Syracuse University
#20 Albany
Friday Night Lights For SU-Albany
4/16/2009 10:38:38 AM | Men's Lacrosse, Otto's Kids Club
Buy Tickets | Watch/Listen Live | Live Stats | Game Notes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The fifth-ranked Orange (9-2) will host its fifth New York State opponent on Friday, April 17 when No. 20 Albany (6-4) visits the Carrier Dome for a 7 p.m. contest. The game is Syracuse's final night game of the regular season and marks the team's ninth contest against a ranked opponent.
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.
Friday'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.
GIVE ME 10
The Orange can pick up its 10th win of the 2009 campaign Friday against Albany. Should Syracuse emerge victorious it would mark the 41st time in school history the Orange has posted double-digit victories in a season. Syracuse has won at least 10 games in eight of head coach John Desko's first 10 seasons and 19 of the last 21 years dating back to the 1988 national championship season.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Orange has won all six meetings with the Great Danes. The two schools have played every season since 2004, including twice that season as Syracuse and Albany met in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. All six pairings have taken place at the Carrier Dome and the Orange has scored at least 10 goals in each contest. The 2005 and 2006 meetings were the most competitive with Syracuse emerging as one-goal victors both seasons.
DESKO VERSUS ALBANY
Orange head coach John Desko has been on the sidelines for all six meetings with the Great Danes and is 6-0 in those contests. Albany is one of two teams that Desko has faced at least five times and has never lost to. The other is Brown. He is 7-0 all-time against the Bears.
SCOUTING ALBANY
The Great Danes are 6-4 overall and 2-1 in America East Conference play. Albany won four in a row earlier this season, but has lost its last two both to ranked opponents. The Great Danes were beaten by then-No. 11 Johns Hopkins, 14-9, at Homewood Field on April 4 and lost by the count of 15-7 at home to then-No. 7 UMBC. Sophomore attackman Brian Caufield leads the club in scoring (37 points) and assists (16). He is flanked by rookie Joe Resetarits who has a squad-best 23 goals and is second to Caufield with 31 points. Resetarits is the younger brother of former Albany All-American Frank Resetarits.
Overall, the Great Danes have shot the ball well this season (.309, 102-330), but have been victimized by their lack of success in the faceoff circle (.457, 113-247) and a defense that is allowing 11.02 goals per game. Freshman goalie John Carroll has seen the majority of the time in goal. He has surrendered 93 goals, while making just 83 saves. He owns a 10.48 goals-against average and a .472 save percentage.
GETTING AHEAD; STAYING AHEAD
The Orange has done a superb job of maintaining its leads this year. SU is 9-0 when leading at the half and 8-0 when ahead after three quarters. The Orange's dominance of the second quarter has been a key factor in securing the halftime lead in nine of its 11 outings. Syracuse has outscored its 40-13 in the second period this year.
DYNAMIC DUO
Starting attackmen Stephen Keogh and Kenny Nims have combined for 56 goals and 84 points in 2009. Those totals represented 38.4 percent of all SU's goals (146) and 37 percent of the team's points (227). Keogh has filled the goal-scoring void left by Mike Leveille. Leveille and Nims last season accounted for 33.8 percent of SU's goals and 38.2 percent of the team's points.
UP NEXT
Syracuse will play its final road game of the 2009 regular season on Saturday, April 25 at Massachusetts. The contest will be played at McGuirk Alumni Stadium and will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports.
