SU Begins Stretch Run Versus Rutgers

ESPNU Warrior Classic - #4 Syracuse (11-1, 3-0) vs. Rutgers (5-6, 0-2)
Event Details	Saturday, April 23 \| E. Hartford, Conn. \| Rentschler Field Tickets/Information \| Weather
Schedule	Hofstra vs. Massachusetts - 3 p.m. Syracuse vs. Rutgers - 5:30 p.m.
Game Coverage	TV: ESPNU \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes
Rutgers Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes

E. HARTFORD, Conn. - No. 4 Syracuse returns to BIG EAST play on Saturday, April 23 with a 5:30 p.m. clash against Rutgers in the second game of the ESPNU Warrior Classic. It's the first of three straight conference games for the Orange to close the regular season.

Syracuse is 11-1 overall and 3-0 in the BIG EAST. The Orange has won its last two games, including a 13-7 non-conference victory over Hobart Tuesday. Rutgers hasn't played since an April 12 loss to Princeton (11-10) and enters the game with a 5-6 overall record, including an 0-2 conference mark.

ABOUT THE ESPNU WARRIOR CLASSIC
This is the second year of the ESPNU Warrior Classic, a college lacrosse doubleheader played at Rentschler Field, the home of the University of Connecticut football team. Hofstra and Massachusetts start things off at 3 p.m. followed by the Orange and Scarlet Knights at 5:30 p.m.

The inaugural ESPNU Warrior Classic was held last season with Denver defeating Fairfield and Massachusetts knocking off Georgetown.

JUST WIN BABY
The Class of 2011 can tie the school record for most wins over a four-period with a victory against Rutgers Saturday. This senior class has won 56 games in their first three-plus seasons going back to 2008. The Class of 1986 is the winningest group in program history with 57 victories from 1983-86. SU's current seniors helped the program rebound from missing the NCAA playoffs in 2007 and tied the school season wins record (16) in 2008 and 2009 on its way to consecutive NCAA championships.

DONAHUE KNOWS RUTGERS WELL
Junior Collin Donahue is very familiar with the Scarlet Knights. He played two years at Rutgers before transferring to Syracuse prior to the 2010 season. Donahue registered seven goals and four assists in 17 career games for Rutgers in 2008 and 2009.

Donahue has five assists this season as a reserve attackman for the Orange. He passed out a personal-best three helpers in SU's 13-3 victory over Providence on April 16 at the New England Lacrosse Classic.

HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES SQUARE OFF
SU sophomore defenseman Brian Megill could find himself guarding a former high school teammate Saturday. Megill and twin brothers Scott and Matt Klimchak of Rutgers all hail from Clark, N.J. and played together at Arthur L. Johnson High School. Megill and Scott Klimchak earned All-America and all-state honors at Johnson. Matt was an Under Armour All-American as a junior. He missed his senior season due to injury.

Megill has started every game of his SU career at close defense. Both Klimchaks have started on attack at times for Rutgers this season. Scott leads Rutgers in points (32) and goals (21). Matt has eight goals.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse retained the Kraus-Simmons Trophy for the 24th time in 26 years with its 13-7 victory over Hobart on April 19. Ten different players combined for SU's 13 goals. Seniors Stephen Keogh, Jeremy Thompson and junior Kevin Drew led the way with two goals each. The Orange outscored the Statesmen, 9-2, in the second and third quarters to take command of the game. Syracuse successfully neutralized Hobart faceoff ace Bobby Dattilo, who entered the game fourth nationally in faceoff winning percentage, and won 12 of the game's 24 faceoffs. Senior Joel White was crucial to that effort, collecting 10 ground balls, including several as part of SU's faceoff midfield.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY
Senior Josh Amidon is quietly having another solid season. Amidon has 12 goals and 11 assists. His nine helpers are the second on the Orange in 2011. Against Cornell on April 12, Amidon tied his career high with five points. He had a hand in five of the team's six goals against the Big Red, scoring three times in the second half and assisting on two more. Amidon has scored at least two points in eight of SU's 12 games and he's the team's leading scorer in the last three contests with four goals and four assists.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers hasn't played a game in nearly two weeks after its BIG EAST Conference game against Villanova on April 19 was postponed due to inclement weather. Its last game was an 11-10 loss to Princeton on April 12. After a 5-1 start to the season, the Scarlet Knights have lost their five, including three straight one-goal decisions.

Scott Klimchak, a redshirt freshman, leads the team with 21 goals and 32 total points. Fourteen additional players have also scored at least one goal for Coach Jim Stagnitta's squad. Sophomore Duncan Clancy is right behind Klimchak (31 points) in the scoring column. Clancy has 20 assists and leads the BIG EAST in assists per game (1.8). Midfielder Will Mangan (11g, 5a) has proved to be a capable offensive threat from up top.

Sophomores Joseph Donnelly and Rudy Butler have shared time in the cage this season. Butler has started four games, including the last two, and leads the Scarlet Knights with 42 saves. Donnelly owns a 4-3 record. He has 31 saves and a 6.17 goals-against average. Andrew D'Agostino, a redshirt junior from Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, leads the team with 43 ground balls. Midfielder Christopher Mattes is second on the squad with 38 ground balls in his role as the team's primary faceoff specialist. Mattes is 114-for-168 at the X and leads the nation with a .679 faceoff winning percentage.

THE SYRACUSE-RUTGERS SERIES
Syracuse and Rutgers have played at least once every season since 1979. The Orange owns a dominating 38-8 lead in the series thanks in large part to a 20-game winning streak from 1956 to 1995. The Orange has won the last six games in the series and has defeated Rutgers by an aggregate score of 90-44 in those six contests. Saturday's game is just the second neutral-site affair between the two clubs. The other was a 1980 matchup won by the Orange, 8-7, in Garden City, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Syracuse prepares to host top-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday, April 30 at the Carrier Dome. It's a matchup that could wind up determining this year's BIG EAST regular-season champion. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

Syracuse University Athletics

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