Men's Lacrosse Starts 95th Season Monday

#1 Syracuse (0-0) vs. Siena (0-0)
Details	Monday, February 10 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: TWCS \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM (Syracuse) CuseTV: Watch \| Listen \| Live Stats Twitter: @Cuse, @SUMensLax
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes \| Guide
Siena Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The No. 1-ranked Orange (0-0) hosts Siena (0-0) on Monday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. inside the Carrier Dome in the season opener for both teams. The game will be televised live in Central New York on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. Mark Larson and Dale Drypolcher have the call.

Tickets are available online at Cuse.com, over the phone (1-888-DOMETIX), or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office during normal business hours. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 12 and under. 'Cuse Kids Club members get in free with their membership card and students are admitted free with valid ID. Parking is $15.

Syracuse tied the school record for wins, going 16-4 in 2013 and advancing to the NCAA title game for the 17th time. The Saints were 8-9 a year ago and reached the championship game of the MAAC Tournament.

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
SU owns an all-time record of 75-19 (.798) in season-opening games. It is 34-10 in campaign starters since 1970 and has won 14 out of 15 under head coach John Desko. The Orange lost to Albany (16-15) in last year's season opener, snapping the team's 16-year winning streak in campaign starters.

FAST FEBRUARY STARTS
Syracuse is 19-3 all-time in the month of February, including a 17-3 record under head coach John Desko. Army (2007), Virginia (2009) and Albany (2013) are the only teams to beat SU in February. SU's first February encounter was a thrilling 22-21 victory on Feb. 28, 1997 against Virginia. Casey Powell led the Orange with a school-record 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in that contest.

EARLY BIRDS
Monday's game against Siena is the earliest season opener in school history by five days. Previously, the earliest season opener occurred on Feb. 15, 2009 when SU routed Providence at the Dome, 22-3.

OFFENSE LOCKED 'N' LOADED
The Orange brings back eight of its top 10 point producers from last season. Overall, SU returns 69.1 percent of its total goals from a year ago (159-230). The leading returning goal-scorer is senior captain Derek Maltz (32). The Orange features four players who notched at least 20 goals in 2013. Maltz, Dylan Donahue (27), Kevin Rice (23) and Scott Loy (20) all reached that plateau last year. Plus, SU returns 64.6 percent of its points (243-376), led by Rice's 55 (23 goals, 32 assists).

HARRIS WREAKS HAVOC
Senior defender Matt Harris is tied for third at Syracuse with 47 career caused turnovers since the NCAA began tracking the stat in 2010. Harris led the Orange with 29 forced turnovers in 2013, the fourth-best, single-season total in program history.

SCOUTING SIENA
The Saints bring back nine of their 10 top scorers and they were picked to win the MAAC in a preseason vote by the league's head coaches. Junior midfielder Conor Prunty paced Siena in 2013 with 50 points on 31 goals and 19 assists. Classmate Nate Barry registered a team-best 20 assists a year ago and senior Colin Clive had 33 goals.

Siena ranked third in the nation in man-up offense in 2013 with a 46.3 success rate (25-54). Barry led the way with six extra-man goals.

Defensively, the Saints must replace goaltender Matt Sharp (203 saves). Tommy Cordts has the most experience in the cage. He played in two games last year and registered 17 saves.

Head coach John Svec is in his third year at Siena. He is 19-14 overall and has guided the Saints to the MAAC title game each of his first two years.

THE SIENA SERIES
SU leads the all-time series with Siena, 2-0. Both previous pairings occurred in the postseason. The Orange topped the Saints, 11-4, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Championship and 10-4 in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Championship.

UP NEXT
The Orange continues its three-game homestand on Sunday, Feb. 16 when it welcomes Albany to the Carrier Dome. Faceoff is slated for 4 p.m. and the match will be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

Syracuse University Athletics

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