Men's Lacrosse Hosts No. 12 Cornell
4/9/2001 10:03:54 AM | Men's Lacrosse
SU will look to return to its winning ways and avenge its only loss of the 2000 season when it hosts No. 12-ranked Cornell on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. Last year, the Big Red edged the Orangemen, 13-12, at Schoellkopf Field.
This will mark the 85th meeting between Syracuse and Cornell. The Orangemen own a 53-30-1 advantage. Prior to the Cornell win last season, SU had won 13-straight games in the series dating back to April 20, 1988.
The Big Red come into this contest with a 5-2 record and a three-game winning streak. Four of their games have been decided by one goal, including their two losses to UMBC (6-5) and Penn State (8-7).
ON THE AIR
Radio
SU's games will be broadcast on the school's flagship radio station
for lacrosse, WFBL 1050 AM. Carter Blackburn will handle play-by-play
duties, while Syracuse equipment manager Kyle Fetterly will serve as the
color analyst. The broadcast can be picked up through
www.suathletics.com.
WAER FM 88 will continue its long-standing tradition of broadcasting the games.
WVBR 93.5 FM out of Ithaca will broadcast Tuesday's game against Cornell.
Television
Time Warner 13 in Syracuse will broadcast the Orangemen's three
remaining home games and show them on a tape-delay basis. Ted DeLuca
will handle the play-by-play duties, while Dale Drypolcher will provide
analysis. The dates the games will air are: April 11 at 8 p.m. and
April 15 & 22 at 7 p.m.
Syracuse vs. The Ivy League
The Orangemen are 152-45-2 all-time against teams from the Ivy
League -- good for a winning percentage of .769.
Since 1990, Syracuse has posted a 45-6 record against teams from the Ivy Conference. Cornell caused one blemish on that record by virtue of its 13-12 victory against the Orangemen in 2000.
Cornell is the Ivy League team with the most wins against Syracuse (30). The Big Red have played the Orangemen more times than any other Ivy League school (84).
By percentage, SU has had the most success against Harvard (17-0).
Syracuse's Record Against Teams from the Ivy League
Opponent W L T Pct.
Brown 13 1 0 .929
Cornell 53 30 1 .637
Dartmouth 19 4 0 .826
Harvard 17 0 0 1.000
Pennsylvania 23 1 1 .940
Princeton 9 5 0 .643
Yale 18 4 0 .818
Totals 152 45 2 .769
How the Orangemen Fare Following a LossHow will Syracuse respond to the Loyola loss? If the Orangemen hold true to their remarkable resiliency trait, then they should do just fine. SU rarely loses two games in a row. Following the 11-10 loss to Johns Hopkins on March 17, the Orangemen bounced back to defeat Princeton, 14-8.
There have been 19 times in the past 11 years when Syracuse has bounced back to follow a loss with a win. In fact, only once in 11 years has SU lost two games in a row - that was during the 1995 season when Virginia (15-7) and Johns Hopkins (14-13 OT) beat the Orangemen in back-to-back contests at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse went on to win the national championship in 1995 with a 13-2 record.
Since 1981, there have been only three times when SU has posted two or more consecutive losses (1981, 1982 and 1995).
Last Year's Syracuse vs. Cornell Game
No. 9 Cornell 13, No. 1 Syracuse 12
April 11, 2000, Schoellkopf Field, Ithaca, NY
Freshman Michael Egan scored an unassisted goal at the 3:25 mark of
the fourth quarter to give ninth-ranked Cornell a 13-12 victory against
top-ranked Syracuse. It marked the first win for the Big Red against
the Orangemen since an 18-15 win in the 1987 NCAA semifinals. For
Syracuse, it marked the first loss of the season.
The Orangemen found themselves down three goals (5-2) in the second quarter. The Orangemen turned it around before halftime, scoring five goals in a span of 6:38 to take a 7-6 lead at intermission.
Michael Springer had a hand in SU's first three goals. He finished with a career-high seven points (four goals, three assists).
In the third quarter, Cornell freshman J.P. Schalk tied the score at 7-7 with an extra-man goal only 54 seconds into the period. Ryan Powell answered nearly three minutes later and the two teams exchanged goals for the rest of the quarter until Tim Byrnes gave the Orangemen a 10-9 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Syracuse took its largest lead of the day (11-9) only 18 seconds into the fourth quarter when Springer punched in a Joe Ceglia feed.
Sean Steinwald scored the next two goals for Cornell, including a man-down goal at the 12:35 mark. Springer gave the Orangemen their last lead of the game with a goal at the 8:22 mark off an assist from Byrnes. Egan then tied the score at 12-12 with 6:19 remaining. Chris Cercy won 17-of-26 faceoffs for SU.
AGATE RESULTS: CORNELL 3 3 3 4 13 SYRACUSE 2 5 3 2 12 Goals: SU - Michael Springer 4, Ryan Powell 3, Liam Banks 2, Devin Darcangelo, Tom Hardy, Tim Byrnes. Cornell - Sean Steinwald 3, Andrew Schardt 2, J.P. Schalk 2, Michael Egan 2, Chris Packard, Galen Beers, Craig Kaufman, David Key. Assists: SU - Michael Springer 3, Ryan Powell 3, Liam Banks, Tim Byrnes, Joe Ceglia, Josh Coffman. Cornell - David Key 2, Sean Steinwald, Andrew Schardt, Michael Egan, Craig Kaufman, J.P. Schalk. Saves: SU, 10 (Rob Mulligan) Cornell, 15 (Justin Cynar). Shots: SU 48, Cornell 33 Ground Balls: SU 44, Cornell 31 Faceoff: SU 20, Cornell 9 Penalties: SU 3/2:30, Cornell 4/3:00 Extra Man Opportunities: SU 0/4, Cornell 2/3 Att: 2,017John Desko: 32-8 as Head Coach, 1-1 vs. Cornell
Third-year head coach John Desko won his 30th career game at Syracuse when his Orangemen defeated Fairfield, 13-5, on March 12.
With a 32-8 record (6-1 postseason) and two trips to the national title game in two years, it is obvious that the Syracuse program is in good hands.
Last season, Desko guided SU to a 15-1 record (the best finish since 1988), an 18th-consecutive appearance in the final four and the school's first national championship since 1995.
In 1999, Desko became the third head coach in Division I history to reach the NCAA title game in just his first year at the helm. He led the Orangemen to a 12-5 record and the program's 10th appearance in an NCAA championship game. It was the first time a No. 8 seed ever reached the national semifinals and finals.
His success after only two seasons has led Desko to opportunities outside of Syracuse. On June 10, 2000, he served as a coach for the north team in the annual North/South Senior All-Star game at Delaware. He is also a member of the NCAA Lacrosse Committee, a group that oversees and regulates rules, championships and other issues pertinent to the sport. Desko was selected to the committee in 1999.
Mulligan Ranks Fourth in the Nation in Goals Against Average
Fifth-year senior Rob Mulligan (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) played
all but one minute of the Loyola game. He stopped 11 shots and was
called for his first penalty of the season, a slashing violation, with
6:30 remaining in regulation. Mulligan had one of his best days in goal
during SU's 15-4 victory against Brown. He played the first three
quarters, stopped 10 shots and allowed just one goal.
A second-team All-American in 2000, Mulligan is the owner of a 7.18 goals against average and a .622 save percentage.
Against Princeton on March 24, Mulligan recorded his 500th career save. He is now sixth on the school's all-time saves list with 529 career stops.
If he can continue the trend of the past two seasons when he recorded more than 200 saves, he will end up at least third on SU's career list behind Jamie Molloy (766) and Tom Nims (692).
Mulligan has eight NCAA Tournament games worth of experience under his belt, including starts in the 1999 and 2000 national championship games.
Career Goaltender Saves at Syracuse 1. 766 Jamie Molloy 1977-80 2. 692 Tom Nims 1981-85 3. 632 Jason Gebhardt 1994-98 4. 612 Paul Bishop 1971-73 5. 537 Matt Palumb 1987-90 6. 529 ROB MULLIGAN 1998-present 7. 476 Chris Surran 1991-93 8. 466 Alex Rosier 1994-95Coffman One Point Away From the 100-Point Milestone
Junior midfielder/attackman Josh Coffman (Carthage, NY/Carthage) had two goals and one assist against Loyola and now needs just one point to reach the 100-point milestone for his career.
Ten days ago against Brown, Coffman tied his career high of four goals. In 2000, Coffman scored four goals in the Rutgers and Massachusetts games.
The Orangemen are 22-6 when Coffman finds the back of the net. This season, Coffman is the third-leading scorer on the team with 24 points (16 goals, eight assists). He is the team's second-leading goal scorer.
Coffman notched his 50th career goal with three markers and two assists in Syracuse's 13-5 win against Fairfield on March 12.
Coffman owns a string of 19 straight games with at least one point. His streak dates back to last season. He is the owner of 99 career points (59 goals, 40 assists).
Springer Registers 14th Career Hat Trick at Loyola
Sophomore attackman Michael Springer (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) had
a hat trick against Loyola to mark the 14th time in his career (out of
23 games) that he has posted three or more goals. He now needs five
points to reach the 100-point milestone. He is averaging 4.13 points
per game for his career.
Springer tallied a season-high four goals in the win against Virginia. He had three goals and an assist in the win against Brown. In the Hopkins game, Springer assisted on SU's last two goals of the game, which brought the Orangemen back from an 11-8 deficit with just under two minutes remaining.
Springer is second on the team in scoring this season with 27 points (17 goals, 10 assists). He is the team's leading goal scorer (2.43 goals per game) and ranks second in points per game (3.86).
On February 23 against Colgate, Springer notched his 50th career goal. He is averaging 2.83 goals per game for his career.
Springer has scored at least one point in every game he has appeared in for the Orangemen. He has had 18 games in his career in which he has posted four or more points, including five this season.
Springer has 95 career points (65 goals and 30 assists).
Banks First of Three Players to Reach the 100-Point Milestone
Junior attackman Liam Banks (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) registered
one goal and three assists against Loyola. It marked the
third-consecutive game in which he tallied four or more points. His
assist on Michael Springer's goal at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter
which gave SU an 8-6 lead, marked his 100th career point. He went on to
tally two more assists in the game, but became the first of three
Orangemen on this year's team to reach the 100-point milestone. Josh
Coffman and Michael Springer should also reach the century mark this
season.
Banks has now played three very good games back-to-back for the Orangemen. He tied for the team lead in scoring with one goal and three assists in the win against Princeton and matched his career high with five assists in the win against Brown.
On March 17, Banks scored twice against Johns Hopkins and in the process tallied his 50th career goal. He is the third Orangeman this season to accomplish the feat, along with Michael Springer (February 23) and Josh Coffman (March 12).
Banks has contributed multi-point performances in SU's last five outings. He is the team's fourth-leading scorer with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) and is second on the team in assists per game (2.00).
For his career, Banks has the most points (102) of any player on the team with 53 goals and 49 assists.
Banks had two assists in the opener against Colgate. He started against Virginia but was held without a point for the first time since May 8, 1999 (a string of 21-consecutive games in which he registered at least one point).
Powell Only Freshman to Rank Among the Nation's Top 15 Scorers
After seven games, first-year attackman/midfielder Michael Powell
(Carthage, NY/Carthage) is leading the Orangemen in scoring with 35
points (14 goals, team-high 21 assists) or a 5.00 point-per-game
average. Last week, he ranked fifth in the nation in points per game
and was the only freshman to crack the top 15. Powell is averaging 3.00
assists per game.
He has tallied at least four points in every game this season. He matched his season-high of six points with two goals and four assists against Brown and Loyola. He had the same numbers against Virginia.
Powell turned in a three-goal, one-assist performance against Princeton. He had two goals and two assists versus Hopkins. With SU trailing the Blue Jays, 11-9, at the two-minute mark, Powell took a feed from teammate Michael Springer and fired a shot into the Hopkins net. The goal put the Orangemen within one with 1:52 left on the clock.
At times this season, Powell has served as a wingman during faceoffs. Against Virginia, he collected a team-high six ground balls. He had six GB's last Saturday at Loyola too. He is currently tied for the team lead in ground balls with senior Jay Abendroth. Both players have 31 ground balls on the season.
In the season opener against Colgate on February 23, Powell tied Springer with a game-high four points. He had one goal, three assists and three ground balls in his collegiate debut. He found the back of the net on the only shot he attempted in the contest.
With his two older brothers, Casey and Ryan Powell, sharing the school record for career points, it is nearly impossible to not draw comparisons between the three. Although it is early in his career, it is an interesting fact that Michael Powell has scored more points than either one of his brothers did after their first seven college games.
Casey Powell was the last freshman to lead a Syracuse team in scoring - that was during the 1995 championship season.
Syracuse Lacrosse Freshman Records (Since 1971) Points in a Season 74 (33-41) John Zulberti 1986 67 (39-28) Casey Powell 1995 63 (42-21) Larry Storrier 1976 54 (28-26) Tim O'Hara 1977 52 (32-20) Brad Short 1979 50 (37-13) Oliver Hill 1972 42 (22-20) Barry Powless 1976 37 (21-16) Tom Nelson 1984 36 (14-22) Rob Kavovit 1994 35 (22-13) Charlie Lockwood 1991 34 (22-12) Rob McCarthy 1978 (11-23) Sid Hill 1971 33 (16-17) Ryan Powell 1997 31 (21-10) Brad Kotz 1982 29 (25-4) Gary Gait 1987 (11-18) Mike Cornelius 1974Cercy Wins a Season-High 22 Faceoffs at Loyola
Senior midfielder and face-off specialist Chris Cercy (Bethpage, NY/Bethpage) is winning 69.4 percent of the faceoffs he lines up to take. In SU's last two games, Cercy has won 82.2 percent of his draws (37-of-45). Against Loyola, he won 22 of the 29 faceoffs in the game. Against Brown, he won the game's first 10 draws. He finished 15-of-16 for the contest.
Cercy was ranked second in the nation in face-off winning percentage last week. Last season, Cercy led the nation in individual face-off winning percentage (.711).
He scored the fourth goal of his career and second of the season against Brown. Last year in the national semifinals, Cercy recorded two goals against Johns Hopkins.
Cercy, an honorable mention All-American in 2000, has set another goal for himself this season, which is to graduate on time. In order to do this, Cercy is taking 20 credits this semester. He is majoring in finance and already made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the fall semester.
Abendroth/Powell Lead Team in Ground Balls
Senior Jay Abendroth (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), a
long-stick midfielder, and first-year attackman Michael Powell
(Carthage, NY/Carthage) are leading Syracuse in ground balls with 31
apiece.
Both players have lined up on the wing during faceoffs. Abendroth scooped up a team-best seven ground balls in the Johns Hopkins game.
Powell collected a team-high six ground balls in the Virginia, Brown and Loyola games.
Rookie Nee Finds Net Again
First-year attackman Brian Nee (Cockeysville, MD/Boys' Latin) has
scored at least one goal in six of SU's seven games this season. He
notched eight goals in Syracuse's first four games, but was held without
a goal in the Princeton game. Against Brown, Nee returned to form,
scoring twice. He is the fourth-leading marksman on the team with 11
goals, and ranks fifth in scoring overall (no assists).
An excellent finisher, Nee has the best shooting percentage of anyone on the team (.550). He has connected on 11-of-20 shot attempts. He aided SU on the extra-man unit at the start of the season. Of his 11 goals, six have been scored on the EMO. He had a career-high three goals against Fairfield in Florida.
Overtime Not Overly Friendly Towards Orangemen
With the 14-13 overtime loss to Loyola last Saturday, the Orangemen
are now 4-6 in their last 10 overtime games dating back to the 1994
season.
Five of the 22 games Syracuse has lost since 1994 have come in overtime.
The most overtime games Syracuse ever played in one season was three. The Orangemen played three overtime games during the 1985 and 1996 seasons.
