Syracuse University
#17 Villanova
Orange Back Home; Hosts 'Nova Monday
3/28/2010 12:09:50 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Tickets | Watch/Listen Live | Live Stats | Game Notes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - No. 2 Syracuse (5-1, 1-0) returns home after a pair of road wins to host BIG EAST rival Villanova (5-2, 0-0) at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 29 at the Carrier Dome. The Orange has won three in a row, including back-to back road victories against Johns Hopkins (10-7) on March 20 and Hobart (9-8) in overtime on March 23. Monday's game is SU's second conference contest of the year and the league opener for Villanova.
Tickets for the game 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. 'Cuse Kids Club members get in free with their membership card.
The game will be televised live in the Syracuse area on Time Warner Cable Sports. Fans can also hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange - TK 99 (99.5 FM). Live streaming video and audio are available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.
LADE FACES FORMER MATES
SU junior close defender John Lade will see several familiar faces on the opposing sideline Monday. Lade began his career with Villanova as a freshman in 2008 before transferring to Syracuse for the 2009 season. Lade started all 15 games as a rookie for the Wildcats and collected 53 ground balls. He was the only freshman named to the All-CAA First Team that season. Ironically, his first-ever college game was against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Orange defeated Lade and the Wildcats in the 2008 season opener, 21-6.
LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse survived a scare from a scrappy Hobart team to post a 9-8 overtime win against the Statesmen on March 23 at McCooey Field. Junior Stephen Keogh tallied the game-winner with 43 seconds to play in overtime. The Orange overcame a pair of three-goal deficits (5-2; 6-3) to win its fifth consecutive overtime game dating back to 2008. Senior Chris Daniello (2g, 1a) and freshman JoJo Marasco (2g, 1a) paced the SU offense.
MARASCO BREAKS OUT
Marasco played his best game of the season on March 23 to help the Orange to a come-from-behind, overtime win at Hobart. Marasco tied his career-high with three points, including a personal-best two goals. His second goal knotted the game at 6-6 with 11:58 to go in regulation.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Villanova has won five out of its last six, including consecutive victories against Delaware (11-8) and Drexel (10-8) in its last two outings. Both of the Wildcats' losses this year have come on the road. They lost 10-8 to Ohio State in the season opener and 8-7 at Penn on March 13.
Sophomore midfielder Kevin Cunningham leads the Wildcats in scoring with 23 points. He's one of the top assist men in the country. He has 18 and ranks eighth nationally in assists per game. Rookie attackman Jack Rice has already proved himself as a capable finisher. He leads the Wildcats with 14 goals. Senior midfielder Paul Webber also packs an offensive punch. He has 11 goals, 12 points and tallied a career-best four goals against Drexel.
Longstick middie Brian Karalunas leads the Wildcat defense. The Jamesville-DeWitt product is one of the best takeaway artists in the game and was named the 2009 CAA Defensive Player of the Year. This season he has 18 caused turnovers and ranks second on the club with 24 ground balls. At the faceoff X, sophomore Nolan Vihlen has been Villanova's go-to guy. He's taken every draw this season but four. He is 79-for-148 (.534) on the year.
THE SERIES WITH VILLANOVA
Syracuse is 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats, posting a 19-8 win in the first matchup between the two schools in 1991 and a 21-6 victory in the 2008 season opener. The Orange has outscored the Wildcats 40-14 in the two games and owns an average margin of victory of +13.0 for the series. Monday's game will be the second pairing played at the Carrier Dome.
