From press release
The Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team (2-1, 0-1 ACC) ventures to Charlottesville, Va., for its first road test of the season against the fourth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (5-0, 0-0 ACC) Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. under the lights at Klöckner Stadium.
For the first time in series history, the matchup is a conference game as Syracuse is a newly-minted member of the ACC.
ESPN3 will air the game live. Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich and Paul Carcaterra have the call. ESPNU will show the game on a tape-delayed basis. It’s scheduled to air on the network Sunday, March 2 at 9 a.m.
DOUBLE DIP WITH SU-UVA MEN’S BASKETBALL
The lacrosse game is the second half of a ‘Cuse-Cavs doubleheader. The Orange men’s basketball team is also in town and plays Virginia Saturday at 4 p.m. inside John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia (24-5, 15-1 ACC) and Syracuse (26-2, 13-2 ACC) rank one and two in the ACC basketball standings.
THE COACHES
SU head coach John Desko and Virginia head coach Dom Starsia are two of the top active coaches in the game. The two legends have combined for 542 career wins. Starsia is the active leader with 353 career victories. He is 353-130 overall. Desko is ninth among active Division I coaches with 189 victories. Overall, Desko is 189-59.
Desko’s .762 winning percentage is first among active Division I coaches. Starsia ranks third on that list with a .731 winning percentage. In addition, Desko and Starsia are two of the four active Division I coaches to win least three NCAA titles. The pair have combined for nine national championships overall (Desko – 5, Starsia – 4). In head-to-head meetings, Starsia holds a 10-9 edge versus Desko.
WIN AGAINST VIRGINIA WOULD …
… Be the program’s 849th victory, second all-time behind Johns Hopkins (936).
… Improve SU’s record to 88-21 since the start of the 2008 season.
… Be John Desko’s 190th career coaching win.
… Be SU’s first win at Klöckner Stadium since 2004, ending UVa’s three-game home winning streak in the series.
… Make Syracuse 9-2 in its last 11 games against top-10 opponents.
… Mark the Orange’s first win as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
… Even Desko’s career coaching record against Virginia at 10-10.
DYNAMIC DUO
After putting up 27 goals and 41 points as a rookie, redshirt sophomore Dylan Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.) already has 12 goals and 17 points this season. He ranks second in the NCAA in shooting percentage (.667, 12-18), fourth in goals per game (4.0) and seventh in points per game (5.67). Donahue’s running mate has been Kevin Rice (Skaneateles, N.Y.) who has two goals and 11 assists. Rice leads the ACC and is fourth nationally in assists per game (3.67). Donahue (5.67 ppg – 1st) and Rice (4.33 ppg – 6th) are the only set of teammates that rank in the top six in the ACC in points per game.
TIME SHARE
Senior Dominic Lamolinara (Arnold, Md.) and junior Bobby Wardwell (Clifton Park, N.Y.) are splitting time in the cage this year: The two have combined for 14.33 saves per game, and overall SU leads the ACC and ranks fifth in the NCAA in saves per game (14.67). Lamolinara (83:37, 21 saves, .448 save pct.) has started all three games and is 1-1. Wardwell (90:37, 22 saves, .579 save pct.) is 1-0 and made seven saves in the fourth quarter to help the Orange defeat Albany in overtime on Feb. 16.
ABOUT VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers have been living dangerously this season with three of their five wins coming by one goal, including a thrilling 14-13 victory against Loyola in their season opener.
Attackmen Mark Cockerton (18 goals) and James Pannell (15 goals) have done most of the damage, combining for 33 of the team’s 71 goals. Cockerton also has six assists for a team-best 24 points. Rob Emery (six goals, three assists) and Greg Coholan (five goals, six assists) are threats in the midfield.
Scott McWilliams, Tanner Scales and Greg Danseglio make up Virginia’s close defense. McWilliams is second on the team with seven caused turnovers. Scales (16 ground balls, eight caused turnovers) was the 2013 ACC Rookie of the Year. Danseglio (22 ground balls, four caused turnovers) is a threat in transition with three assists this season. Rookie goaltender Matt Barrett has 49 saves and was tabbed the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after a 16-save performance against Drexel on Feb. 16.
THE SYRACUSE-VIRGINIA SERIES
In a remarkably competitive series, Virginia holds a 15-14 advantage all-time against the Orange. Virginia has scored two more goals than the Orange (377-375) in the 29 series meetings. Twelve games have been decided by one goal, including five of the last seven, and six meetings have been settled in overtime.
The Cavaliers have won eight of the last 11 pairings, including seven of the last nine regular-season contests. In March 2011, Syracuse emerged with a 12-10 victory at the Carrier Dome, its first regular-season win against the Cavaliers since 2004. Last year, the Orange topped the Cavs again at the Dome, winning 9-8 in overtime on a goal by Kevin Rice (Skaneateles, N.Y.).
UP NEXT …
Syracuse heads to Kennesaw, Ga., outside Atlanta for a neutral-site contest against old BIG EAST foe St. John’s in the Cobb County Lacrosse Classic. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, March 8 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
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Posted In: College lacrosse
