Men's Lacrosse Looking to Knock Off #4 Cornell on April 11
4/10/2006 10:36:40 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Syracuse (3-4) looks to extend its win streak to three games when it travels to Ithaca for a 7 p.m. matchup against No. 4-ranked Cornell (7-1) on April 11. The Orange has the opportunity to knock off a Top 10 team for the second time in four days. SU beat No. 6-ranked Princeton on April 8. A triumph against the Big Red gives Syracuse two quality wins and greatly improves its chances for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, provided the team takes care of business against its four remaining opponents - Rutgers, Albany, Massachusetts and Colgate. SU needs to finish at least 3-2 in its next five outings to assure itself a .500 record, one of the primary criteria set forth by the NCAA selection committee.
This game will be streamed LIVE through Orange All-Access right here at suathletics.com. It will be televised LIVE by CSTV and carried LIVE by Time Warner Sports - 26 in Syracuse. The radio broadcast, led by Brian Higgins and Kyle Fetterly, can be heard locally at 1260 AM and through Orange All Access at www.suathletics.com. Syracuse University graduates Paul Carcaterra '97 and Jason Chandler '00 will serve as television talent for CSTV.
Coach John Desko’s team gained confidence by winning its last two games against Loyola and Princeton, both at home. Prior to that, the Orange lost four-straight contests to tough competitors, Virginia, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Hobart. The Cavaliers (#1), Hoyas (#3) and Blue Jays (#8) are all ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams according to this week’s STX/USILA Coaches Poll. The Orange moved up three spots to No. 12 in this week’s poll.
Cornell is one of the top teams in the country, having outscored its opponents, 93-37 (+56). It won its first six games, before losing an 8-6 decision to Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on April 1st. Last Saturday, Coach Jeff Tambroni’s team rebounded with a 10-3 victory against Harvard. The only common opponent between Cornell and Syracuse so far this season is Army. The Big Red pasted the Black Knights, 13-1, back on March 11, while the Orange captured a 14-10 victory on Feb. 25.
Four Big Red players have tallied at least 20 points, led by David Mitchell’s team-high 29 points on 24 goals. Eric Pittard paces the squad with 17 assists and is second in points with 27. Joe Boulukos, who torched SU for seven goals last year in the Carrier Dome, has 14 goals so far this season. Derek Haswell also has 14 goals.
Matt McMonagle has played every minute in goal for the Big Red. He leads the nation in save percentage (.675) and ranks second in goals against average (4.63).
This will mark the 90th meeting between Syracuse and Cornell in men’s lacrosse. The Orange controls the all-time series, 56-32-1. Prior to the 2000 season, Syracuse won 13-straight games against the Big Red. The teams have split the last six meetings since 2000. Cornell won last year’s contest at the Carrier Dome, 16-14.
