Kraus-Simmons Trophy Up For Grabs

#15 Syracuse (6-5) at Hobart (3-7)
Details	Tuesday, April 17 \| Geneva, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Boswell Field \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: Time Warner Cable Sports \| Radio: WTKW - 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Video \| Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @Cuse
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes \| Guide
Hobart Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- One of the oldest college lacrosse rivalries will be renewed on Tuesday, April 17 when the 15th-ranked Orange (6-5) visits Hobart (3-7) for a 7 p.m. showdown at Boswell Field. The match is the 98th meeting in a series that dates back to the first year of varsity lacrosse at Syracuse. The Statesmen are the Orange's oldest rival as Hobart was Syracuse's first-ever varsity opponent back on April 26, 1916.

Tuesday's game will be televised live in Central New York 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.

KRAUS-SIMMONS TROPHY ON THE LINE
The Kraus-Simmons trophy has been presented to the victor in this annual showdown every year since 1986. The trophy is named for legendary Orange head coach Roy Simmons Sr., who coached at SU from 1931-70 and won 253 career games, and Babe Kraus who compiled 208 victories at Hobart. Syracuse has won 24 of the 26 meetings since the trophy has been awarded, including 20 in a row from 1987 to 2005. The Statesmen gained possession of the trophy in 1986 and again in 2006, otherwise it has resided in Syracuse.

BIG WINNERS
For the second time in three outings, Syracuse will face one of the winningest programs in college lacrosse. The Orange squared off against Cornell on April 10, the seventh-winningest program in Division I history. Now it takes on Hobart, which is sixth on that prestigious list with 725 wins. Syracuse itself ranks second in all-time victories (827). The Orange and Statesmen have combined to win 1,552 games between them.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse put on its best offensive display of the season, routing Rutgers in the opening game of the ESPNU Warrior Classic, 19-6, on April 14. The Orange scored 12 straight goals in the first half to break the game open and didn't look back in defeating the Scarlet Knights. Twelve different players had at least one goal and 18 registered at least one point in the contest.

Senior Tommy Palasek (3g, 3a) led the offense, tying his career high with six points. Sophomore Derek Maltz notched a personal-best four goals, all in the opening quarter. Senior Bobby Eilers (2g, 2a) and sophomore Billy Ward (1g, 2a) also turned in career-best performances with four points and three points, respectively.

The Orange led 13-3 at the half and 19-4 before Rutgers scored two late goals to produce the final score.

SUPERCHARGED
The Orange's 19 goals Saturday against the Scarlet Knights marked a season high. Seventeen of the goals were assisted and Syracuse finished with 36 points in the contest (19 goals, 17 assists). The assist total was four short of the team record (21) set against Penn in 1985, and the Orange's most since it recorded 17 helpers against the Quakers during the 1995 season. Syracuse's 36 points was the squad's top scoring performance since it also finished with 36 points in the 2000 regular-season finale against Georgetown (24 goals, 12 assists).

X MARKS THE SPOT FOR MEGILL
Junior defenseman Brian Megill turned in a career-best 8-for-12 (.667) performance in his first extended action at the faceoff X in SU's 19-6 victory over Rutgers. Unfortunately, because Megill took the game's opening draw that ended his streak of 42 consecutive starts on close defense. On the bright side, Megill's showing at the X elevated him to third in the BIG EAST in faceoff winning percentage (.619, 13-21).

SCOUTING HOBART
The Statesmen recorded their first ECAC victory of the season with a 14-13 win against Bellarmine on April 14, ending a three-game losing streak. The victory raised the team's record to 3-7 and represented the Statesmen's first win since knocking off Canisius, 11-6, on March 20. Hobart is averaging 10.93 goals per game, but is on the wrong side of the scoring margin, allowing 12.92 goals per contest.

Attackman Alex Love's 27 goals are eight more than the next Statesman, Sam Miller, who has 19 tallies on the year. While Love is the finisher, Cam Stone is the feeder. Stone boasts a squad-best 23 assists. Both Love and Stone are tied for the team points lead with 32.

The Statesmen are winning 55.1 percent (151-274) of their faceoffs thanks primary to Bobby Dattilo. Dattilo leads in the NCAA with a .667 (116-174) faceoff winning percentage and his 61 ground balls are a team best.

Hobart's top goalie, Peter Zonino, has started the last nine games. Zonino's 14.8 saves per game leads the nation. He has 133 stops and a .532 save percentage. Jon Lawless started between the pipes in Hobart's season opener versus Siena, but hasn't played since.

THE SERIES
The Orange began its varsity lacrosse history with a 9-1 loss at home to Hobart on April 29, 1916. Since then, it has dominated the series thanks to some lengthy winning streaks and holds a 70-25-2 advantage in the rivalry. SU won 10 in a row against Hobart from 1930 to 1936, 11 straight from 1952 to 1963 and a series-best 19 in a row from 1987 to 2005. Hobart's 9-8 victory at the Carrier Dome in 2006 stopped the streak, but SU has rebounded to win the last five matchups, including last year's 13-7 Dome win.

UP NEXT ...
Syracuse returns to BIG EAST play when it hosts Georgetown at 3 p.m. in its regular-season home finale Saturday, April 21 at the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.

Syracuse University Athletics

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