Syracuse University
#7 Cornell
Championship Comes Down To CNY Rematch
5/24/2009 2:59:58 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Game Notes | Listen Live | Coach Desko Quotes | Player Quotes | GameTracker
FOXBORO, Mass. - Two Central New York rivals who have already faced off this season will settle the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship on Monday at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium. Second-seeded Syracuse (15-2), a 15-10 winner against fifth-seeded Cornell (13-3) on April 7, looks to successfully defend its 2008 crown by beating the Big Red.
Monday's game will air live nationally on ESPN. Fans can listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Sports Network's flagship station TK 99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the broadcast is available for free on SUathletics.com. The game is also available on ESPN360.com by clicking here
In Cornell, Syracuse faces its second-most familiar foe in program history. The Orange has a 59-33-1 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to the 1920 season. The two Central New York neighbors have competed each season since 1979.
Syracuse is in the midst of its 29th appearance in the NCAA postseason and 16th final. The Orange is 15-10 in championship games. SU reached the title tilt by beating Duke in the semifinals, 17-7. Cornell won against Virginia on Saturday, 15-6.
SU seeks its 11th NCAA Championship. The Orange is 60-18 overall in NCAA Tournament play, a win total that ranks second only behind Johns Hopkins (65). Syracuse faces a challenge in defending the title -- the last team to do so was Princeton. The Tigers won consecutive crowns in 1996, 1997, 1998. Syracuse turned the trick with three straight championships in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
Syracuse and Cornell have a history in the championship game. The two clubs met in the 1988 final and the Orange emerged with a 13-8 triumph.
In the April pairing of the two squads, the fifth-ranked Orange scored the game's last three goals to defeat the third-ranked Big Red. Stephen Keogh and Chris Daniello had three goals each for Syracuse while Kenny Nims had two goals and four assists.
SU mentor John Desko is the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament by percentage (26-5, .839) and has guided the Orange to NCAA Championships in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2008.
