2013 Season Preview - Part I - Syracuse University Athletics

During the next two days, SUAthletics.com will preview the upcoming 2013 men's lacrosse season. Part I of the preview focuses on the attack and midfield.

For most programs a winning record, a conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament constitutes a successful season. While the Orange achieved all those things by going 9-8 overall, claiming the inaugural BIG EAST Tournament crown and playing Duke in the national tournament last year, there are those that wonder if Syracuse has the talent to reach its first Final Four since 2009. Orange head coach John Desko is not one of those people.

"I'm happy with this team's ability," Desko said. "I think we have some very good players and I see it every day in practice. We are athletic. We can dodge. We can shoot. We have certain players that play really well inside. Defensively, we have some good ability and we are more comfortable with our goalies this year."

Last season's SU squad featured upperclassmen without a ton of game experience. It also played many of its toughest opponents (Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Duke, etc.) on the road. The 2013 Orange benefitted from that challenge, and will face a more favorable schedule with the majority of its biggest games at home.

Syracuse brings back its top goal scorer in Derek Maltz, five of its top six midfielders from the end of last season, and its entire defense, save for short stick Kevin Drew. Another talented recruiting class and the addition of North Carolina star Nicky Galasso give Desko even more reason to be excited about the 2013 team's potential.

The Orange will take on five members of the preseason top 20 (Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Virginia and Princeton) this season with Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Virginia all visiting the Carrier Dome. The Notre Dame game is a neutral-site matchup as part of this year's Konica Minolta Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium. Overall, only four of the team's 14 regular-season games are true road games.

Should the Orange finish in the top four in the BIG EAST standings, it will have the opportunity to defend its league title. Villanova again hosts the BIG EAST Men's Lacrosse Championship with the winner receiving an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

It's a schedule that sets up well for senior captain Brian Megill and the rest of the Orange.

"We're going to come out and play Syracuse lacrosse," Megill said. "Basically, my big thing is to come out and give 110 percent every day in practice. It's my last semester. It's my last season. I'm going to lay it all out on the line and hopefully push my teammates to get better."

ATTACK
A preseason honorable mention All-American, junior captain Derek Maltz is the unquestioned leader of the Orange attack unit. The team's leading goal scorer with 28 tallies during his breakout sophomore campaign, Maltz is SU's only returning starter at the position. The Ashburn, Va. native is a crafty finisher and also showed his mid-range shooting ability last year as a member of the man-up unit.

Gone are last season's other two starting attackmen – Tim Desko and Tommy Palasek – and their combined 89 points. Likely stepping into the breach to fill Palasek's role as playmaker, is University of North Carolina transfer Nicky Galasso. The 2011 ACC Freshman of the Year, Galasso is a distributor as evidenced by his Tar Heel rookie record 32 assists, as well as a proven goal scorer (24 goals in 2011). A foot injury in the fall of 2011 limited his production (six goals, three assists) last season, however, UNC still utilized his lefty shot in extra-man situations.

Junior Billy Ward and sophomore Kevin Rice are the leading candidates to start alongside Maltz and Galasso. Both players saw game action last year, mainly as inverted midfielders. Ward totaled 12 points a year ago, including nine assists. Against Villanova and St. John's at the BIG EAST Championship, Ward scored a goal and passed out three assists to help SU win the league title. Rice had one goal and two assists last season.

Pushing those four for playing time is a large group led by Pat Powderly, Dylan Donahue, the youngest son of SU assistant coach Kevin Donahue, and Eric DeJohn. A junior, Powderly is in his third year in the SU system. Donahue (West Genesee) and DeJohn (Jamesville-DeWitt) played their high school lacrosse locally and redshirted last year.

Also in the mix are redshirt sophomore Kyle Henry and freshman Jeff Desko. Jeff is the latest Desko to wear Orange. The nephew of SU's head coach, he starred at St. John's-Shrewsbury in Massachusetts before coming to Syracuse.

MIDFIELD
The midfield may be the Orange's deepest position with five of last year's top six returning. Leading the way is two-time All-BIG EAST performer and senior JoJo Marasco. Marasco honed his skills on the Canadian box circuit over the summer after leading all SU middies in 2012 with 31 points. Marasco is the squad's most lethal dodger from up top. He recorded 19 assists last season by drawing the defense and passing to open teammates.

Redshirt sophomore Hakeem Lecky and senior Luke Cometti are candidates to join Marasco on SU's top line. Lecky (six goals, one assist) was a first-liner last year, starting all 17 games. He has one of the quickest first steps on the team and has the potential to put big numbers if he can improve his shooting accuracy. Cometti is a dangerous outside shooter who tallied 11 goals on the second line a year ago, including the game-winner in SU's one-goal victory against Army.

Redshirt senior Ryan Barber, redshirt sophomore Henry Schoonmaker, true sophomore Matt Walters and junior Scott Loy are among those competing for spots on the first and second midfield units. Barber (five goals, three assists) and Schoonmaker (six goals, one assist) were second-liners in 2012. Walters has perhaps the hardest shot on the team and worked his way onto the extra-man unit during the second half of last season because of his ability to stretch the defense. Loy came into his own last postseason, scoring two goals in SU's BIG EAST semifinal win at Villanova and adding two more tallies against Duke in the NCAA Tournament.

Senior Matt Pratt will challenge for playing time after seeing action as part of the midfield mix last season. Pratt may also take some runs as a defensive midfielder.

Redshirt freshmen Alex Hatem and Brenny Daly, and redshirt sophomore Chris Kane have all spent at least one season with the Orange learning the offense.

Rochester-area freshman Derek DeJoe has impressed the coaching staff this spring. DeJoe starred at Fairport High School and could contribute this spring.

True freshmen Joe Gillis, Paolo Ciferri and Sergio Salcido add depth to the group.

Visit SUAthletics.com Friday for more on the 2013 season. The second installment of this year's preview features an overview of the team's defensive midfield, close defense, faceoff specialists and goalies.

Syracuse University Athletics

2013 Season Preview - Part I

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