'Cuse-Hobart Meet In CNY Lax Showdown

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - One of the oldest lacrosse rivalries in Central New York is renewed on Tuesday, March 24 when the second-ranked Orange (5-1) hosts No. 17 Hobart (5-1) at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The match is the 95th meeting in a series that dates back more than 90 years. The Statesmen are the Orange's oldest rival as Hobart was SU's first-ever varsity lacrosse opponent back on April 26, 1916.

Tickets are available online at SUathletics.com, over the phone (1-888-DOMETIX), or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office during normal business hours. Fans will be able to receive their tickets right after purchase by using the "Ticketfast" delivery method. 'Cuse Kids Club members get in free with their membership card. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Fans should plan on arriving early as a large crowd is expected. In addition to the surface lots around the Carrier Dome, patrons will be able to park in the South lot at Manley Field House and take a shuttle to College Place similar to football and men's basketball games.

Tuesday night's game will air live locally on Time Warner Sports 26 in Syracuse. Fans can listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Sports Network's flagship station TK 99 (99.5 FM). The audio and video streams of the broadcast are available world-wide on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All Access.

KRAUS-SIMMONS TROPHY ON THE LINE

The Kraus-Simmons trophy has been presented to the victor in this annual showdown every year since 1986. The trophy is named for legendary Orange head coach Roy Simmons Sr. who coached at SU from 1931-70 and won 253 career games, and Babe Kraus who compiled 208 victories at Hobart. Syracuse has won 21 of the 23 meetings since the trophy has been awarded, including 19 in row from 1987 to 2005. The Statesmen gained possession of the trophy in 1986 and again in 2006, otherwise it has resided in Syracuse.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The Orange began its varsity lacrosse history with a 9-1 loss at home to Hobart on April 29, 1916. Since then, it has dominated the series thanks to some lengthy winning streaks. SU won six consecutive meetings from 1921 to 1926, 10 in a row from 1930 to 1936, 11 straight from 1952 to 1963 and a series-best 19 in a row from 1987 to 2005. Hobart's 9-8 victory at the Carrier Dome in 2006 snapped SU's series winning streak, but the Orange has rebounded to win the last two matchups, including a 13-5 victory last year at McCooey Field.

DESKO VERSUS HOBART

SU head coach John Desko is 9-1 all-time against the Statesmen since taking over the SU program in 1999. Desko's only loss to the Statesmen came by the score of 9-8 in 2006.

BIG WINNERS

Syracuse and Hobart are two of the winningest programs in the history of college lacrosse. The two upstate New York programs have combined to win exactly 1,500 games. The Orange ranks second with 782 all-time victories. The Statesmen are fourth with 718. Syracuse and Hobart are two of five Division I programs with at least 700 wins. Johns Hopkins (885), Navy (734) and Army (704) are the others.

LAST TIME OUT: SYRACUSE VS. BINGHAMTON - MARCH 21, 2009

The Orange used its superior offensive depth and a suffocating defense in the second half to post a 13-4 decision against Binghamton at the Carrier Dome. SU featured nine different goal scorers, including junior attackman Chris Daniello who recorded his second career hat trick to lead the Orange. After falling behind 2-1 early in the second quarter, the Orange went on a 5-1 run to take a 6-3 advantage at halftime. In the second half, SU used an aggressive defense to limit the Bearcats to one goal. Binghamton managed just seven shots after intermission and the Orange held the Bearcats scoreless for the final 28:33 of the contest.

PERRITT COMING ALIVE

Senior Pat Perritt has found his offensive stride in the last two games. After scoring one point in the first four games, Perritt has four points in the last two. In the win against Johns Hopkins on March 14, Perritt notched a pair of goals. Against Binghamton on March 21, Perritt dished out a career-best two assists to record the first multi-assist game of his career.

SCOUTING HOBART

First-year head coach T.W. Johnson guided the Statesmen to their best start since 1998 with five consecutive wins to open the season before losing 5-4 Saturday to Rutgers. Prior to taking over the program, Johnson served as an assistant to Statesmen head coach Matt Kerwick for four years. Hobart's fast start this year can be attributed to the play of its defense. The Statesmen lead the nation in scoring defense at 5.33 goals per contest. Junior goalie Max Siberlicht leads the country in save percentage (.677) and ranks second in goals-against average (5.33). He recorded a season-best 16 saves in the team's win over Georgetown and has been tabbed the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season. Offensively, senior attackman Jeff Colburn leads the club in points (20) and assists (12). Junior Tyler Cassell is the squad's best finisher with 11 goals. Senior defensive midfielder Matt Smalley leads Hobart with 25 ground balls.

UP NEXT

Syracuse makes its first national TV appearance of the year when it plays at Loyola on Saturday, March 28. Faceoff is at 12 p.m. at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. The game will be televised live on ESPNU and aired locally in Baltimore on WMAR-TV.

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