Orange Faces Villanova In Top 10 Matchup

#1 Syracuse (6-0, 1-0) at #7 Villanova (7-1, 0-0)
Details	Saturday, March 26 \| Villanova, Pa. \| 7 p.m. Villanova Stadium \| Tickets \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: None \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Villanova.com: Live Stats \| Video Twitter: @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes
Villanova Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes

VILLANOVA, Pa. - No. 1 Syracuse (6-0, 1-0) faces its first true road test of the 2011 season on Saturday, March 26 when it takes on No. 7 Villanova (7-1, 0-0) at 7 p.m. at Villanova Stadium. The game is one of only two contests the Orange will play on an opponent's campus this season and it marks the Orange's first road game against the Wildcats since 1991.

Syracuse is looking to equal its best start since 2000 with a victory. The Wildcats are ranked in the top 10 for the first time in school history and Saturday's game represents their BIG EAST Conference opener.

Fans can hear the action live on the Fans can also hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange - TK 99 (99.5 FM). Live streaming audio is available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.

LAST TIME OUT
The Orange remained unbeaten with a 5-4 win in double overtime against Johns Hopkins on March 19 at the Carrier Dome. Senior Stephen Keogh netted the game-winner 15 seconds into the second extra session after the Orange won the opening faceoff. Keogh finished with a game-high three goals. The victory was SU's fifth in a row against the Blue Jays. The game marked the first time since April 3, 1982 at Rutgers that the Orange was victorious when scoring five goals or less. Syracuse held the Blue Jays without a goal for the game's final 22:22 to rally back from a 4-3 deficit late in the fourth quarter.

LADE FACES FORMER MATES
For the second game in a row, an Orange player will take the field against his previous college team. Last time out it was junior Tommy Palasek facing his former team (Johns Hopkins). This time it's senior defenseman John Lade, who began his career at 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 year. Ironically, his first-ever college game was a 21-6 loss to the Orange in the Carrier Dome. Since coming to Syracuse, Lade has developed into one of the best cover defenders in the country and a first-team All-American.

GALLOWAY APPROACHING NCAA WINS RECORD
Senior goalie John Galloway enters Saturday's game with a 50-6 career record. With a victory, Galloway can tie the NCAA Division I record (51 wins) held by Princeton's Scott Bacigalupo. Galloway has started all but one game since joining the Orange as a freshman in 2008. He became Syracuse's all-time winningest netminder against Georgetown on March 12, earning his 48th victory.

AMIDON COMES ALIVE AGAINST HOPKINS
Senior Josh Amidon scored a season-high three points in Syracuse's 5-4 double-overtime win against Johns Hopkins on March 19. Amidon had a hand in three of the team's five goals, scoring twice and assisting on another. Amidon is fifth on the team with 11 points. He's scored at least two points in five of SU's six games.

MILLER GETS ORANGE STARTED
Senior Jovan Miller has scored the first goal of the game six times in his career and Syracuse is 6-0 in those games. The trend began in 2009 when he tallied the opening goal in a 13-7 win against Colgate. It continued in 2010 when he turned the trick three more times, including notching SU's first goal of the season in a win against Denver. This year, Miller has scored the game's first goal twice (vs. Denver and Georgetown). His tally 49 seconds in versus the Pioneers again represented SU's first goal of the season.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Villanova has won six in a row since losing at Bucknell on Feb. 26 to vault into the top 10. Its current No. 7 ranking in the USILA Coaches Poll is the highest in program history. The Wildcats' current winning streak includes wins over three top 20 teams (Drexel, Penn, Princeton). Villanova's 7-1 start is its best since 2004.

Junior attackman Kevin Cunningham leads the Wildcats in points (33), goals (20) and assists (13). Sophomore Jack Rice is an excellent complement to Cunningham. Rice is second on the team with 18 goals. Junior Matt Bell (8g, 7a) leads Villanova's midfield corps with 15 points. Classmate Nolan Vihlen (65-113, .575) is one of the top faceoff specialists in the BIG EAST.

Defensively, Brian Karalunas continues to terrorize the opposition. Karalunas, a DeWitt, N.Y. native, is the reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week. He leads the Wildcats in ground balls (35) and ranks first nationally in caused turnovers per game (4.63). Senior Chris Ficke (14 ground balls) anchors the Wildcats' close defense. Sophomore goalie Billy Hurley has 65 saves and an 8.15 goals against average. During the team's current winning streak, Hurley has allowed double-digit goals just once (13 at Drexel on March 1).

THE SERIES WITH VILLANOVA
Syracuse is 3-0 all-time against the Wildcats. The Orange has outscored Villanova 60-20 in the three games and owns an average margin of victory of +13.3 for the series.

UP NEXT
The Orange will face Duke in the regular season for the first time since 1992 when they meet in the third annual Konica Minolta Big City Classic at New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, April 3. The game is a matchup of the last two national champions. Syracuse brought home the trophy in 2008 and 2009. The Blue Devils won their first NCAA title in 2010.

Syracuse University Athletics

Related Videos