Game Notes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - With four games remaining in the regular season, No. 18 Syracuse (3-6) entertains ECAC foe Rutgers (4-4) in a critical showdown on Sunday, April 15 at 1:00 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. At 3-6, the Orange must win its final four contests to finish above .500 and have a chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. SU hasn't finished below .500 in 31 years, the second-longest consecutive season winning streak in NCAA history behind Johns Hopkins' 35.
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 LAST TIME OUT
Max Seibald scored an unassisted goal with four seconds left in regulation to lift No. 1 Cornell to a 16-15 win against No. 18 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, April 10. Seibald’s score spoiled a furious rally by SU, which scored three straight goals in the fourth quarter to tie its Central New York neighbor, and overcame two six-goal deficits in the first half to take the top team in the country to the wire.
Trailing 15-12 with less than four minutes left SU scored three times to tie it, setting the stage for Seibald’s winning score. The Orange also faced 7-1 and 8-2 deficits in the first half before surging back into contention. Sophomore Greg Niewieroski tallied a career-best five goals in the game, including three in the first half. SU also got stellar goaltending from sophomore Peter Coluccini, who stopped a career-best 22 shots.
STANDING TALL
Sophomore goaltender Peter Coluccini played his best game of the season against Cornell on April 10. He stopped a career-best 22 shots, including 12 in the opening half, to keep the Orange within striking distance. Several of his saves were spectacular, especially a two-save sequence where he made the final stop by thrusting his crosse in the air while sitting in the goal mouth. The save was the top play on ESPN Sportscenter’s "Top 10 Plays" the following morning.
Coluccini became the first SU goaltender since Jay Pfeifer against Hobart in 2005 make at least 20 saves. The performance surpassed his previous career-best of 19 set against Princeton in 2006. Coluccini has 96 saves on the year and is averaging 10.7 stops per game.
PALMER FINDS NICHE ON CLOSE DEFENSE
With senior Steve Panarelli playing long-stick midfield in SU’s last three games, junior Dustin Palmer has started the last three games at close defense. The Cherry Creek, Colo. native has appeared in every game in 2007 and has recorded five of his six ground balls since moving into the starting role at Loyola on March 31. Palmer has teamed with classmates Evan Brady and Kyle Guadagnolo to form SU’s core defensive unit.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers has gone 3-1 in its last four games after the beginning the season 0-3 versus Division I competition (The Scarlet Knights defeated Division III Dowling in their season opener). In their last outing, Rutgers demolished Loyola, 17-7, at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights 17 goals against the Greyhounds matched its season best and elevated its goals per game total to 9.98 on the year.
Rutgers has been lethal on man-up chances in 2007. The Scarlet Knights have scored on 45.7 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year, better than any opponent the Orange has faced, and the eighth-best mark in the country. Colin Checcio and Matt Gaines lead the Scarlet Knights with four man-up goals each.
Checcio, a senior attackman, has been the Scarlet Knights main offensive weapon. He has 22 goals on the year. Rookie midfielder Justin Pennington has the next highest total on the team with 14 scores. Pennington has also scooped up a team-leading 35 ground balls on the season. Sophomore Jeff Rommel, the brother of SU’s middie Greg Rommel,
is third on the club with 18 points, including a pair of game-winning goals.
Rutgers head coach Jim Stagnitta, now in his sixth year with the Scarlet Knights, has guided the team to NCAA Tournament berths (2003, 2004) in his first five full seasons. He owns a 169-87 overall record as a head coach, including 136-42 record in 12 years at Division III Washington & Lee. Stagnitta played his collegiate lacrosse at Penn where he started on defense and was part of two Ivy League Championship teams, including the Quakers first in 1983.
THE SERIES VERSUS RUTGERS
The Orange holds a 34-8 all-time lead in the series against the Scarlet Knights. SU owns a 20-2 advantage in games played in Syracuse. The Orange’s only home losses to Rutgers came in 2003 and 1955. Two of the last three games between the two teams have been decided in overtime. Rutgers handed the Orange a 12-11 loss in the extra session in 2003. SU repaid the favor with a 13-12 OT victory last season.
