No. 5 Men's Lacrosse Travels to Hobart
3/25/2003 10:02:58 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Game Six: vs. Hobart (4-1, 3-0 Patriot League)
Tues., March 25, 7 p.m. - AstroTurf Stadium (1,100)
Listen to the Game
The Orangemen look to rebound from Saturday's disappointing 11-10 loss to Princeton with a road game at Hobart on March 25, at 7 p.m. The contest will be played at Hobart's two-year old AstroTurf Stadium in Geneva.
Syracuse (3-2) dropped two spots to No. 5 in this week's STX/USILA Division I Coaches Poll. It is the lowest SU has been ranked in the national coaches poll since March 19, 2001, when the Orangemen dropped to No. 6, following an 11-10 loss to Johns Hopkins on March 17, 2001. The last time Syracuse lost two of its first five games was 1996.
Hobart enters the game against the Orange with a 4-1 overall record and a 3-0 mark in the Patriot League. The Statesmen won their first two contests of the year, a 13-3 decision against Butler and a 15-4 league win against Holy Cross. On March 11, Hobart lost to Georgetown, 13-5. The Statesmen have since won their last two games, a 16-7 triumph over Lafayette and a 9-4 decision against Lehigh last Saturday.
This will be the 89th meeting between Syracuse and Hobart in men's lacrosse. The Orangemen own a 62-24-2 advantage in the all-time series, and have won the last 16 meetings. The last time the Statesmen pulled the upset against the Orangemen was April 19, 1986 in Geneva (16-13).
On the Air
Radio
SU's games will be broadcast on the school's flagship radio station for lacrosse, ESPN Radio 1260 AM. Kyle Fetterly, Roy Simmons Jr. and Matt Park call the action. The games can be heard through the internet at www.suathletics.com.
WAER FM 88 also broadcasts all the 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-Brown game will air Sunday, March 30, at 7 p.m., on channel 13.
Kraus-Simmons Trophy on the Line
The Syracuse-Hobart rivalry is one of the oldest and fiercest in all of college lacrosse, certainly within the upstate New York region.
The winner of the Syracuse-Hobart game claims the Kraus-Simmons Trophy, named in honor of legendary SU coach Roy Simmons Sr. and former Hobart coach Babe Kraus.
The Orangemen have won the trophy the last 16 times in the 17-year existence of the tradition. Last season, Syracuse defeated the Statesmen, 19-4, at the Carrier Dome.
Bouncing Back from Defeat
The last time Syracuse lost two games in a row was during the 1995 campaign when Virginia (15-7) and Johns Hopkins (14-13 OT) beat the Orangemen in back-to-back contests at the Carrier Dome. SU went on to win the rest of its game and captured the national championship that year. The Orangemen, who have only lost 46 games in the past 20 years, usually bounce back from losses by posting wins in their very next outing. Since 1993, SU has followed up a regular-season loss with a win 21 out of 22 times. Under Coach Desko, the Orangemen have never lost back-to-back games. Syracuse has lost just eight games since 2000, and seven of them were decided by a single goal, including last Saturday's 11-10 loss to Princeton.
The Return of Liam Banks
Senior attackman Liam Banks returned to the field March 22, for the first time since the 2001 national championship game. Due to personal reasons, Banks did not play last season. His return to game action was further delayed following a shoulder injury sustained in this year's Navy scrimmage. Banks was a starting attackman for the Orangemen in 2000 and 2001. He helped SU to the national championship in 2000 with six goals in the title game. Banks has played in 49 games during his career. He owns 63 goals, 69 assists and 132 points.
Orange Career Performances Versus Hobart
Player (Goals-Assists=Points)
Michael Springer 8-1=9
Brian Nee 5-0=5
Michael Powell 1-4=5
Brett Walther 0-3=3
Mike Smith 2-0=2
Jarett Park 2-0=2
Pat Hogan 1-1=2
Matt Bontaites 1-0=1
Steve Vallone 1-0=1
Zack Wallace 1-0=1
Kyle Olson 1-0=1
Faceoff Wins/Total Faceoffs
Chris Bickel 10/19 (.526)Goalie Saves/Goals Allowed Save%
Jay Pfeifer 10/1 .909
Nick Donatelli 12/3 .800
SU vs. The Patriot League
Syracuse plays two teams from the Patriot League this season in Army and Hobart. SU already beat the Cadets, 15-7, on Feb. 22. Here is how the Orangemen stack up against the conference all-time.
Opponent W L T Pct.
Army 13 37 0 .260
Bucknell 8 0 0 1.000
Colgate 41 9 1 .814
Hobart 62 24 2 .716
Holy Cross 0 0 0 .000
Lafayette 0 0 0 .000
Lehigh 3 2 0 .600
Totals 127 72 3 .636
Vallone Scores Career-High Four Goals Against Princeton
Junior starting midfielder Steve Vallone scored a career-high four goals against Princeton on Saturday. The effort also tied his career high for points in a game. He tallied two man-up goals against the Tigers, which moved him into a tie for the team lead in extra-man goals with linemate Sean Lindsay. Both players have four man-up goals.
Vallone has reached a number of personal bests so far this season. He dished out his first two career assists on his way to a personal-high four points against Fairfield. He also had two goals versus the Stags.
The offensive outburst against Princeton marked the fifth multiple-goal game of Vallone's career. Last season, Vallone notched two goals against Army, Cornell and Massachusetts.
As a member of SU's top midfield line and the man-up unit, Vallone is the team's sixth-leading scorer with 11 points (nine goals, two assists). He is tied for fourth on the team in goal scoring with freshman Brian Crockett.
Vallone registered two goals in the season-opening win at Army. He was held without a point in the Virginia game.
His career totals are 22 goals, two assists and 24 points.
Lindsay is the Team's Second-Leading Goal Scorer
Junior starting midfielder Sean Lindsay is SU's second-leading goal scorer so far this season. He has 11 goals through five games (2.20 goals per game). Overall, Lindsay is tied for fourth on the team with Brian Nee in scoring with 12 points. Lindsay and Steve Vallone lead the team with four man-up goals apiece.
Lindsay has already surpassed his 2002 goal total. He had nine goals in 17 games last year. Coming into this season, Lindsay had 11 career goals.
He exploded for a career-high four goals in the season opener against Army. He tallied twice against Virginia, once against Fairfield, three times against Johns Hopkins, and once against Princeton.
Lindsay has scored a goal in Syracuse's last seven games, dating back to last year's final four. During championship weekend, Lindsay netted goals against Virginia in the semifinals and Princeton in the championship.
His career totals are 22 goals, seven assists and 29 points.
Man-Up Unit Clicking at 40%, 7-for-22 in Last Three Games
The SU man-up unit was out on the field a season-high 12 times against Fairfield and scored four times. Against Johns Hopkins, the Orangemen were 1-for-6, and against Princeton, they finished 2-for-4. Syracuse led the nation in man-up offense last season with a .474 success rate (36-for-76).
The Orangemen are 7-for-22 (32 percent) on the EMO during their last three outings. In its first two games, SU enjoyed a .538 success rate, connecting seven times on its first 13 attempts.
With attackmen Michael Powell, Michael Springer, Brian Nee, Alex Zink and midfielders Sean Lindsay and Steve Vallone, Syracuse has connected for goals 14 times on 35 attempts (40 percent).
Syracuse Averaging 14.8 Goals Per Game
The Orangemen, known for their up-tempo, high-scoring style of lacrosse, are averaging 14.8 goals per game and have totaled 74 goals in their first five contests. Syracuse scored 15 goals in three games this year (Army, Virginia, Johns Hopkins).
The 10 goals SU scored against Princeton were the fewest this season and fewest since last year's 10-9 NCAA quarterfinal win against Duke.
