Saturday, March 19
Syracuse, NY
6 p.m.
Syracuse University
vs
#9 Johns Hopkins
Tommy Palasek played two seasons at Johns Hopkins before coming to Syracuse. He had his best game in an Orange uniform against Albany Tuesday, scoring four goals and assisting on another.
Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Lacrosse Titans Clash Saturday When Syracuse Hosts Johns Hopkins
3/18/2011 9:05:54 AM | Men's Lacrosse
| No. 1 Syracuse (5-0) vs. No. 9 Johns Hopkins (5-1) | ||
| Details | Saturday, March 19 | Syracuse, N.Y. | 6 p.m. Carrier Dome | Tickets | Weather |
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| Game Coverage |
TV: ESPNU | Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM |
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| Syracuse Links | News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Guide | Notes | |
| Johns Hopkins Links | News | Roster | Schedule| Stats | Guide | Notes | |
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The two most storied programs in college lacrosse renew their annual rivalry on Saturday, March 19 when No. 1 Syracuse (5-0) hosts No. 9 Johns Hopkins (5-1) for a primetime clash at the Carrier Dome. The Orange and Blue Jays are the two winningest programs in lacrosse history and have met at least once every season dating back to 1983.
The Orange is 5-0 and off to its best start since 2000 after defeating Albany, 18-13, on Tuesday, March 15. Johns Hopkins carries a 5-1 record into the contest. The Blue Jays have won two in a row since suffering their only loss of the year, 8-3, to Princeton on March 5.
Tickets are available online at SUathletics.com, over the phone (1-888-DOMETIX), or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office during normal business hours. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 12 and under. 'Cuse Kids Club members get in free with their membership card. Parking is $10.
The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU. Fans can also hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange - TK 99 (99.5 FM). Live streaming video and audio are available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.
LORDS OF THE RING
Syracuse and Johns Hopkins have combined to win half (20) of the 40 NCAA championships since men's lacrosse became an NCAA-sponsored sport in 1971. The Orange has an NCAA-record 11 titles. Johns Hopkins has nine. Overall, the Blue Jays have appeared in a record 18 NCAA title games and is 9-9 in those contests. Syracuse is second with 16 championship game appearances and is 11-5 in its championship tilts.
WINNING TRADITIONS
The Orange and Blue Jays are the two winningest programs in Division I lacrosse and boast a combined record of 1,715-602-31 (.737). Johns Hopkins is the only program that currently has more than 900 all-time victories and enters Saturday's game with 904 wins since it began playing the sport in 1883. Syracuse is second on that list with 811 all-time wins dating back to 1916. The two teams are the only college lacrosse programs with more than 800 wins.
THE COACHES
Saturday's game represents a clash of two of the top active coaches in the game. Orange mentor John Desko is the active leader in winning percentage at .776. Desko has five national championships and a 152-44 overall record. Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala is sixth in active winning percentage (.716). He has a pair of national championships to his credit and is 141-56 overall. The two men have split the 16 head-to-head meetings between them, which includes two matchups when Pietramala was the head coach at Cornell. In addition, both coaches are leading their alma maters. Desko played for the Orange from 1976-79 and Pietramala was a star defenseman for the Blue Jays from 1986-89.
STARTING STRONG
Syracuse is 5-0 for the first time since 2000 when it started 7-0 before losing by a goal at Cornell. The 2000 Orange went on to win the NCAA championship and finished with an overall record of 15-1.
PALASEK FACES FORMER MATES
Junior Tommy Palasek certainly knows the Blue Jays well. Palasek, a native of Rocky Point, N.Y., spent two seasons at Johns Hopkins before transferring to Syracuse in January. Palasek totaled 25 points, including 14 goals, in 28 games for the Blue Jays. Palasek is coming off a breakout performance against Albany. He had a career-best five points, including a career-high four goals, in SU's 18-13 win. He has seven points (4g, 3a) in SU's first five games.
SCORING MACHINE
Senior Stephen Keogh continues to pile up goals, adding to his career total with one against Albany. Keogh has 110 goals for his career, the fifth-highest active total in the nation. He is also the Orange's active leader with 127 total points. He has 16 career hat tricks and has scored at least one goal in 49 of his 56 career games. Since becoming a starter in 2009, he's scored at least once in 36-of-38 games.
HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU?
Senior Jeremy Thompson has been getting his teammates involved lately. Thompson tied his career high with two assists in consecutive games against Virginia, Georgetown and Albany. His six helpers are tied with sophomore JoJo Marasco for the team lead.
SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS
Johns Hopkins is 5-1 this season, however, it has yet to get to the meat of its schedule. The Blue Jays' first six foes are a combined 12-22. Hopkins' schedule does get more difficult. Starting with SU, the Blue Jays will face four top 10 teams in its next five outings. In addition to the Orange, Hopkins will square off against Virginia (March 26), North Carolina (April 3) and Maryland (April 16).
The Blue Jays have outscored their foes, 73-33. Head coach Dave Pietramala's club enters the game averaging 12.17 goals per game and has put at least 16 goals on the board three times this season. At the other end of the field, the Blue Jays are third nationally in scoring defense (5.5 goals allowed per game).
Johns Hopkins starting attack has combined for 35 goals. Senior Chris Boland (13 goals) leads the way. Zach Palmer and Kyle Wharton each have 11. Palmer is the group's most accurate shooter at 64.7 percent (11-17). Sophomores John Ranagan (6g, 8a) and John Greeley (6g, 6a), a Lafayette, N.Y. native, lead a young first midfield that also features rookie Rob Guida (6g). The Blue Jays have generated a lot of offensive possessions because of the success of Matt Dolente in the faceoff circle. Dolente is 57-of-81 (.704) on the year and has powered Hopkins to an 82-42 advantage over its opponents at the X.
Sophomore goalie Pierce Bassett ranks third nationally in goals-against average (5.08). He's started all six games for the Blue Jays and has 55 saves. Classmate Tucker Durkin is the leader of Pietramala's close defense. He has 13 ground balls and three caused turnovers. Chris Lightner (6 GBs) and Jack Reilly (6 GBs, 5 CTs) round out Hopkins' interior defense.
THE SERIES WITH JOHNS HOPKINS
The Blue Jays own a 26-21-1 advantage in the all-time series. Hopkins dominated the rivalry's early years, winning 12 of the first 15 meetings. The Orange has been victorious in five of the last six matchups. SU's current four-game series winning streak is its longest against the Blue Jays.
Hopkins is Syracuse's most familiar postseason foe with the Orange holding an 8-4 advantage in NCAA contests between the two teams. Five of those have come with the championship on the line (1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2008). SU is 3-2 against the Blue Jays in title tilts, defeating Hopkins to win NCAA championships in 1983, 1989 and 2008.
UP NEXT
The Orange returns to BIG EAST Conference play with a road match against Villanova on Saturday, March 26. It's the Orange's first road game against the Wildcats since the 1991 season. Faceoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Villanova Stadium.
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