VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Syracuse
(5-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) looks to remain unbeaten in BIG EAST Conference play when it
visits Villanova for a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday, March 23 at Villanova
Stadium. The Orange has won five in a row, including an 18-9 dismantling of
Providence on Tuesday in its first mid-week game of the year. The Wildcats are
1-5 overall. Villanova's only win of 2013 so far is a 14-9 triumph over Delaware
on March 2. Saturday's game is the Wildcats' conference opener.
Tickets and live video are available at Villanova.com. Fans can hear the action live on ESPN Radio 97.7 in Syracuse. Live streaming audio can be found on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.
ORANGE STREAKING
Syracuse is currently riding a five-game winning
streak, the team's longest since it won six games in a row during the second
half of the 2011 campaign. The Orange has allowed double-digit goals just once
during the streak (11 vs. St. John's on March 9), and the stretch includes
top-10 wins over powerhouses Virginia and Johns Hopkins.
The Orange's five straight victories is the third-longest active winning streak in the country behind top-ranked Maryland and Bucknell who have both won their last six games.
OFFENSE EXPLODES AT PROVIDENCE
Syracuse turned in its best offensive performance of the season in an 18-9 victory at Providence on March 19. The Orange set seasons highs in goals (18), goals in a half (11 - first), assists (14), points (32) and shooting percentage (.486, 18-37). SU's 18 goals were its most since it scored 19 last year versus Rutgers.
LAMOLINARA MAKES THE MOST OF FIRST START
Junior goalie Dominic Lamolinara (Arnold, Md.) made his first start of 2013 in SU's 18-9 win at Providence on March 19. Lamolinara allowed an early goal then shut the Friars down, giving up just one more goal in the first half as the Orange built an 11-2 halftime advantage. He finished the night by tying his career high with 11 saves in a little more than 48 minutes while allowing just five goals.
For the season, Lamolinara is 2-0 with 16 saves, a 5.36 goals-against average and a .696 save percentage.
MR. ACCURACY
Redshirt freshman Dylan Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.) leads Syracuse with a .571 shooting percentage (min. 5 shots). Donahue scored on his first five shots before eventually missing in SU's fourth game of the year (vs. St. John's on March 9) For the season, Donahue has eight goals on 14 shots. More than that, Donahue has failed to hit the cage just once as 13 of his 14 shots have been on goal.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Villanova has lost five of its six games in 2013, but that doesn't tell the whole story. All five of the Wildcats' losses have come against ranked teams, including a 10-7 defeat to No. 1 Maryland in their last outing.
Jack Rice (12 goals) and Max Hart (10 goals) lead a Villanova offense that is averaging 10 goals a game. Much like Syracuse the Wildcats get most of their offensive production by committee as 15 players have at least one goal this season. Nick Doherty and Kevin O'Neil top the Villanova assists chart with five apiece.
Defensively, John LoCascio is one of the most disruptive players in the country. LoCascio leads the NCAA in caused turnovers per game (4.2) and he ranks second on the team with 27 ground balls. In addition, Christopher Conroy (10 ground balls, seven caused turnovers) and Chris Piccirilli (11 ground balls, five caused turnovers) are veteran defenders for head coach Mike Corrado's club.
Three goalies have seen action for the Wildcats this season. Freshman Greg Stamatov has played the most, starting five games. Stamatov has 39 saves and a 12.73 goals-against average. However, it was sophomore Reed Carlson (10 saves, 10.0 GAA) that received the starting nod last week versus Maryland.
SU will once again contend with one of the top faceoff specialists in the nation. Preseason All-BIG EAST performer Thomas Croonquist is 79-for-144 (.549) and ranks 12th nationally in ground balls per game (7.0).
THE SERIES
Syracuse is 5-1 all-time against the Wildcats. The Orange has outscored Villanova 90-41 in the six games. Syracuse won the first four games in the series before Villanova broke through in 2012, knocking off the Orange, 11-10, at the Carrier Dome. The Orange owns a 3-0 series advantage in road games against the Wildcats, including a 15-6 win in last year's BIG EAST Championship semifinals.
UP NEXT ...
Syracuse steps out of conference to host Canisius on Friday, March 29 at the Carrier Dome. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel.
Tickets and live video are available at Villanova.com. Fans can hear the action live on ESPN Radio 97.7 in Syracuse. Live streaming audio can be found on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.
ORANGE STREAKING
The Orange's five straight victories is the third-longest active winning streak in the country behind top-ranked Maryland and Bucknell who have both won their last six games.
OFFENSE EXPLODES AT PROVIDENCE
Syracuse turned in its best offensive performance of the season in an 18-9 victory at Providence on March 19. The Orange set seasons highs in goals (18), goals in a half (11 - first), assists (14), points (32) and shooting percentage (.486, 18-37). SU's 18 goals were its most since it scored 19 last year versus Rutgers.
LAMOLINARA MAKES THE MOST OF FIRST START
Junior goalie Dominic Lamolinara (Arnold, Md.) made his first start of 2013 in SU's 18-9 win at Providence on March 19. Lamolinara allowed an early goal then shut the Friars down, giving up just one more goal in the first half as the Orange built an 11-2 halftime advantage. He finished the night by tying his career high with 11 saves in a little more than 48 minutes while allowing just five goals.
For the season, Lamolinara is 2-0 with 16 saves, a 5.36 goals-against average and a .696 save percentage.
MR. ACCURACY
Redshirt freshman Dylan Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.) leads Syracuse with a .571 shooting percentage (min. 5 shots). Donahue scored on his first five shots before eventually missing in SU's fourth game of the year (vs. St. John's on March 9) For the season, Donahue has eight goals on 14 shots. More than that, Donahue has failed to hit the cage just once as 13 of his 14 shots have been on goal.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Villanova has lost five of its six games in 2013, but that doesn't tell the whole story. All five of the Wildcats' losses have come against ranked teams, including a 10-7 defeat to No. 1 Maryland in their last outing.
Jack Rice (12 goals) and Max Hart (10 goals) lead a Villanova offense that is averaging 10 goals a game. Much like Syracuse the Wildcats get most of their offensive production by committee as 15 players have at least one goal this season. Nick Doherty and Kevin O'Neil top the Villanova assists chart with five apiece.
Defensively, John LoCascio is one of the most disruptive players in the country. LoCascio leads the NCAA in caused turnovers per game (4.2) and he ranks second on the team with 27 ground balls. In addition, Christopher Conroy (10 ground balls, seven caused turnovers) and Chris Piccirilli (11 ground balls, five caused turnovers) are veteran defenders for head coach Mike Corrado's club.
Three goalies have seen action for the Wildcats this season. Freshman Greg Stamatov has played the most, starting five games. Stamatov has 39 saves and a 12.73 goals-against average. However, it was sophomore Reed Carlson (10 saves, 10.0 GAA) that received the starting nod last week versus Maryland.
SU will once again contend with one of the top faceoff specialists in the nation. Preseason All-BIG EAST performer Thomas Croonquist is 79-for-144 (.549) and ranks 12th nationally in ground balls per game (7.0).
THE SERIES
Syracuse is 5-1 all-time against the Wildcats. The Orange has outscored Villanova 90-41 in the six games. Syracuse won the first four games in the series before Villanova broke through in 2012, knocking off the Orange, 11-10, at the Carrier Dome. The Orange owns a 3-0 series advantage in road games against the Wildcats, including a 15-6 win in last year's BIG EAST Championship semifinals.
UP NEXT ...
Syracuse steps out of conference to host Canisius on Friday, March 29 at the Carrier Dome. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel.
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