CHESTER, Pa. -- Syracuse puts its
two-game winning streak on the line Saturday, March 9 when it takes on St.
John's in the inaugural Whitman's Sampler Independence Classic at 12 p.m. at PPL
Park. The game is the BIG EAST opener for both teams. The Orange is 2-1 after
beating Army and Virginia in succession. St. John's owns a 3-1 record. All three
Red Storm victories have been by a goal, including a 12-11 triumph agains Siena
in its last outing.
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE CLASSIC
This is the first year of the Whitman's Sampler
Independence Classic, one of the many regular-season events organized by Inside
Lacrosse. It features three games. St. John's and Syracuse starts things off
followed by Penn-Villanova at 2:30 p.m. and Penn State-Lehigh at 5
p.m.
The Independence Classic is the third Inside Lacrosse event Syracuse has participated in since the magazine began putting them on in 2007. The Orange has also taken part in the Face-Off Classic (2007-08, 2011) and Big City Classic (2009-present). SU faces Notre Dame in this year's Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium on April 27.
BIG EAST BEASTS
The Orange is 15-3 in BIG EAST regular-season play since the formation of the league in 2010. Syracuse was victorious in its first 14 league regular-season games. Villanova ended the streak, handing the Orange its first BIG EAST defeat on March 25, 2012 at the Carrier Dome, 11-10.
The Orange went 6-0 in league play in both 2010 and 2011 to win the BIG EAST regular-season championship (there was no conference tournament). Syracuse claimed the inaugural BIG EAST Tournament crown in 2012.
DEFENSE RULES
The Orange has turned in consecutive stellar defensive performances versus Army on Feb. 24 and Virginia on March 1. Consider:
Army
• SU held the Black Knights scoreless for 21:45 to start the game and shut them out for the game's final 33:53 (including the entire second half).
• Army's two goals were tied for the fewest by an opposing team at the Carrier Dome (Binghamton, 2008).
• Army attempted just 25 shots.
• The Orange held Army star attackman Garrett Thul without a point, ending his 42-game goal scoring streak which had been the longest in the nation.
Virginia
• Held the Cavaliers to eight goals which was 7.5 goals less than their average (15.5) coming into the game.
• Limited Virginia to six even-strength goals.
• Shut out the Cavaliers in the third quarter. The only quarter this season in which they haven't scored.
• Held UVa attackman Nick O'Reilly scoreless. O'Reilly entered the game averaging 4.8 points per contest.
BALANCE IS THE KEY
Thirteen different players have combined to score Syracuse's 30 goals. Senior JoJo Marasco (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and redshirt freshman Dylan Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.) lead the way with five apiece. Senior Luke Cometti (Syracuse, N.Y.) is next with four tallies. That balance has been a theme in each game this season. Below is a breakdown of the number of SU goal scorers by game so far in 2013:
Opponent - Goals (No. of scorers)
Albany - 15 (10)
Army - 6 (6)
Virginia - 9 (8)
FIRST MIDFIELD PRODUCING
Marasco, Cometti and junior Scott Loy (Toledo, Ohio) have combined for 11 goals and eight assists so far in 2013. Those raw numbers translate to 36.7 percent (11-30) of the team's total goals and 50 percent (8-16) of SU's assists. Marasco leads the team in scoring with 11 points (five goals, six assists). Cometti has five (four goals, one assist) and Loy has three (two goals, one assist).
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
The Red Storm defeated Holy Cross and Yale to open the season before losing at home to Stony Brook on Feb. 25. The team bounced back with a 12-11 victory against Siena on March 2. St. John's is averaging 10 goals per game in its four contests. It is also allowing 10 goals per game, defensively.
Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year Kieran McArdle leads the Red Storm attack. McArdle has a team-high 22 points and leads the league in points per game (5.5). He also is tops in the conference in assists per game (3.5). Kevin Cernuto (seven goals, five assists) and Colin Keegan (nine goals) round out the St. John's starting attack unit. Keegan notched a game-high five goals in the Red Storm's win against Siena. Senior Alex Lagodich (five goals) in the club's top midfield threat.
Defensively, St. John's has one of the best long-stick midfielders in the conference in Dillon Ayers. Ayers is tied for the team lead with 10 ground balls. He's also contributed two assists this season and he's tied for fourth nationally among active long poles with 16 career points (four goals, 12 assists). A four-year starter, goalie Jeff Lowman is third in the BIG EAST in saves per game (11.5). Lowman has 46 stops and owns a .535 save percentage.
THE ST. JOHN'S SERIES
The Orange has won the previous six meetings with the Red Storm by the combined score of 106-39. Syracuse is 3-0 against St. John's in BIG EAST regular-season play and defeated the Red Storm, 12-4, in last year's BIG EAST Tournament final. The Orange scored a series-high 26 goals in a 26-9 triumph during the 1990 national championship season.
UP NEXT ...
The Orange returns home for a meeting with archrival Johns Hopkins on Saturday, March 16 in the Carrier Dome. Faceoff is at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE CLASSIC
This is the first year of the Whitman's Sampler
Independence Classic, one of the many regular-season events organized by Inside
Lacrosse. It features three games. St. John's and Syracuse starts things off
followed by Penn-Villanova at 2:30 p.m. and Penn State-Lehigh at 5
p.m.The Independence Classic is the third Inside Lacrosse event Syracuse has participated in since the magazine began putting them on in 2007. The Orange has also taken part in the Face-Off Classic (2007-08, 2011) and Big City Classic (2009-present). SU faces Notre Dame in this year's Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium on April 27.
BIG EAST BEASTS
The Orange is 15-3 in BIG EAST regular-season play since the formation of the league in 2010. Syracuse was victorious in its first 14 league regular-season games. Villanova ended the streak, handing the Orange its first BIG EAST defeat on March 25, 2012 at the Carrier Dome, 11-10.
The Orange went 6-0 in league play in both 2010 and 2011 to win the BIG EAST regular-season championship (there was no conference tournament). Syracuse claimed the inaugural BIG EAST Tournament crown in 2012.
DEFENSE RULES
The Orange has turned in consecutive stellar defensive performances versus Army on Feb. 24 and Virginia on March 1. Consider:
Army
• SU held the Black Knights scoreless for 21:45 to start the game and shut them out for the game's final 33:53 (including the entire second half).
• Army's two goals were tied for the fewest by an opposing team at the Carrier Dome (Binghamton, 2008).
• Army attempted just 25 shots.
• The Orange held Army star attackman Garrett Thul without a point, ending his 42-game goal scoring streak which had been the longest in the nation.
Virginia
• Held the Cavaliers to eight goals which was 7.5 goals less than their average (15.5) coming into the game.
• Limited Virginia to six even-strength goals.
• Shut out the Cavaliers in the third quarter. The only quarter this season in which they haven't scored.
• Held UVa attackman Nick O'Reilly scoreless. O'Reilly entered the game averaging 4.8 points per contest.
BALANCE IS THE KEY
Thirteen different players have combined to score Syracuse's 30 goals. Senior JoJo Marasco (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and redshirt freshman Dylan Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.) lead the way with five apiece. Senior Luke Cometti (Syracuse, N.Y.) is next with four tallies. That balance has been a theme in each game this season. Below is a breakdown of the number of SU goal scorers by game so far in 2013:
Opponent - Goals (No. of scorers)
Albany - 15 (10)
Army - 6 (6)
Virginia - 9 (8)
FIRST MIDFIELD PRODUCING
Marasco, Cometti and junior Scott Loy (Toledo, Ohio) have combined for 11 goals and eight assists so far in 2013. Those raw numbers translate to 36.7 percent (11-30) of the team's total goals and 50 percent (8-16) of SU's assists. Marasco leads the team in scoring with 11 points (five goals, six assists). Cometti has five (four goals, one assist) and Loy has three (two goals, one assist).
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
The Red Storm defeated Holy Cross and Yale to open the season before losing at home to Stony Brook on Feb. 25. The team bounced back with a 12-11 victory against Siena on March 2. St. John's is averaging 10 goals per game in its four contests. It is also allowing 10 goals per game, defensively.
Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year Kieran McArdle leads the Red Storm attack. McArdle has a team-high 22 points and leads the league in points per game (5.5). He also is tops in the conference in assists per game (3.5). Kevin Cernuto (seven goals, five assists) and Colin Keegan (nine goals) round out the St. John's starting attack unit. Keegan notched a game-high five goals in the Red Storm's win against Siena. Senior Alex Lagodich (five goals) in the club's top midfield threat.
Defensively, St. John's has one of the best long-stick midfielders in the conference in Dillon Ayers. Ayers is tied for the team lead with 10 ground balls. He's also contributed two assists this season and he's tied for fourth nationally among active long poles with 16 career points (four goals, 12 assists). A four-year starter, goalie Jeff Lowman is third in the BIG EAST in saves per game (11.5). Lowman has 46 stops and owns a .535 save percentage.
THE ST. JOHN'S SERIES
The Orange has won the previous six meetings with the Red Storm by the combined score of 106-39. Syracuse is 3-0 against St. John's in BIG EAST regular-season play and defeated the Red Storm, 12-4, in last year's BIG EAST Tournament final. The Orange scored a series-high 26 goals in a 26-9 triumph during the 1990 national championship season.
UP NEXT ...
The Orange returns home for a meeting with archrival Johns Hopkins on Saturday, March 16 in the Carrier Dome. Faceoff is at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
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