Orange Hosts Cavs in ACC Opener

(2) SYRACUSE (3-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. (5) VIRGINIA (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
Game Details: Sunday, March 1 | 12 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Links: Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Television: ESPNU
Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM (Syracuse)
Twitter: @CuseMLAX | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
Virginia Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 2 Syracuse wraps up a four-game homestand on Sunday, March 1 when it hosts No. 5 Virginia at the Carrier Dome in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Faceoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on ESPNU.

Both sides are 3-0. The Orange is coming off a 12-9 home victory against Army. The Cavaliers topped Rutgers on the road last weekend, 14-5.

Gates will open 90 minutes before game time and fans are encouraged to arrive early for this highly-anticipated matchup of top-five teams.

COACHING STAR POWER
SU head coach John Desko and Virginia head coach Dom Starsia have combined for 562 career wins. Starsia is the active leader with 361 career victories. He is 361-136 overall. Desko is ninth among active Division I coaches with 201 victories. Overall, Desko is 201-63. Desko's .761 winning percentage is first among active Division I coaches. Starsia ranks third on that list with a .726 winning percentage.

Desko and Starsia are two of the three active Division I coaches to win least four NCAA titles (Denver's Bill Tierney is the other). The pair have combined for nine national championships overall (Desko - 5, Starsia - 4). In head-to-head meetings, Starsia holds an 11-9 edge versus Desko.

Both men recently achieved personal coaching milestones. Desko picked up his 200th career win in the Orange's 14-6 victory versus Cornell on Feb. 15. Starsia coached his 350th game at Virginia last weekend against Rutgers.

HOT SHOTS
Syracuse ranks third nationally with a .382 shooting percentage (47-123). Four players who have attempted at least 10 shots — Dylan Donahue (.550), Randy Staats (.462), Hakeem Lecky (.427) and Nicky Galasso (.500) — are connecting on at least 40 percent of their attempts.

Shooting percentage is a statistical category that has improved dramatically the last three years with assistant coach Kevin Donahue taking a larger role in coordinating the offense:

2012 – 28.5% (33rd in NCAA)
2013 – 31.0% (10th in NCAA)
2014 – 35.3% (6th in NCAA)
2015 – 38.2% (3rd in NCAA)

LEAD DOGS
Syracuse has trailed for only 1:17 out of a possible 180 minutes this season. The Orange fell behind Army 6-5 early in the third quarter. It's the only time in three games SU has been behind.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA
Virginia brings a 3-0 record into Sunday's game at the Carrier Dome. The Cavaliers have wins against Loyola, Drexel and Rutgers.

Virginia is one of the most accurate shooting teams in the country. The Cavaliers rank ninth nationally in team shooting percentage (.357). Greg Coholan is tied for fifth in the NCAA at 66.7 percent shooting. He has converted on eight of his 12 attempts.

Coholan and fellow midfielder Zed Williams are tied for the team lead with eight goals apiece. Williams is the team's top point producer with 12 (8 goals, 4 assists).

Virginia is without starting defenseman Tanner Scales. Davi Sacco, a Jamesville-DeWitt High School product, has started three games in his absence and teams with Scott Hooper and Logan Greco on close defense. Goalie Matt Barrett has 33 saves and a .550 season save percentage. Barrett made 12 saves in UVa's victory at Rutgers last weekend.

THE VIRGINIA SERIES
In a remarkably competitive series, Virginia holds a 16-14 advantage all-time against the Orange. Virginia has scored seven more goals than SU (394-387) in the 30 series meetings. Twelve games have been decided by one goal, including five of the last eight, and six meetings have been settled in overtime.

The home team has won each of the last five pairings. The last time the road team won a game in the series was 2009 when the Cavaliers beat the Orange at the Dome, 13-12.

The Orange and Cavaliers initiated the current regular-season series in 1995. Prior to that, the teams had met just four times, including the first pairing in 1938 that was won by SU, 13-4.

UP NEXT
Syracuse ventures away from the Carrier Dome for the first time. The Orange travels to Kennesaw, Ga. on Saturday, March 7 for a non-conference tilt with St. John's in the Cobb County Classic.

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Players Mentioned

Dylan Donahue

Nicky Galasso

Hakeem Lecky

Randy Staats

Syracuse University Athletics