver transfer Jamie Lincoln. Hofstra also got solid play from starting goalie Andrew Gvozden in the opening period. He made six saves to help keep the Orange attack at bay.

After just two goals in the first 13 minutes, the two teams combined for three goals in the span of 17 seconds with less than two minutes left in the opening period. Daniello got the Orange on the board with a left-handed rocket off a feed from Desko at the 1:59 mark. Hofstra pushed its margin to 3-1 when Jay Card scored off his own rebound with 1:48 left. But junior Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) won the ensuing faceoff and found Desko alone on the crease for an easy transition goal six seconds later to make it 3-2 Hofstra at the end of the first.

After trading goals in the second quarter, the Orange offense found its stride in the third and won the period, 3-1, to claim a 6-5 overall advantage. The Orange notched the last two goals of the stanza with senior longstick middie Tyler Hlawati (Dublin, Ohio) scoring off a pass from Desko with 2:06 to go. Thompson followed with a nifty dodge down the alley to close the quarter’s scoring and give Syracuse a one-goal edge heading into the fourth period.

The Orange and Pride tied the final quarter, 1-1. Freshman JoJo Marasco (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) had Syracuse’s only goal of the period, an unassisted score with 2:18 to play, which was the eventual game-winner.

Junior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) played the first two quarters and made five saves. Senior Al Cavalieri (Lathrup Village, Mich.) relieved Galloway and played the third period between the pipes. Sophomore Paul Dubas (New Canaan, Conn.) replaced Cavalieri and made four saves in the fourth period.

Against Le Moyne, Syracuse jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and dominated the first quarter, 5-1. Daniello assisted on SU’s first three goals, two of which were scored by Jamieson.

The Orange continued to pour it on in the second quarter, scoring the first three goals of the period, including two within 18 seconds as Daniello and Thompson each registered unassisted tallies. An Amidon score off a pass from Jamieson put Syracuse in front, 8-1, overall and the Orange won the second period, 5-2, to claim a 10-3 overall lead heading into the third.

Syracuse extended its overall advantage to 13-4, scoring three of the third quarter’s first four goals, however, Le Moyne won the period, 5-4. The Dolphins reeled off four straight to pull within five at 13-8, but a goal by freshman Christian Pagli (Madison, Conn.) extended the Orange lead to 14-8 after three quarters.

Ianzito notched the only goal of the fourth period to produce the 15-8 final score.

Galloway played the first quarter and part of the second in the cage against Le Moyne. He had four saves, including three in the second stanza. Cavalieri made two second-quarter stops in relief of Galloway; and Dubas registered one save in the third quarter. Junior Nathan Farabee (Rougemont, N.C.) played the final period and recorded one save.

In the day’s first scrimmage, Hofstra defeated Le Moyne, 12-6. The game consisted of three 15-minute regulation quarters and a fourth 12-minute period of running time. The score reset to zero at the end of each period. Hofstra won the first three stanzas, 4-2, 5-2, 2-1. The two squads tied the fourth period, 1-1.

Lincoln led the Pride with five goals against the Dolphins. Bentz contributed four points (1g, 3a), while Card and Adrian Sorichetti tallied two goals and one assist each. Gvozden played the first and third quarters and made four saves.

Jack Harmatuk had a hand in four of Le Moyne’s six tallies against the Pride. He scored twice and passed out two assists. Mike Rabbitt was Le Moyne’s only other multiple-point scorer in the game. He had one goal and one assist. Jeff White played the first three periods in the cage for the Dolphins and totaled four saves.

Syracuse concludes its preseason schedule with a scrimmage on Friday, Feb. 12. The Orange will host Maryland at 12 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

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.

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- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: NEW YORK’S COLLEGE TEAM -