5 Things to Know: 'Cuse at Stony Brook

Syracuse hits the road for the second-straight week, traveling to Stony Brook on Sunday for the Orange's first ever road game vs. the Seawolves. Here are five things to know about the matchup.

1. New York State of Mind
Last season's matchup between the Orange and Seawolves was the first time the two in-state programs had faced each other. There are 17 NCAA Division I lacrosse programs in New York State – the most of any state – and last season's matchup marked the 14th different opponent (among current NCAA DI programs in the state) from the Empire State.

'Cuse has yet to face Manhattan, Wagner and St. Bonaventure (which is in just its fourth season as a program).

2. Not Their First Trip Out on the Island
While Syracuse is playing its first road game against the Seawolves in program history, its certainly not the team's first trip to Long Island, or even Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

The Orange played Johns Hopkins at LaValle Stadium (Stony Brook's stadium and the site of Saturday's game) in the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinal. SU emerged victorious, 13-12, and punched its ticket to Championship Weekend, before eventually losing to Virginia in the semifinal round.

3. Pinch and Phaup
Jakob Phaup has been one of the most consistent and best faceoff men in the country again this season. He enters Saturday's game winning 60-percent of his faceoffs, which ranks 13th nationally, and is second in the country in ground balls per game (9.3).

4. Entering ACC Play
After Saturday's game, five of the Orange's remaining seven contests will be against conference opponents, beginning next Saturday (March 26) against Duke.

While the non-conference results to date are not up to what the Orange aspire to, history is on their side when it comes to crucial ACC contests. Since SU joined the conference for the 2013-14 academic year, SU boasts the second-best record in conference play among five perennial national title contenders. At 18-14, the Orange are one win behind Duke (19-12) in conference play. Notre Dame (16-15), North Carolina (16-16) and two-time defending NCAA Champion Virginia (10-23) make up the remaining records in league play over that time.

5. State Champs
This is Syracuse's third-of-five games against in-state competition this season. The Orange still have Albany and Cornell on the schedule, having already faced Army and Hobart. 'Cuse has historically dominated New York State, holding a 419-162-10 record all-time against in-state competition.

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jakob Phaup

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