Kraus-Simmons Trophy Up for Grabs in Season Opener

Watch the Game Live

Game Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The third-ranked Syracuse lacrosse team begins its 88th season on Sunday, Feb. 18 with a contest against its most familar foe - Hobart at 1:00 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. The Orange and Statesmen have met 92 times with SU holding a 65-25-2 all-time lead in the series. Sunday's game will be televised live locally on Time Warner Sports 26. Live streaming video and audio of the contest can be found on SUathletics.com via Orange All Access and fans can also tune in to the Syracuse ISP Sports Network radio broadcast on WNSS (1260 AM).

The Orange has won 19 of the last 20 meetings between the two teams. Hobart’s only win in that span came last season, 9-8, at the Carrier Dome. The two clubs have met every year since 1986.

Starting in 1986, the winner of the SU-Hobart game has received the Kraus-Simmons Trophy. Hobart gained possession of the trophy that first season with a 16-13 win in Geneva. The following year SU took home the trophy and it resided in Syracuse for the next 19 years until Hobart’s 2006 triumph. The trophy is named for legendary Orange head coach Roy Simmons Sr. who coached at SU from 1931-70 and won 253 games, and Babe Kraus who compiled 208 victories at Hobart.

The Orange posted a 10-5 overall record last year and returned to the NCAA semifinals for the 23rd time in the last 24 seasons. After a 1-4 start, SU reeled off nine straight wins before being beaten by eventual national champion Virginia. Hobart was 6-8 last season and went 1-6 in ECAC Lacrosse League games.

SYRACUSE IN SEASON OPENERS
SU owns an all-time record of 69-18 (.793) in season-opening games. It is 28-9 in campaign starters since 1970 and has won 10 straight, including all eight under head coach John Desko.

BACK IN THE SADDLE
The Orange offense welcomes back three players to the lineup that missed the majority of 2006 with various injuries. Graduate student Greg Rommel and junior Steven Brooks return to SU’s top midfield line and sophomore Greg Niewieroski is back in the fold at attack and could run some midfield. Rommel appeared in two games last year before being sent to the sidelines with a thumb injury. Brooks went down with an injured knee in the 2006 season opener against Army and Niewieroski suffered head injuries in an off-field incident. The trio combined for 47 goals in 2005 and Rommel was tabbed a second-team All-American.

Senior Danny Brennan is also back and will give the team a lift at the face-off "X." Brennan was academically ineligible in 2006. In 2005, Brennan led SU in face-off winning percentage at .533 (121-227). The Farmingdale, N.Y. native played a key role during the Orange’s run to the 2004 NCAA Championship, winning a personal-best 16 draws against Johns Hopkins in the national semifinals.

FEBRUARY’S COLD BUT THE ORANGE IS HOT
Syracuse owns a perfect 8-0 record in games played during the month of February and the Orange is 6-0 in February contests under John Desko.

SU’s first February encounter was a game that will be remembered in lacrosse lore as the Orange posted a thrilling 22-21 victory on Feb. 28, 1997 against Virginia at the Carrier Dome. Casey Powell was unstoppable in leading SU to the win, scoring a school-record 13 points (7g, 6a). The contest remains the highest scoring game the Orange has ever participated in (43 combined goals).

Army is the Orange’s most familiar February foe with the two teams meeting in the year’s second month in every season since 2002.

DESKO THREE SHY OF THE CENTURY MARK
Syracuse head coach John Desko will be among the fastest coaches in the history of college lacrosse to reach 100 wins when he reaches the milestone. He currently has 97-30 overall record in 127 games during his first eight seasons at SU.

Desko has an average record 12.1 wins and 3.8 losses per season since he took the Orange head coaching reigns in 1999.

Cornell legend Richie Moran is the fastest coach to win 100 games, achieving the feat in his first 114 contests. Princeton mentor Bill Tierney is the fastest active coach to hit the century mark. His 100th victory came in his 141st game.

Scouting Hobart
Hobart returns 28 lettermen, including five starters, from last season’s 6-8 team. Junior Daryl Veltman is the only starter returning to an attack that ranked 24th in the nation in scoring (9.5 gpg).

Hobart’s biggest strength will be at the faceoff X, where the Statesmen feature two All-American caliber specialists. Senior John Soden and junior Dan Spinella combined to win 55.8 percent of their restarts, 12th in the nation last season.

The top midfield of senior Chris David and juniors Nick Currie and co-captain Sean Murphy accounted for three of the Statesmen’s top five scorers last season.

Last season, Hobart’s defense held the opposition to eight goals or fewer eight times. Senior co-captain Chris Keough and junior Rafe Mattingly form the nucleus of the Hobart close defense.

In the cage, Mike DeSantis (9.66 career GAA) graduated, leaving Hobart with less than 67 minutes of collegiate playing experience.Sophomore Brad Hester—the most experienced goaltender with 54:10 in the cage last season will likely get the start. Hester will be challenged by first-year Max Silberlecht and senior Brandon Baer for playing time.

Syracuse University Athletics

Kraus-Simmons Trophy Up for Grabs in Season Opener

Related News

Related Videos