Saturday, March 1
Baltimore, MD
12 p.m.
Syracuse University
13
vs
14
#3 Virginia
Steven Brooks had five points to pace the Orange against Virginia.
Brooks' Career Day Not Enough for Orange at the Face-Off Classic
3/1/2008 2:54:29 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE, Md. – Syracuse senior midfielder Steven Brooks (Libertyville, Ill.) tied his career high with five points, but it wasn’t enough as #3/3 Virginia (4-0) handed the #7/8 Orange (2-1) a 14-13 overtime loss Saturday, March 1 in the opening game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium.
Brooks scored three goals, including the game-tying score with 28 seconds left in regulation. He also had two assists. It was the second five-point outing of Brooks’ career. However, middie Brian Carroll spoiled the performance, netting the game-winner with 1:29 to go in the extra session for the Cavaliers.
Trailing 13-12 in the fourth quarter, Brooks scored his third goal, a left-handed laser that zoomed past Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman to send the game into overtime.
Syracuse won the faceoff in the extra session as freshman Joel White (Cortland, N.Y.) secured the ground ball to give the Orange possession. After a Syracuse timeout, the Orange attack unleashed three shots at the cage. All three missed the target and the Orange turned the ball over after junior Dan Hardy (Tully, N.Y.) was checked to the ground.
The SU defense forced a turnover on the Cavaliers’ ensuing possession, but gave the ball right back to Virginia after another turnover. After a Virginia timeout, Shamel Bratton found Carroll for the game-winner.
The tally ended an exciting second half and overtime period that resulted in 19 combined goals. Nine of the Orange’s 13 scores came in the second half and 10 of Virginia’s 14 goals came after intermission.
Despite the large number of goals, the game was nip and tuck the whole way as neither squad built a lead larger than two. The contest featured several runs by both teams, but neither was able to pull away.
Trailing 4-3, senior Brendan Loftus (Watertown, N.Y.) scored for SU with 32 seconds to play before the half to knot the game at four. The goal ignited a three-goal run that resulted in a 6-4 SU advantage at the 12:18 mark of the third quarter.
Virginia answered back with three of the game’s next four goals, including back-to-back scores by Danny Glading to tie the game at seven. After trading goals, Ben Rubeor’s first goal of the season put the Cavaliers in front, 9-8, with 1:28 to go in the quarter.
SU responded with another three-goal spurt, including two by Nims to claim an 11-9 margin with 10:15 to play in the final period. The lead was short-lived as an SU turnover resulted in a goal by Bratton to pull the Cavaliers within one at the 8:39 mark. A tally by Ken Clausen eight seconds later tied the game at 11.
Loftus gave the Orange the lead again off a pass from Brooks, but Rubeor and Garrett Billings hooked up for a goal with 4:32 to go, and Will Barrow went coast-to-coast for a tally to push Virginia back in front at the 2:58 mark. Brooks’ laser tied the game for the ninth time and final time, setting the stage for Carroll’s heroics.
SU junior attackman Kenny Nims (Watertown, N.Y.) finished the game with four points. He had a hat trick and added an assist. Senior Mike Leveille (Delmar, N.Y.), junior Greg Niewieroski (Watertown, N.Y.) and Loftus each scored twice for the Orange. Freshman goaltender John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) made a career-best 15 saves in the cage.
White scooped up a career-high eight ground balls, most of which came on faceoffs as the Orange controlled 19 of the game’s 30 draws.
Several players had multiple points for Virginia. Glading led the way with five (3g, 2a). Billings had four on two goals and two assists. Rubeor scored three points (1g, 2a) in his first appearance of the year and Bratton also notched a goal and two assists.
Ghitelman made 14 saves in the cage to earn the win.
Saturday’s contest marked the first overtime game for the Orange since 2006 and SU’s first overtime loss since a 14-13 defeat at Massachusetts in the 2005 regular-season finale.
In the second game of the doubleheader, top-ranked Johns Hopkins downed Princeton, 14-9.
Attendance for the event was 19,165, the largest NCAA regular-season crowd of the year.
The Orange returns home Sunday, March 9 for a 3:30 p.m. matchup with Georgetown. The game is part a lacrosse doubleheader at the Dome. The SU women host Hofstra at 12 p.m.
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