Orange Opens 2013 Campaign Sunday

Syracuse at Jacksonville
Game Details	Sunday, January 13 \| Jacksonville, Fla. \| 7 p.m.
Game Coverage	Video \| Audio Twitter: @cuse
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Jacksonville Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

Syracuse begins its quest for the school's first national championship on Sunday, Jan. 13 when it plays at Jacksonville. The opening draw is set for 7 p.m. It will mark the Orange's earliest season opener since the program began in 1998.

The Orange is ranked No. 1 in the 2013 Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook preseason poll. Sixth-year head coach Gary Gait led Syracuse to its most successful season in program history in 2012. The Orange won a school-record 19 games and went undefeated in BIG EAST play for the second time in school history. Syracuse won a program-best 15 consecutive games and climbed as high as No. 2 in the national polls. The Orange advanced to the national semifinals for the third time in five years where it came back from a seven-goal deficit to defeat No. 1 Florida in double overtime. SU's historic season came to an end in an 8-6 setback against Northwestern in the national championship game.

Syracuse returns five of its top six scorers from last season, including junior Alyssa Murray and senior Michelle Tumolo. Murray led the nation in points (105) and goals (74) in 2012, while Tumolo finished sixth in the country in points (95) and 10th in assists (43). Both players earned first-team All-America honors. In addition, junior Katie Webster posted career highs in points (53), goals (38) and assists (15) last season and was named a third-team All-American.

The Orange returns several key players from last year's defensive unit that held its opponents to less than 10 goals in 13 games. Senior Becca Block anchors the group. The 2012 first-team All-American led the squad with 34 ground balls and was second with 14 caused turnovers. Junior Alyssa Costantino started every game in goal in 2012 for the Orange and posted an 8.36 goals-against average (GAA) and .494 save percentage. She was an All-Northeast Region First Team and All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree.

The Orange's recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Inside Lacrosse. Erica Bodt, Kelly Cross, Kayla Treanor and Caroline Webster were Under Armour All-Americans and were ranked among the top 20 incoming freshmen by the magazine

Syracuse has an all-time record of 9-5 in season openers. SU is undefeated in its first game of the year since Coach Gait took over the helm of the program. Sunday's game marks the first time the Orange has opened the season on the road since 2007.

Syracuse University Athletics

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