Men's Lacrosse Hosts Fairfield Monday, March 10, at 7 p.m.
3/8/2003 1:58:25 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Game Three: vs. Fairfield (1-1)
Mon., March 10, 2003, 7 p.m. - Carrier Dome - Turf - 49,550
Syracuse, ranked No. 4 in the March 3rd installation of the USILA/STX National Coaches Poll, hosts Fairfield in its first game since a 16-15 loss to Virginia on March 1.
The Orangemen own a 1-1 record, having defeated Army, 15-7, on Feb. 22. They went from No. 1 to No. 3 in the media's Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Division I Men's Power Poll, released March 3.
Fairfield comes into this contest with a 1-1 record. On Feb. 22, the Stags beat Holy Cross, 14-3, in their season opener. They then lost an 18-6 decision to Penn State on March 1.
Fairfield was supposed to play at Brown on Saturday, March 8, but that game was postponed due to snow and unplayable field conditions at both Stevenson Field and Brown Stadium. It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at Stevenson Field, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
This will be only the second meeting between Syracuse and Fairfield in men's lacrosse. The first meeting took place two years ago in Coral Springs, Fla. The Orangemen posted a 13-5 victory on March 12, 2001.
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 Matt Park and Syracuse equipment manager Kyle Fetterly. 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-Fairfield game will air Wednesday, March 12, at 8 p.m., on channel 13.
Loss to Virginia Snaps SU's 10-Game Home Winning Streak
The setback to Virginia on March 1, was Syracuse's first loss at home since March 17, 2001, when Johns Hopkins posted an 11-10 victory against the Orangemen. It was the first home-opening loss in 12 years.
The Orangemen finished a perfect 5-0 at home last season. SU is 17-2 playing at home since the 2000 season began.
Overall, the Syracuse men's lacrosse team owns a record of 132-12 (.917) at the Carrier Dome. The first season the Orangemen began playing under the white bubble was 1981.
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 45 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 20 out of 21 times. Under Coach Desko, the Orangemen have never lost back-to-back games. Syracuse has lost just seven games since 2000, and six of them were decided by a single goal.
Springer Off to Quick Start
Senior attackman Michael Springer is off to a quick scoring start so far this season. He leads the team in goals (six), assists (six) and points (12). He is currently riding a 13-game point-scoring streak, having totaled 46 points (31 goals, 15 assists), dating back to March 23, 2002, when he was held without a point at Princeton. Springer has registered at least one goal in the Orangemen's last seven games. The last time he failed to find the back of the net was April 19, 2002, in a victory at Pennsylvania.
There have only been two games in his career (out of 50 games) where Springer has been shut out of the scoring column. He registered at least one point in his first 30 games as an Orangeman, up until the 2001 national championship game against Princeton. In 2002, Princeton kept him pointless during its regular-season matchup against the Orangemen.
Syracuse is 40-6 when Springer scores a goal. The Orangemen are 24-3 when he tallies three goals or more in a game.
John Desko 56-12 in Fifth Season as Head Coach
John Desko is at the helm of the Syracuse lacrosse program for his fifth season in 2003. His 56-12 record speaks for itself.
Desko has been a part of all eight championship seasons at SU. He has led the Orangemen to title-game appearances in each of his four seasons as head coach, the only Division I men's coach to do so. Syracuse is 2-2 in championship games under Desko. His teams have won more than 83 percent of their games during the past four years, and are 11-2 in the postseason.
Last season, Desko led the team to a 15-2 mark, a 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA semifinals, a national crown and four-straight one-goal wins at the end of the year.
Since he accepted the head coaching reigns, Syracuse has had 17 players earn All-America honors. Four of those players were singled out for player of the year accolades.
He and his staff have achieved success by scheduling the nation's toughest competition and coming out on top in those games. Since he took over in 1999, Syracuse is 21-7 against top 10 teams.
Desko's first national championship as head coach came in 2000, his second year on the job. It was the school's first title since 1995. The 2000 squad finished with a 15-1 record (the best finish since 1988), and an 18th-consecutive appearance in the final four.
A year earlier, Desko became the third head coach in Division I history to reach the NCAA title game in just his first year at the helm. It was the first time a No. 8 seed ever reached the national semifinals and finals.
This year, Desko will serve his fourth term as a member of the NCAA Lacrosse Committee, a group that oversees and regulates rules, championships and other issues pertinent to the sport.
Powell Already Eighth on School's Career Assists Chart
Junior attackman Michael Powell already ranks eighth all-time in assists at SU with 86.
Springer Moves to 16th on All-Time Scoring List Following Seven-Point Effort Against UVA
Senior Michael Springer and junior Michael Powell are climbing the all-time scoring list at Syracuse. Here is where they rank on the career points list.
Syracuse University Career Points (Since 1967)
1. 287 (158-129) Casey Powell 1995-98 287 (137-150) Ryan Powell 1997-00 3. 282 (124-158) Tim O?Hara 1977-80 4. 271 (84-187) Tim Nelson 1983-85 5. 267 (109-158) John Zulberti 1986-89 6. 258 (182-76) Tom Marechek 1989-92 7. 253 (192-61) Gary Gait 1987-90 8. 246 (125-121) Rob Kavovit 1993-97 9. 228 (155-73) Tom Korrie 1983-86 10. 212 (127-85) Paul Gait 1987-90 11. 205 (129-76) Brad Kotz 1982-85 12. 204 (142-62) Tom Abbott 1975-78 13. 194 (118-76) Josh Coffman 1999-2002 14. 192 (84-108) Jamie Archer 1990-93 15. 189 (104-85) Tom Nelson 1984-87 16. 181 (129-52) MICHAEL SPRINGER 2000-present 17. 176 (106-70) Jim Morrissey 1993-96 18. 166 (128-38) Matt Riter 1990-93 19. 163 (124-39) Roy Colsey 1992-95 20. 161 (106-55) Matt Cutia 1996-99 21. 159 (73-86) MICHAEL POWELL 2001-present 22. 155 (87-68) Brad Short 1979-82 23. 153 (82-71) Randy Lundblad 1981-84 24. 152 (97-55) Charlie Lockwood 1991-94 25. 148 (93-55) Todd Curry 1984-87
Lindsay Ties for Team Lead with Six Goals
Junior midfielder Sean Lindsay is SU's second-leading scorer so far this season with six points on six goals. He finished the 2002 season with a total of nine goals in 17 games. Coming into this year, Lindsay had 11 career goals. He is on his way to passing those totals. Lindsay exploded for a career-high four goals in the season opener against Army. He tallied twice against Virginia. He has now scored a goal in Syracuse's last four 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 17 goals, six assists and 23 points.
Nee Runs Point-Scoring Streak to 13 Games
Junior attackman Brian Nee has scored at least one point in Syracuse's last 13 games. The last time he was shut out of the point column was March 23, 2002, at Princeton. Since that game, Nee has contributed 27 points (19 goals). For his career, Nee owns 41 goals, 11 assists and 52 points. He has one of the better career shooting percentages on the team at 43.6 percent (41 goals on 94 career shots).
Pfeifer Records 200th Career Save Against Virginia
Sophomore goaltender Jay Pfeifer has started Syracuse's first two games of the season. He has been the Orangemen's starting goalie the past 19 outings, as he appeared in all 17 games a year ago. So far this season, Pfeifer has saved 28 shots. He recorded 14 saves in each of the first two games against Army and Virginia. He only allowed seven goals at Army. The 16 goals given up by Pfeifer in the loss to Virginia marked the most goals he has allowed since April 9, 2002, when Cornell scored 15 times. So far this season, Pfeifer has faced 83 shots. He owns a .549 save percentage and an 11.50 goals against average. Pfeifer reached a milestone in the Virginia game when he recorded his 200th career save. He now owns 203 career stops.
Man-Up Unit Proves Successful So Far
Syracuse led the nation in man-up offense last season with a .474 success rate. The Orangemen registered 36 man-up goals on 76 attempts. So far this season, the EMO has proved to be a bright spot for the Orangemen. With attackmen Michael Powell, Michael Springer, Brian Nee, Alex Zink and midfielders Sean Lindsay and Steve Vallone, Syracuse has connected for goals seven times on 13 attempts, or a .538 success rate. Lindsay leads the team with three man-up goals. Vallone is second with two extra-man tallies.
10,536 Attended the Virginia Game
With 10,536 fans in attendance at the March 1st Syracuse vs. Virginia game, it marked the 10th-highest regular-season attendance figure in Carrier Dome lacrosse history.
Highest Single-Game Attendance Figures at the Dome (Regular Season)
18,458 vs. Hobart, 1990
18,244 vs. Johns Hopkins, 1990
13,638 vs. North Carolina, 1992
12,687 vs. Hobart, 1988
12,061 vs. Hobart, 1983
11,198 vs. Johns Hopkins, 1987
10,960 vs. Virginia, 1997
10,936 vs. Johns Hopkins, 1991
10,924 vs. Princeton, 2001
10,536 vs. Virginia, 2003
10,496 vs. Virginia, 2001
10,381 vs. North Carolina, 1994
