'Cuse, Army Renew Lacrosse Rivalry

(2) SYRACUSE (2-0) vs. (11) ARMY (3-0)
Game Details: Sunday, February 22 | 7 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Links: Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Television: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel
Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM (Syracuse)
Twitter: @CuseMLAX | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
Army Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After a one-year hiatus, No. 2 Syracuse (2-0) renews its rivalry with Army (3-0) when the 11th-ranked Black Knights invade the Carrier Dome for a 7 p.m. contest on Sunday, Feb. 22. The matchup marks the first time since 2009 that both sides come into the game undefeated. In 2009, the Orange and Black Knights were each coming off season-opening wins.

Syracuse is 2-0 on the year following a 14-6 dismantling of No. 10 Cornell last weekend. Army holds a 3-0 record and has dominated its last two opponents. The Black Knights beat VMI, 24-3, on Feb. 9 and Jacksonville, 20-4, on Feb. 15.

LACROSSE ROYALTY
Syracuse and Army are two of the five winningest programs in Division I college lacrosse. The Orange and Black Knights have combined to win 1,611 games. Syracuse is second all-time with 859 victories. Army's 752 wins ranks fifth all-time.

STRONG STARTS
The 2015 campaign marks the second straight year and seventh time in the last eight seasons the Orange has opened with back-to-back victories. The Orange's last 3-0 start to a season was in 2011 when SU opened the year with nine straight victories.

Since John Desko became head coach in 1999, Syracuse has started 3-0 six times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011).

BALANCE IS THE KEY
Through two games, 13 Syracuse players have at least one goal and 16 have at least one point. Nine players have scored two or more goals, but no one has more than Dylan Donahue's six. Five of the Orange's top six offensive players (Donahue, Kevin Rice, Hakeem Lecky, Nicky Galasso, Randy Staats) have at least four goals. Those five players each have at least seven points. Donahue and Rice lead the team with nine points apiece.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Syracuse ranks third in the country in assists per game (12.0). Yale and Denver lead the country with 13 assists per contest.

Overall, 68.6 percent of SU's goals this season have been assisted. The Orange has 24 assists on 35 goals. Against Cornell, Syracuse was even better, recording assists on 10 of its 14 tallies (.714).

Kevin Rice and Hakeem Lecky both rank in top 25 nationally in assists per game. Rice is 12th (2.5 apg) and Lecky is 21st (2.0 apg).

SCOUTING ARMY
Army is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2007. The Black Knights rank in the top five nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Army is second in the country, averaging 18.67 goals per game. It's fourth in scoring defense (4.67 gpg).

The one-two punch of attackmen Cole Johnson and John Glesener fuels the Army offense. Johnson leads the Black Knights with 11 goals and ranks 12th in the country with 3.67 goals per contest. Glesener was the fifth pick in this year's MLL Draft. He has 11 points in three games, including a team-best five assists.

Goalie Sam Somers is third in the NCAA with a 4.86 goals-against average. Somers has 16 saves on the year. He recorded a career-high 18 stops against Syracuse in 2013.

Head coach Joe Alberici owns a 92-75 career record, including an 84-69 mark with the Black Knights. He was named the 2014 Patriot League Coach of the Year after guiding the Black Knights to a 9-5 season, including a 7-1 record in conference.

THE ARMY SERIES
The Black Knights lead the all-time series, 39-22. Army dominated the rivalry's early years, but has beaten the Orange just four times since 1980. One of those was in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, which was just the Orange's second postseason loss ever at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse has won 17 of the last 19 meetings dating back to 1984, including a 6-2 regular-season victory the last time the two teams played in 2013.

The Orange is 16-12 against Army in games played in Syracuse. The last 11 games of the series have been contested in the Carrier Dome and SU is 9-2 in those contests.

UP NEXT
Syracuse opens ACC play Sunday, March 1 with a noon showdown against Virginia on ESPNU.

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Players Mentioned

Dylan Donahue

Nicky Galasso

Hakeem Lecky

Kevin Rice

Randy Staats

Syracuse University Athletics