Sunday, February 18
Syracuse, NY
1 p.m.
Syracuse University
13
vs
11
Hobart
Sophomore Dan Hardy tallied a career-high five points to lead SU past Hobart.
Hardy Fuels SU Rally; Orange Defeats Hobart, 13-11, in Season Opener
2/18/2007 4:49:23 PM | Men's Lacrosse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The third-ranked Orange (1-0) scored four straight fourth-period goals to rally from an 11-10 deficit and defeat Hobart (0-1) by the score of 13-11 in the season opener for both teams on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Carrier Dome. Sophomore attackman Dan Hardy scored two of SU’s final three goals during the game-clinching run. He tallied a personal-best five points in the contest (3g, 2a), including the first hat trick of his career.
Hobart’s Jeff Colburn netted the first goal of the fourth period to push the Statesmen’s advantage to 11-9 with 13:17 left to play in the contest. From there SU took over, outscoring the Statesmen, 4-0, the remainder of the game. Hardy fed linemate Kenny Nims for a goal at the 12:16 mark to start the rally and registered an unassisted score with 5:49 to play to tie the match. Junior Mike Leveille recorded his second goal of the day with 5:32 to play to put the Orange in front, 12-11, and Hardy’s unassisted goal with 4:21 left sealed the win.
With the victory, the Orange reclaimed possession of the Kraus-Simmons Trophy, which, since 1986, has gone to the winner of the annual affair. The win also improved the Orange’s record to 9-0 in season-opening game under head coach John Desko. SU has won its last 11 season starters overall.
Sophomore Pat Perritt notched his second career hat trick and tied his personal-best with three goals against the Statesmen. He and the other two members of SU’s first midfield, graduate student Greg Rommel and junior Steven Brooks, combined for six goals in the match. Brooks had two, and Rommel scored a man-up goal in their return to the lineup after missing most of 2006 with injuries.
The Statesmen jumped out to an early lead when Nick Currie scored 30 seconds into the game. The Orange moved in front on back-to-back tallies by Perritt and Leveille, but consecutive goals by Daryl Veltman made the score 3-2 Hobart with 3:33 left in the first period.
An unassisted goal by Hardy with three seconds to go in the first quarter ignited a 3-0 Orange run over the next 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Perritt’s second score of the game capped the run and gave SU a 5-3 margin with 12:23 to go in the half. A goal by Hobart’s Jamie Kirk at the 11:07 mark ended SU’s scoring streak. The two teams traded goals to produce a 6-5 halftime edge for the hosts.
Brooks’ second goal extended SU’s margin to 7-5 with 13:57 left in the third quarter, but Hobart seized the momentum, scoring five of the game’s next six goals to gain a 10-8 advantage. Mike Lazore’s score with 3:01 left in the quarter closed the Statesmen’s scoring burst.
Perritt’s third goal came with 1:55 left and drew SU within one, 10-9, setting the stage for the SU’s dazzling final quarter.
Colburn (2g, 2a) and Veltman (2g, 2a) led the Statesmen with four points each. Kirk and Sean Murphy also scored twice for Hobart. Bradon Baer made 15 saves in his first start in the cage for the Statesmen.
SU goaltender Peter Coluccini stopped 13 shots, including three in the fourth quarter, to pick up the win.
Rookie midfielder Max Bartig tallied his first career goal in the contest when he found the back of the cage with 9:25 left to go in the first half. His goal gave the Orange a 6-4 advantage. Junior Brendan Loftus also recorded a career first, registering his first helper on Leveille’s first-quarter tally.
Senior Steve Panarelli led SU’s defense with eight ground balls. It was the 12th time in his career he has scooped up at least five ground balls in a game. Senior Jon Jerome was 10-for-17 (.588) at the face-off “X” for the Orange. Classmate Danny Brennan won four draws and picked up two ground balls in his return to the Orange lineup after being ruled academically ineligible last season.
SU will host Army in its next game on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Dome. The match will televised live in the Syracuse area on Time Warner 26. Live video and audio of the contest will be available on SUathletics.com via Orange All Access.
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