Stayin' Alive: No. 16 Syracuse Upsets Second-Ranked Albany, 17-13

Friday, April 20

Syracuse, NY

7:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

#2 Albany

Mike Leveille has 13 points in his last two games against Albany.

Stayin' Alive: No. 16 Syracuse Upsets Second-Ranked Albany, 17-13

4/20/2007 11:04:59 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In a game of runs, No. 16 Syracuse (5-6) made the last one. The Orange tallied the final four goals of the contest and held No. 2 Albany (11-1) scoreless for the last 21 minutes and 24 seconds of the game en route to a 17-13 win on Friday, April 20 at the Carrier Dome. It was the first loss of the season for Albany, and the win improved the Orange’s all-time record versus the Great Danes to 5-0. It also represented SU’s second win against a top 10 team this year, and kept the Orange's hopes of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid alive.

The Great Danes’ final goal of the contest was scored by Jordan Levine with 6:24 to go in the third quarter. His tally tied the match at 13, but SU got a pair of goals from freshman midfielder Max Bartig, and scores by junior Mike Leveille and sophomore Greg Niewieroski to seal the victory.

Leveille finished with a career-best seven points and tied his career high with five goals. He has 13 points in the last two meetings with Albany. He tallied a goal and five assists in last year’s pairing. The Orange also got hat tricks from Niewieroski and sophomore Dan Hardy in the game. Sophomore Kenny Nims achieved a career high with four assists.

Both teams scored on their opening shots of the contest. Leveille drove to the cage and scored right-handed to give SU a 1-0 lead 44 seconds into game. Corey Small answered for the Great Danes on their first possession. After a goal by Albany’s Merrick Thomson, SU registered five of the quarter’s final six goals to claim a 6-3 margin after the first period. Leveille and Hardy each netted a pair of scores in the quarter. Both of Hardy’s goals came from the same spot and were left-handed lasers from 10 yards out.

The Orange added to its lead with two goals in the first minute of the second period. Sophomore Matt Abbott scored an unassisted goal, and sophomore Peter Coluccini helped turn defense into offense with a tremendous save on a quick-stick, point-blank shot by Derek Dale. SU gained possession, raced up the field, and Greg Rommel finished the play with a right-handed sidewinder to put the Orange up, 8-3.

The Great Danes rallied back with five unanswered goals, including back-to-back tallies by Frank Resetarits to tie the game at 8-8 with 3:28 to go in the first half. Junior Mike MacDonald’s fifth goal of the season broke the Orange scoring drought at the 2:38 mark, and SU got scores from Niewieroski and Leveille in the last 12 seconds of the period to take an 11-8 margin at the intermission.

In the second half, Albany showed its mettle again, scoring the first four goals of the quarter to go ahead, 12-11. Resetarits netted the last three goals in the spurt. Consecutive scores by Leveille and Hardy gave the Orange the lead and the defense did the rest, shutting down the Albany attack, after allowing Levine’s third-quarter goal.

Coluccini was outstanding in the cage again for Syracuse. He finished with 15 saves, including several acrobatic stops on point-blank Albany chances to make SU's four-goal margin hold up.

Senior Danny Brennan dominated on faceoffs, winning 21 of his 29 draws. His efforts helped limit the possessions for Albany, which entered the game with the nation’s second-ranked scoring offense. For the game, SU was 22-for-33 on faceoffs.

Resetarits and Thomson combined for 10 Albany points. Resetarits led the Great Danes with five goals. He also contributed an assist. Thomson finished with four points (3g, 1a), as did Levine (3g, 1a).

Brett Queener started in the cage for the Great Danes, but surrendered eight goals in less than 15 minutes of action. He was lifted in favor of backup Dan McKeon, who played 45:14. McKeon stopped 11 shots. Queener finished with four saves.

Syracuse wore all Orange uniforms for the first time this season on Friday. The gesture was in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech on Monday. Their memory was also honored with a moment of silence prior to the match.

The Orange will play its final road game of 2007 at Massachusetts on Saturday, April 28 at 3:00 p.m. The game will be televised live nationally from Garber Field on ESPNU.