Familiar Foes Set to Meet in NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal
5/15/2003 7:17:25 PM | Men's Lacrosse
NCAA Quarterfinal vs. Princeton (11-3, 5-1 Ivy)
Sat., May 17, 3:30 p.m. - Carrier Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
Listen to the Game
Fans are in for a treat early in the 2003 NCAA playoffs as two of the giants in the sport, Syracuse and Princeton, square off on May 17, in the national quarterfinals. These two teams have met in the championship game on Memorial Day in each of the past three seasons. They have combined to capture the national title 13 times in the past 15 years, but this season, only one team will advance to Baltimore, the site of this year's championship. A win against Princeton will extend the Orangemen's unparalleled streak of 20 consecutive appearances at championship weekend. SU comes into this latest meeting against the Tigers with a 9-5 record. The Orangemen have won their last two games, including last week's 13-11 victory against Dartmouth in the NCAA first round. Syracuse is making its 24th appearance (21st consecutive) in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament. SU earned a national ranking of No. 6 in the final STX/USILA Coaches Poll (May 5, 2003). Princeton (11-3) has been a regular in the NCAA Tournament every year since 1990. The Tigers have won their last two games. They defeated Albany, 16-10, in their NCAA first-round game on May 10. This will be the 19th meeting between Syracuse and Princeton. The Orangemen own an 11-7 advantage in the all-time series. SU has won six of the last eight meetings, but the Tigers earned an 11-10 victory earlier this season on March 22, at the Carrier Dome.
On the Air
Radio
SU's games are broadcast on the school's flagship radio station for lacrosse, ESPN Radio 1260 AM. Kyle Fetterly 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
ESPN Syndication is producing the NCAA quarterfinals. A number of stations are scheduled to carry it. CSS, NESN, Comcast SportsNet (Bethesda), and the Empire Sports Network are carrying the game LIVE. Fox Sports New York will carry the SU vs. Princeton quarterfinal on a tape delay basis at 9:30 p.m. on May 17, 2003. The Sunshine Network is carrying the game tape-delayed at 10:30 p.m..
All SU home games were shown on a tape-delayed basis on Time Warner 13 in the Syracuse area. Dale Drypolcher served as the color analyst, while Doug Wright handled play-by-play duties. Time Warner broadcasted the Orangemen's game at Georgetown LIVE on May 3.
CSTV (College Sports Television) produced SU's game at Hofstra LIVE. WMAR-TV in Baltimore produced the SU vs. Loyola game on April 5.
Transportation and Parking
Fans attending Saturday's NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal games at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, May 17, have several transportation options, including a park-and-ride service and the OnTrack shuttle service. OnTrack will run between the Dome and Armory Square beginning at 11:30 a.m., and continuing until about 60 minutes after the second game. This service is $3 for the round trip. Parking on campus is available for $5 in the Stadium West lots and at Manley Field House. A shuttle bus will run between Manley and the Dome. Fans should arrive at the Dome early in order to avoid traffic and to allow themselves time to get their tickets and get to their seats. The Dome box office is currently selling reserved seating packages, and will sell general admission tickets on the day of the game. Gates open at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday.
Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament
Syracuse owns an all-time record of 46-15 in the NCAA Tournament to rank second in tournament winning percentage (.754). Princeton is first, having won 78.8 percent of its tournament games. The Tigers own an NCAA Tournament record of 26-7. Five of their seven losses have come to Syracuse.
SU has participated in 23 of 32 NCAA tournaments. The championship was inaugurated in 1971 and Syracuse made its first-ever appearance in 1979 (coach John Desko and assistant coach Kevin Donahue's senior year). The Orangemen returned in 1980 and 1981, but failed to qualify in 1982. Since 1983, Syracuse has participated every year. The Orangemen have advanced to championship weekend a record 20 consecutive seasons.
Familiar Foes - Take Your Pick - More on the SU-Princeton Series
This will be the second time that Syracuse and Princeton meet in an NCAA quarterfinal game at the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen and Tigers played one another in a 1995 NCAA quarterfinal match at the Dome. SU was victorious, 15-11.
This year marks the earliest that Syracuse and Princeton have met in the NCAA Tournament since 1999, when they faced one another in the first round. SU won that meeting, 7-5, and advanced to the championship game. It was John Desko's first season as head coach.
Syracuse and Princeton have combined to win 13 of the last 15 national championships.
In 2002, Syracuse and Princeton faced off in the national championship game for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall. It was only the second time in NCAA history that the same two teams met in the championship game three straight years. SU was also involved the last time it happened, taking on Johns Hopkins in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
The series between the Orangemen and the Tigers in championship games is now tied at 2-2. Syracuse defeated Princeton, 13-12, in 2002. The Tigers won a 10-9 overtime decision in 2001, and a 10-9 double overtime match in 1992. Syracuse's first victory against Princeton in an NCAA final was a 13-7 triumph in 2000.
Orangemen Looking to Make it 21 in a Row
A win against Princeton would send the Orangemen to their 21st consecutive appearance in the NCAA semifinals. No other Division I men's lacrosse program owns a streak that long. The North Carolina women's soccer team is believed to be the only other NCAA Division I program with an active streak that rivals SU's. The Tar Heel women advanced to their 21st consecutive national semifinal this past fall.
The only other Division I men's lacrosse program that comes close is Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays advanced to championship weekend 12-straight years from 1976-1987.
In NCAA quarterfinal games, Syracuse boasts a 21-2 record and has won 20-straight quarterfinal contests since 1983.
NCAA Playoff Games at the Dome
This will be Syracuse's 19th NCAA playoff game at the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen are 17-1 at home under the white bubble in NCAA Tournament play. The lone blemish on that record was a 19-13 loss to North Carolina in the 1991 semifinals.
This will be the first playoff game at the Carrier Dome since the 1995 quarterfinals (Syracuse vs. Princeton). The Orangemen beat the Tigers that year, 15-11.
Pfeifer Relishes Playoff Pressure
Sophomore goaltender Jay Pfeifer seems to relish playing in big games. He has 82 saves in SU's last six games (or 13.7 saves per game in SU's last six outings). He was named the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Division I Player of the Week on May 5, after he totalled a season-high 18 saves (one short of his career-high) in a come-from-behind victory at Georgetown. Syracuse beat the Hoyas, 12-10, and secured itself a spot in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
In SU's NCAA first-round game against Dartmouth, Pfeifer made key saves when needed. He finished with 12 against the Big Green.
Pfeifer's play was the biggest question mark heading into the 2002 NCAA Tournament, but he raised his level of play in the tournament, recording 46 saves in three playoff games (19 vs. Virginia in the semifinals) and helped the Orangemen to their eighth NCAA championship. He was rewarded by being selected to the NCAA all-tournament team.
Pfeifer, nicknamed "The Wall" by his teammates, has started all 14 games in goal for SU this season. He owns a 10.21 goals against average and a .545 save percentage.
Warm Weather Usually Means Orangemen Heat Up
As the warm weather comes to Central New York, the Syracuse lacrosse team also tends to get hot. Since 1990, SU is 64-9 in the month of April and 13-1 in regular-season May games. The only May regular-season loss the Orangemen have suffered since 1990 was a 17-13 defeat at Georgetown on May 8, 1999. Add those numbers to SU's 30-8 NCAA record since 1990 (all in the month of May) and you will learn that Syracuse has won 107 out of 125 games in April and May since 1990, good for a winning percentage of .856.
This season, Syracuse posted an uncharacteristic 2-3 record in the month of April.
