Syracuse Postgame Quotes
Syracuse vs. Binghamton
March 22, 2008
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Coach John Desko
On playing the young teams:
“It gave them valuable minutes. Jovan [Miller] got out there and showed that he’s more comfortable in the game situation today. [Josh] Amidon was out there, [Max] Bartig got out there, Jack Harmatuk got out there, who hasn’t seen a lot of minutes so far. All the poles played, Joel White was out there once again with Tyler Hlawati. I thought Sean McGonigle did a good job today. I thought as a team we played well and did a better job of executing as the game went on. I’m relatively happy for where we are right now. Good game for Syracuse lacrosse today.”
On the quick turnaround with Hobart on Tuesday:
“There’s not a lot of time to prepare. We got through today healthy, which is a good thing. We have Sunday night, for an hour or two, to talk about Hobart. Then the Monday practice and we leave Tuesday afternoon for a game on Tuesday night. It’s a little different crowd there in Geneva, New York and we’re going to do all we can in the next 48 hours to prepare for the Statesmen.”
On what he was impressed with the defensive effort:
“I thought we played very good defense. The communication was pretty good. I thought the goalies play well; John [Galloway] did a nice job in the cage. There were some good things as far as outbreaks and passes to start some fast breaks. I thought all-in-all, it was a good effort.”
On what he saw out of Al Cavalieri:
“I thought Al got in it and was very comfortable in the goal. It was great to see that he got out there and got some game experience and performed well when he was tested.”
On Peter Coluccini’s injury:
“He hurt his hand mid week in practice.”
On the importance of patience when playing a slow-it-down team:
“Very important. We expected Binghamton to come in and really try to keep the ball at their end of the field, not really wanting to get into an up-and-down game. They did a good job early. We did a good job with some controlled pressure, getting on their bottom hand when they’re making passes, trying to force them to make a bad pass, and turn it into a fast-break going in the other direction. I think the guys did a pretty good job with that.”
On wanting to utilize the size advantage over Binghamton:
“I think we were physically bigger and wanted to overpower them a little. We wanted to put some pressure on their attackmen. Although the kids were pretty quick and had some opportunities coming from behind the cage.”
On having a large lead:
“It was good to have the lead, although I didn’t think it was enough lead at halftime, when it was 7-1. It was good to have the one where it was and just hold them to one goal in the second half. I thought the team did a better job executing. We were more relaxed as the game went on today.”
On the offensive play of the team:
“I think we did that early, with Danny Brennan showing what we could do on the faceoff during those possessions and not letting them get into their patient offense. As the game went on, we got better execution wise offensively and put a lot of pressure on. Our shots were backed up a little better than they have been the last few games, so we had a few more opportunities there.”
On Mike Leveille:
“Mike’s a senior now and has been a four-year starter. He’s one of the captains and an obvious leader of the team. He’s been with us all year long. When we’ve been down by a couple goals in big games, he’s come back and gotten us a big goal or an assist and keeping everybody involved. Like the attitude of the team, he’s played hard in every game that we’ve had and every practice too.”
Mike Leveille, Sr., A
On the team’s offensive play:
“I think the offense as a whole has changed. We all feel really comfortable in it and we’ve done a great job adapting to our new offenses. We’re just feeling comfortable and pretty good right now. We’ve all been working extremely hard and it just feels good that it’s paying off early in the season.”
On whether he has changed anything:
“I wouldn’t say so. Being that it’s my senior year, it’s my last chance here, so I’m trying to go out with a bang. Other than that, we’re just working hard. We have the chemistry on offense and chemistry on defense, and those are two key things.”
On whether getting used to playing each other last year has paid off for this year:
“We didn’t lose too much offensively. The new guys that came in are doing a great job. I think we all feel pretty comfortable with each other and it’s been showing so far.”
“We didn’t lose too much offensively. The new guys that came in are doing a great job. I think we all feel pretty comfortable with each other and it’s been showing so far.”
On what it is like to blow a team out after the close games:
“Overtime games are a little stressful, but they’re good experiences for early in the season. Today, I thought we did a good job even when we had the lead, we continued to play hard, play our style, and stick to what’s been making us successful so far. We have a huge game Tuesday night, so we didn’t want to come out and let up or lose our momentum and I think that’s going to help us for Tuesday.”
Evan Brady, Sr., D
On what the team can improve on:
“Everything. Running the offense to Coach Desko’s standards and playing defense to shut teams down to keep two scores on the board.”
On how to prepare for Hobart on Tuesday night:
“You don’t need anything to get up for that game, especially playing up there. There’s a long tradition with the Kraus-Simmons Trophy and we’re trying to keep it here in Syracuse.”
On the stress of playing a close game versus a blow-out:
“We’re definitely less nervous and not as tired. It was also really good to get some of the young guys in. They work just as hard as the rest of the guys that do get the minutes and it’s good for the families and the fans to work that hard.”
On characterizing the team’s defense at this point in the season:
“I don’t really know how you put a number on it. I think we’re definitely coming together and that’s the most important thing – team defense. So if someone goes down, someone can fill the role and just everyone having each other’s back.”
On Binghamton’s offensive play during the first quarter:
“I think they were trying to get their offensive sets. It’s tough to play behind if you’re trying to slow the ball down, so I don’t know if they knew exactly what their game plan was at that point.”
John Galloway, Fr., G
On the road game at Hobart:
“From what I hear, it’s tough. I hear the fans are tough out there, I hear they’re pretty cruel. We’re excited about it. I think the weather’s going to be kind of chilly so we’re going to have to adjust. To play a team like Hobart, that’s a big rivalry for us with the Kraus-Simmons trophy. That’s a game that so many great players have played in. We’re just excited to get out there. They’re a good team, they took Georgetown to overtime last week and had a close one with Rutgers. They’re going to be a good team, they always get pumped up to play us and their students always come. If we get out there and start a little quicker than we did today, I think we’ll be alright.”
On the team’s defensive play:
“I think our defense played great for me. I didn’t really have to do much, I just made the saves I needed to make. My defense played as good as they did, giving only outside shots, and it was an easy job for me today and I just want to give all the credit to the defense.”
On how to they stayed focused when Binghamton was trying to score:
“You just have to stay confidence in situations like that. They’re always going to try to look for a shot. Binghamton’s a great team, they’re a great defensive team and they have a couple scrappy offensive players. Just being able to play calm and keep it in ourselves, I think that’s what we did. We only allowed one goal in a couple of quarters. I think overall our defense played great.”
