Orange Concludes Fall Ball At Navy

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The two-time defending NCAA champion Orange men's lacrosse team will participate in the Navy Fall Classic on Saturday, Oct. 10. The trip to Annapolis, Md. wraps up a four-week fall practice season for the Orange that began on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The six-team tournament features three games played simultaneously at 12 p.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. In addition to Syracuse and Navy, Georgetown, Harvard, Hobart and Penn State will participate in the event. Games will be played at Rip Miller Field as well as the grass and turf playing surfaces at Farragut Field. The Orange will play its opening game against the host Midshipmen at Rip Miller Field then face Harvard on the turf at Farragut Field.

Syracuse returns several offensive weapons from last year's national championship team. Junior attackman Stephen Keogh earned honorable mention All-America honors last season and is the squad's returning leader in points (55) and goals (49). He leads an offense that also features senior captain Chris Daniello (21g, 3a), sophomore Tim Desko (13g, 4a) and senior Cody Jamieson (9g, 3a).

However, the Orange will be without Keogh and Jamieson this weekend as both have respective national team commitments (Keogh for Team Canada and Jamieson for the Iroquois). Their absence will open the door for reserve attackmen like redshirt freshman Ryan Barber, senior Max Bartig and true freshman JoJo Marasco to see more playing time.

Bartig and Marasco have also been working in the midfield where the Orange lost five of its top six at the position to graduation. Junior Josh Amidon is the team's top returning midfield scorer. He had 23 points, including 14 goals, last season.

Defensively, Syracuse will look to junior John Lade and classmate Joel White to lead the way. Both were awarded 2009 All-America honorable mention plaudits, and White was recently elected a 2010 team captain.

Starting goalie John Galloway is back for his third season. Galloway became the first goaltender in NCAA history to win national championships as both a freshman and sophomore. He concluded the 2009 season with 160 saves and was ranked seventh nationally in goals-against average (7.64).

The Orange will face a Navy squad that ended the 2009 season with an 11-5 record and made the program's sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The team returns its entire starting offensive unit and its top five scorers. All-American attackman Tim Paul (18 goals, 14 assists) and fellow attackman Brendan Connors (21g) are a formidable scoring tandem. Patrick Moran, a 2009 All-Patriot League selection, leads an experienced midfield.

On the defensive side, Matt Vernam, Zack Schroeder and Jaren Woeppel will carry the torch for head coach Richie Meade.

Harvard concluded the 2009 season with an 8-5 record, the program's first winning season since 2004. The Crimson had a 3-3 conference mark within the Ivy League and climbed to as high as No. 11 in the national rankings.

Senior captains Billy Geist and Travis Burr lead head coach John Tillman's squad. Geist was a 2009 All-Ivy League honorable mention last season. He leads the defensive unit and has started 28 of 39 games over the course of his career. Burr ranked third on the Crimson with 16 goals in 2009 and tied for third with 19 points. He was named to the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) All-New England Second Team.

In addition, Harvard benefits from the return of senior midfielder Jason Duboe who, like Geist, finished with 19 points last season. High-scoring attackman Dean Gibbons is back for his junior season Gibbons ranked second the team with 21 goals and 27 assists last year on his way to All-Ivy League honors.

Fans are reminded only cars with Department of Defense (DOD) stickers are allowed to drive onto the Naval Academy grounds. Fans are encouraged to either park at the Navy-Marine Crops Memorial stadium ($5 charge to park) and take the free shuttle service over to the Naval Academy. Fans can also park outside of the Academy gates and walk onto the grounds. All visitors are required to have a picture I.D. to gain access to the grounds.

Syracuse University Athletics

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