Syracuse University
#3 Cornell
SU Faces Second Straight Ivy League Foe
4/6/2009 6:00:33 PM | Men's Lacrosse, Otto's Kids Club
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Upstate New York lacrosse powers No. 5 Syracuse (7-2) and No. 3 Cornell (7-1) renew their annual rivalry at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. For the Orange, it marks the start of a three-game homestand and it's the team's second consecutive game against an Ivy League opponent. On Saturday, Ivy League stalwart Princeton ended SU's five-game winning streak with a 12-8 win in the inaugural Big City Classic at Giants Stadium. The Big Red kept pace with the Tigers in the hunt for Ivy League supremacy with a 13-12 come-from-behind victory at home against Harvard.
STX SU STUDENT NIGHT
Syracuse University and STX are sponsoring “STX SU Student Night” for Tuesday's game against the Big Red. The first 500 students in attendance will receive a free STX lanyard. Students are encouraged to enter the Dome through Gate E and sit in Sections 117 and 118, which have been designated as the student sections for men's lacrosse. After every Syracuse goal there will be an STX t-shirt toss in those sections. In addition, two SU students will be selected to participate in the “Dress Like The Orange Contest” for a chance to win an STX fiddle stick set. There will also be a halftime shootout where two more students will compete to win great prize packs.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Syracuse-Cornell series dates back to 1920 and the two schools have met every season since 1979. The Orange holds a 58-33-1 advantage in the series and is 31-15 in games played in Syracuse. The Orange owns the longest winning streak in the series, emerging victorious in 16 straight contests from 1946-57. The last time the two schools met in the Dome, top-ranked Cornell posted a 16-15 win on Max Seibald's unassisted goal with four seconds left. SU repaid the favor last year, beating the Big Red, 15-8, at Schoellkopf Field.
DESKO VERSUS CORNELL
Orange head coach John Desko is 6-4 against Cornell since taking the SU coaching reigns in 1999. His longest winning streak against the Big Red is two, winning consecutive games versus Cornell in 2003 and 2004.
SCOUTING CORNELL
The Big Red improved to 7-1 and remained undefeated in Ivy League play with a 13-12 comeback win against Harvard on April 4. Like the Orange, Cornell benefits from one of the most potent offenses in the nation. The Big Red lists first nationally in scoring offense at 13.75 goals per game. Junior attackman Ryan Hurley leads Cornell in goals (29) and is tops in the nation in goals per game (3.5). He has 33 points, which is tied for the team lead with rookie attackman Rob Pannell. Pannell is primarily a feeder. He has 22 assists and leads the nation in assists per game (2.75).
Two-time first-team All-American Max Seibald (18g, 5a) leads the Big Red midfield corps, which also features senior John Glynn. Glynn has 16 points, including 11 goals and he is Cornell's top option at the faceoff X. Glynn has won 56-of-94 (.596) draws on the season.
Senior Kyle Harer has emerged as Cornell's top goaltender. Harer has started seven of the teams eight games and he owns an 8.8 goals-against average with 66 saves. Sophomore Mat Martinez (five saves) and former Orange netminder Jake Myers (nine saves) have also seen action this season.
Head coach Jeff Tambroni is in his ninth year at the helm of the Big Red. He is 91-31 since taking over the program in 2001 and he is tied for second with Georgetown's Dave Urick among active Division I head coaches in winning percentage (.7459).
LAST TIME OUT: SYRACUSE VS. PRINCETON - APRIL 4, 2009
The Orange saw its five-game winning streak come to an end before a regular-season record crowd of 22,308 in the inaugural Big City Classic at Giants Stadium. Princeton defeated the Orange, 12-8, in the centerpiece of the tripleheader presented by Inside Lacrosse. The Tigers held the Orange scoreless for stretches of 10 minutes, 12:50 and 14:59 in the contest. Princeton also shut down Syracuse's potent man-up offense, killing all four of Syracuse's extra-man chances. Seniors Kenny Nims, Pat Perritt and sophomore Stephen Keogh led the Orange offense with two goals each. Senior Matt Abbott also contributed a goal and an assist for Syracuse. In addition, Abbott collected a career-best 10 ground balls.
LADE MAKING AN IMPACT
Sophomore close defenseman John Lade has adjusted well after transferring to Syracuse from Villanova. Lade leads all Orange close defenders with 26 grounds balls, which ranks third on the team. He collected a career-best six ground balls against Binghamton and has three games of at least five ground balls on the year.
KNIGHT MOVES
Sophomore Josh Knight had the best game of his career at the faceoff X on April 4 versus Princeton. Knight won a personal-best 13-of-18 (.722) draws, including all five in the fourth quarter. Knight has appeared in eight games so far this season and leads the team with 29 faceoff wins.
UP NEXT
The Orange will play its third game in the span of eight days when it hosts current ECAC opponent and future BIG EAST Conference rival Rutgers on Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m.
