Men's Lacrosse Faces No. 4 Virginia at the Dome on March 1st
2/27/2003 5:34:54 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Game Two: vs. No. 4 Virginia (1-0)
Sat., March 1, 2003 - 3:00 p.m. - Carrier Dome - Turf - 49,550
Listen to the Game
Fresh off a 15-7 season-opening victory at Army, the top-ranked Syracuse men's lacrosse team entertains No. 4-ranked Virginia at 3 p.m. at the Carrier Dome on March 1. It is the 2003 home opener for the Orangemen. It is also a rematch of last year's national semifinal where SU defeated the Cavaliers, 12-11, in double overtime.
Virginia comes into this contest with a 1-0 record after downing Drexel last Saturday, 19-8.
This will mark the 17th meeting overall between the two schools. The Orangemen own a 10-6 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four meetings, dating back to the 2000 season opener held at UVA's Klöckner Stadium. SU posted a 13-12 victory in overtime that year. Last season, Syracuse defeated the Cavs twice, a 15-13 win at Klöckner Stadium on March 2, 2002, and the 12-11 double overtime victory in the final four at Rutgers. The last time these two teams met at the Carrier Dome was March 3, 2001. SU won, 13-7. In the 16 meetings between SU and UVA, the Orangemen own a 220-208 scoring edge.
Syracuse in Home Openers - Orangemen Looking to Extend Home Winning Streak
Syracuse is 63-10 in home openers since 1927. The Orangemen have won 11-straight home openers. The last time they lost a home opening game was March 23, 1991. Johns Hopkins beat SU, 18-12, at the Carrier Dome that year.
The Orangemen have won 10-straight games at home, dating back to an 11-10 setback at the hands of Johns Hopkins on March 17, 2001. Syracuse finished a perfect 5-0 at home last season. SU is 17-1 playing at home during the past three seasons.
On the Air
Radio
SU's games will be broadcast on the school's flagship radio station for lacrosse, ESPN Radio 1260 AM. This week, the action will be called by Syracuse equipment manager Kyle Fetterly. Color analysis will be provided by former SU head coach Roy Simmons, Jr. The games can be heard through the internet at www.suathletics.com.
WAER FM 88 will broadcast all the SU games, led by sports director Anish Shroff.
Television
All SU home lacrosse games will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Time Warner 13 in the Syracuse area. Dale Drypolcher returns as the color analyst, while Doug Wright will handle play-by-play duties. This week's Syracuse-Virginia game will air Sunday, March 2, at 4 p.m., on channel 13. The SU women's game versus Virginia will air on Time Warner immediately after the men's game.
Roy Simmons Jr. on the Air This Weekend
Former Syracuse head coach Roy Simmons Jr. will serve as the color analyst for ESPN Radio's (1260 AM) broadcast of the Syracuse-Virginia game. He helped SU equipment manager Kyle Fetterly in calling the action last Saturday from Army and he will continue to add his perspective until Matt Park completes his SU men's basketball broadcasting commitment. Once Park joins the lineup, Fetterly will slide back into his role as color analyst. Fetterly has been a regular on SU's commercial station the past two seasons.
Coach Simmons was inducted to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1991. This legendary figure served as head coach of the Syracuse Lacrosse program from 1971-1998. He compiled a career record of 290-96 (.751) and guided the Orangemen to six NCAA titles (1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995) and 16 consecutive final four appearances.
Orangemen Currently Riding Eight-Game Winning Streak
The defending national champion Orangemen have won eight consecutive games dating back to April 9, 2002, when they lost a 15-11 decision to then No. 9-ranked Cornell in Ithaca. Syracuse closed out the 2002 campaign with seven-straight wins, including four consecutive one-goal games to end the season. Last Saturday, SU extended its winning streak to eight games with a 15-7 victory against Army.
Overall, Syracuse has strung together 27 consecutive winning campaigns. The last time the Orangemen failed to finish a season with a winning record was 1975, when they finished with a 3-8 mark.
Syracuse Against Teams From The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
The Orangemen own a .588 winning percentage against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Virginia is the only ACC team on the Syracuse schedule this year. The Orangemen scrimmaged Maryland on Feb. 13, and posted a 15-14 victory.
Last year, SU played Virginia and Duke from the ACC. The Orangemen defeated the Cavs, 15-13, during the regular season. Then they won a 12-11 double overtime victory against Virginia in the NCAA semifinals. SU beat Duke, 10-9, in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 18, 2002.
SU has played North Carolina (17 times), more than any other ACC opponent.
Orange Career Performances vs. Virginia
Michael Springer 13-3=16
Michael Powell 8-7=15
Brian Nee 4-1=5
Steve Vallone 1-0=1
Sean Lindsay 1-0=1
Brett Walther 0-1=1
Sol Bliss 0-1=1
Goalie (Saves/Goals Allowed)
Jay Pfeifer (37/24) - Save percentage vs. UVA - .607
Faceoff (Wins/Total Faceoffs)
Chris Bickel (25/51) - .490
Jake Plunket (0/5) - .000
DOME-ination
The Syracuse men's lacrosse team owns a record of 132-11 (.923) at the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen went a perfect 5-0 at home last season. SU is now 17-1 playing at home during the past three seasons. Its last loss at the Dome was an 11-10 setback to Johns Hopkins on March 17, 2001. The first season the Orangemen began playing under the white bubble was 1981.
Syracuse University will host two NCAA lacrosse championship events in 2003.
The Carrier Dome will host the women's lacrosse final four on May 16 and 18, 2003. On the same weekend, the men's lacrosse north region quarterfinals will be held at the Dome on May 17.
This is the first time that Syracuse will host an NCAA championship event for women's lacrosse. SU has hosted a men's lacrosse championship game 14 times, including 13 at the Carrier Dome. The last time an NCAA men's lacrosse game was held at the Dome was in 1995 when the Orangemen defeated Princeton, 15-11, in the quarterfinals.
Springer Records 50th Career Assist at Army
Junior midfielder Sean Lindsay scored a career-high four goals in the Orangemen's 15-7 season-opening victory at Army last Saturday. It was the first multiple-goal game of his career. He scored two man-up goals, as did his linemate, fellow junior Steve Vallone. Vallone equalled his personal best for goals in a game (two).
Freshman attackman/midfielder Brian Crockett tallied three goals and had one assist in his first official game as an Orangeman.
Senior attackman Michael Springer was the game's high scorer against Army with five points (one goal, four assists). The four assists tied his previous career high that he recorded against Georgetown in 2000.
Sophomore goaltender Jay Pfeifer recorded 14 saves in his 2003 debut in between the pipes. He played the entire game against Army and increased his career save total to 189. Pfeifer needs 11 saves to reach the 200-save milestone.
Other highlights from the Army game included the Orangemen going 4-for-8 on extra-man situations, and scoring 15 goals on 46 shots for a .326 shooting percentage.
Four Goals is the Largest Deficit SU Has Faced in Four Years
Army jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Syracuse in the 2003 season opener. SU has not trailed in any game by more than four goals since 1999, when it faced a five-goal deficit (15-10) to Georgetown in the regular season. The Orangemen lost that game in Washington, D.C. by a score of 17-13.
Since that time, SU has posted a 3-2 record in games where it has trailed at some point by four goals.
During the 2000 national championship season, the biggest deficit SU faced was three goals in a win against Loyola (6-3) and a loss to Cornell (5-2).
In 2001, SU overcame two four-goal leads by Hofstra in the NCAA quarterfinals (6-2 and 8-4), to win the game 18-13. The Orangemen were not as effective in battling back from four goals to Princeton in the finals that year. The Tigers owned leads of 4-0 and 8-4 on their way to a 10-9 victory in overtime.
Last season, Princeton jumped out to a 4-0 lead, before the Orangemen got on the scoreboard and earned an 11-8 victory on the road. Cornell made the most of a four-goal lead against Syracuse in Ithaca four games later. The Big Red led, 6-2 in the first quarter and finished with a 15-11 triumph.
