Men's Lacrosse Prepares for In-State Battle with Albany

(2) SYRACUSE (7-1) vs. (9) ALBANY (7-1)
Game Details: Thursday, April 2 | 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
Albany Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse men's lacrosse team (7-1) returns to the Carrier Dome for a 7 p.m. Empire State matchup with No. 9 Albany (7-1) on Thursday, April 2.

The Orange is ranked No. 2 in the most recent national polls. Syracuse had its seven-game winning streak stopped at Notre Dame last weekend, losing to the Irish in double overtime, 13-12.

Albany owns the nation's highest scoring offense at 18.38 goals per game. The Great Danes have won six in a row, including a 25-0 shutout of UMass Lowell in their most recent outing.

HONORING LACROSSE LEGENDS
The Orange will celebrate its long connection with the Native American lacrosse community during halftime of Thursday's game. Syracuse will recognize former All-American goalie Oren Lyons, members of the 1957 Syracuse Orange, and members of the 1983 and 2014 Iroquois Nationals.

Lyons is this year's recipient of the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award. He helped lead the 1957 Syracuse team to a 10-0 season and a tie with Maryland for national runner-up honors behind collegiate champion Johns Hopkins. The 1957 Orange also featured Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who finished second in the nation in goals per game (4.3).

The 1983 Iroquois Nationals were the nation's first field lacrosse team. That group paved the way for the 2014 Iroquois team, which won the first world championship medal in team history last summer. Led by current SU stars Randy Staats and Warren Hill, and featuring a slew of former Syracuse All-Americans, the 2014 Iroquois side defeated Australia to capture the bronze medal.

EMO IS HUMMING
Syracuse ranks second nationally in man-up offense. The Orange boasts a 62.1 percent (18-29) success rate. Only Denver is better (.625).

The Orange has at least one man-up goal in every game but one, including a season-high five its 15-9 victory against Virginia on March 1. Syracuse is on pace to shatter the school record of 51.8 percent (43-83) efficiency set in 1989.

RICE AND GALASSO BOTH HIT 100
Both Kevin Rice and Nicky Galasso achieved milestones in the Orange's loss at Notre Dame March 28.

Rice dished out two assists to boost his total to 100 career helpers. He is the ninth SU player reach triple digits in assists and he did it in 50 games (2.0 assists per game).

Galasso tallied two goals and two assists versus the Irish to eclipse 100 career points. He has 101 points in 51 games, including his two seasons at North Carolina.

DONAHUE SCORES SEVEN AT ND
Dylan Donahue scored seven goals in the Orange's 13-12, double-overtime loss to the Irish, the most goals by an ACC player in one game this season.

Six of Donahue's goals were in the second half, including five during a 13-minute stretch to help Syracuse rally from a 9-3 deficit. The performance earned him ACC co-Offensive Player of the Week honors and was goal short of his career high (8 vs. Siena, 2014).

SCOUTING ALBANY
Albany features the nation's most explosive offense. The Great Danes lead the country in scoring (18.38 goals per game), points per game (30.75), assists per game (12.38) and ground balls per game (44.25). The Great Danes have scored at least 20 goals in each of their last four games.

The unit is led by star attackman Lyle Thompson, last year's co-Tewaaraton Award winner. Thompson leads the NCAA in points (6.63) and assists per game (3.75). Last week against Harvard, he tallied 12 points, including a school-record nine goals, in a 21-18 win. Fellow attackmen Connor Fields and Seth Oakes both rank in the top five nationally in goals per game Fields (30 goals) is second at 3.75 per contest. Oakes (20 goals) is fifth at 3.3 per game.

Midfielder John Maloney is a solid all-around threat. He has nine goals, 10 assists and 28 ground balls.

Defensively, the Great Danes boasts a 9.75 goals-against average that includes last week's shutout of Umass Lowell, Albany's first as a Division I program. Goalie Blaze Riorden has started every game. He has 85 saves and a .538 save percentage.

Head coach Scott Marr is in his 15th season. Under his direction, Albany has won six America East titles, including the 2014 crown. The Danes advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last season before losing to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame in overtime.

THE ALBANY SERIES
The Orange is 11-1 all-time against the Great Danes since the two schools began playing annually in 2004. Every game in the series has taken place at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse won the first 10 meetings before Albany notched its first series win, beating the Orange, 16-15, in two overtimes in 2013. Last year's game was another overtime affair with Syracuse coming out on top, 17-16. The Orange led 16-11 before the Great Danes rallied for five straight goals to tie it. Henry Schoonmaker notched the winner 28 seconds into the extra session.

The rivalry has been high-scoring. The Orange has reached double-digit goals in every game and is averaging 15.5 goals per contest in the series. Albany has scored at least 13 goals in eight of the 12 pairings.

UP NEXT
The Orange will head to North Carolina for a matchup with the Tar Heels on Saturday, April 11. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Fetzer Field.

Men's Lacrosse Prepares for In-State Battle with Albany

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dylan Donahue

Nicky Galasso

Warren Hill

Kevin Rice

Henry Schoonmaker

Randy Staats

Syracuse University Athletics