Syracuse, New York
Syracuse University

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Michael had been wanting to get to a Syracuse lacrosse game for quite a while, and finally the planets (and our schedule) aligned and we were able to head north to the Dome on a gray and wet Sunday afternoon. Stopped at Fleet Feet first, then parked on the hill and went through the stores on Marshall Street, before heading to Faegan's for lunch/dinner.

Seating was general admission for the game, so we finally settled on aisle seats on the 30 yard line across from the benches. As can be seen by the article below, the home team didn't disappoint! Home after the game.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The top-seeded Orange (15-1) defeated MAAC champion Siena (13-5) by the score of 10-4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, May 15 at the Carrier Dome. Junior Tommy Palasek led the Orange with five points, including a career-best four assists.

With the victory, the Orange improved to 9-2 in first-round NCAA games and advanced to the quarterfinal round for the 29th time. Syracuse will face Maryland on Sunday, May 22 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. The Terrapins advanced by beating eighth-seeded North Carolina, 13-6, earlier Sunday afternoon.

Tickets for the Gillette Stadium quarterfinals can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com.

In addition to Palasek’s five-point performance, the Orange received three goals from sophomore JoJo Marasco, two goals from junior Bobby Eilers and two goals and one assist from senior Josh Amidon against Siena.

Palasek had a hand in all four of Syracuse’s first-half goals. He assisted on scores by Amidon and Eilers in the first quarter to help Syracuse gain a 2-1 advantage after the initial 15 minutes.

Following an unassisted goal by Siena longstick Brendan Meehan early in the second quarter, Palasek found the cage unassisted at the 13:25 mark, then fed Marasco for a goal with 11:49 left in the second to give SU a 4-2 halftime lead.

The Orange netted the only two goals in the third quarter to extend its lead to 6-2, and eventually built an 8-2 advantage on goals by Marasco and senior Stephen Keogh early in the fourth period. Consecutive goals by Danny Martinsen and Kyle Curry pulled the Saints to within 8-4 with 6:55 to play. However, that’s as close as the visitors got.

Siena initially kept the game close thanks to a remarkable performance by goalie Tom Morr. The redshirt junior keeper totaled a season-high 19 saves, including 12 in the first half. Morr faced a barrage of shots as Syracuse outshot the Saints, 51-22, for the game and 31-12 in the opening half.

Offensively, Martinsen, Curry, Marquis Terrell and Meehan each had goals for the Saints.

Syracuse received another tremendous effort from its defense Sunday. The Orange blanked the Saints for 34:49 from early in the second quarter until 9:59 remained in the game. Syracuse scored six times during that time to take control of the contest.

Senior John Lade led the defensive charge, holding Siena leading scorer Bryan Neufeld without a point to snap his nation-leading 52-game point streak. In addition, senior Joel White collected five ground balls to tie Jarett Park’s school record of 278 career ground balls.

Senior John Galloway played almost 59 minutes in the contest to tie UMBC’s Jeremy Blevins for the most minutes played in NCAA history by a goaltender (3,712). Galloway registered seven saves versus the Saints to earn his 59th career victory.

Next weekend’s quarterfinal matchup with Maryland is Syracuse’s second postseason meeting with the Terps in the last three seasons. In the 2009 quarters, Syracuse knocked off Maryland, 11-6, at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. Syracuse is 6-8 all-time against Maryland, but holds the edge in NCAA Tournament pairings, 4-2.

Game Notes: Galloway has eight career NCAA Tournament victories, one shy of the school record shared by Jay Pfeifer, Rob Mulligan and Matt Palumb … With the victory, Syracuse improved to 23-2 in NCAA playoff games at the Carrier Dome … Syracuse also increased its all-time record when serving as the No. 1 seed to 18-3 … The Orange sported retro uniforms for the second game this year (the other being Virginia) … The team wore white nylon mesh jerseys and blue shorts against Siena, similar to the uniform combination worn by the squad in the early 2000s … SU also donned white helmets with blue visors that featured the interlocking “SU” logo from the same time period.

Total Mileage: 164 Miles

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Page Last Updated: May 19, 2011