Syracuse Versus Princeton Part of Big City Classic at Giants Stadium
11/10/2008 12:23:38 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE – The annual Syracuse-Princeton lacrosse showdown will take place at Giants Stadium this season as part of Inside Lacrosse’s inaugural Big City Classic on Saturday, April 4, 2009. The Orange and Tigers will face off at 2:30 p.m. as the middle game of a tripleheader that also features North Carolina versus Virginia (12 p.m.) and Delaware versus Hofstra (5 p.m.).
Syracuse and Princeton have combined to win 16 NCAA titles and the game pits the two active Division I head coaches with the most NCAA Championships against one another. Princeton’s Bill Tierney leads all active Division I mentors with six national championships. Orange head coach John Desko is second on that list with four, including the 2008 NCAA crown.
Tickets for the Big City Classic are scheduled to go on sale Dec. 1. Prices will be $15 for group purchases of 10 or more, $25 for lower level reserved seats and $40 for mezzanine level reserved seats at Giants Stadium.
The 2009 season marks the third consecutive year the Orange will participate in a major regular-season lacrosse event. The past two years Syracuse and Virginia have squared off in the Face-Off Classic, a doubleheader organized by Inside Lacrosse at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium.
“We are very excited to be playing in Giants Stadium against Princeton the first weekend of April,” Desko said. “After being involved in the Face-Off Classic the last two years, we know that being part of the Big City Classic will be a great experience for everyone associated with Syracuse lacrosse.”
“For the past three years, Inside Lacrosse has been committed to creating events that will expose fans to the energy and passion of college lacrosse,” IL publisher Bob Carpenter said. “One of the glaring absences our sport's had to date is that the top level of Division I men's lacrosse has never been played on the doorstep of New York City. This is the No. 1 media market in the world. To showcase the sport on such a big stage, we knew we had to bring together as much talent as possible. With the combination of these programs, we feel we're bringing to the New York metropolitan area one of the strongest lineups ever assembled.”
The six teams involved in this year’s event have advanced to the NCAA semifinals a combined 67 times and have won 24 NCAA Championships. The Orange has accounted for 25 of those semifinal berths and almost half of the NCAA titles (10).
Syracuse and Princeton have met 24 times with the Orange holding a 16-8 advantage in the series. Ten series meetings have come in the NCAA playoffs, including four that have decided the national championship. Syracuse defeated the Tigers in 2000 and 2002 to win the title. Princeton knocked off the Orange in overtime in 1992 and 2001 to claim the crown.
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