CNY Rivals Clash When SU Hosts Cornell

#1 Syracuse (9-0) vs. #5 Cornell (8-2)
Game Details	Tuesday, April 12 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: Time Warner Sports \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Video \| Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes
Cornell Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - No. 1 Syracuse faces its second consecutive Ivy League opponent on Tuesday, April 12 when it entertains No. 5 Cornell at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. It's the first home game for the Orange in nearly a month after three straight road contests.

Syracuse is coming off a 7-5 triumph at Princeton Saturday and is 9-0. The Big Red is 8-2 overall and has won its last five games, including a 13-12 victory against conference rival Harvard on Saturday to clinch a share of the Ivy League title for the ninth straight year.

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 throughout New York on Time Warner Sports. 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.

TWO ALL-TIME GREAT PROGRAMS
SU and Cornell rank second and seventh, respectively, on the list of winningest Division I programs. The Orange has compiled 815 victories, while Cornell has 685. The two schools have combined to win 14 NCAA titles (SU 11, Cornell 3).

ANOTHER FANTASTIC FINISH IN STORE?
It's hard to put into words just how exciting the last two games between Syracuse and Cornell have been. Simply put, the 2009 NCAA championship game will go down as one of the most thrilling lacrosse games in recent memory. The Orange rallied from a 9-6 deficit late in the fourth quarter and eventually prevailed 10-9 in overtime. SU's Kenny Nims tallied the game-tying goal with 4.5 seconds left after a mad scramble for the ball during a failed Cornell clearing attempt. Cody Jamieson clinched SU's record 11th NCAA title with a goal on the team's first possession in overtime.

Last season at Schoellkopf Field, Syracuse's Chris Daniello propelled the Orange to a 8-7 victory when he picked up a rebound and fired the winner past Cornell goalie AJ Fiore as the final horn sounded. The game appeared headed to overtime after Fiore denied Jamieson on the crease with less than five seconds left. Again the Orange came from behind, scoring the game's last three goals.

Overall, three of the last five SU-Cornell matchups have been decided in the final seconds. In 2007, Cornell's Max Seibald slipped past Steve Panarelli on a restart and scored unassisted with four seconds left to lift the Big Red to a 16-15 victory over the Orange at the Carrier Dome.

TOUGH SLATE
Cornell is the eighth ranked opponent in 10 games for the Orange, and the fifth top-10 foe. To put it in perspective, Syracuse only played eight ranked opponents all year in 2010. And only three were top-10 teams. Syracuse's current 9-0 start includes wins over four of the top 10 teams in this week's USILA Coaches Poll.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior Stephen Keogh tallied a game-best three goals to lead the Orange past Princeton, 7-5, on April 9. Keogh scored twice in the first half, and tallied the game-winning goal with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter. Syracuse held the Tigers scoreless in the final period and scored twice during that time to break a 5-5 tie. The Orange received another superb effort from its defense, which held its third opponent in four outings to five goals or less. The Syracuse D successfully defended all five of Princeton's man-up opportunities to help key the victory.

UNSUNG HEROES
The most overlooked position on the field is perhaps short-stick defensive midfield. For Syracuse, it been a position of strength, not only defensively, but offensively. The Orange has gotten six goals this season from its short-stick D-middies. Junior Kevin Drew has three goals, senior Tim Harder has two and junior Bobby Eilers has one. Drew has 10 goals in his Syracuse career. Harder and Eilers came into 2011 with zero goals between them, but have combined for three this season.

Drew has also demonstrated excellent ground ball play with 17 ground balls already in 2011, five shy of his career total (22) coming into this year.

SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Cornell is riding a five-game winning streak and is 8-2 overall and 4-0 in the Ivy League. The Big Red has already clinched a share of the Ivy regular-season title for the ninth straight year. Head coach Ben DeLuca's squad boasts one of the most potent offenses in college lacrosse at 13.1 goals per game, which is second nationally. The Big Red is shooting at a 32.7 percent clip (131-400) for the season.

Junior attackman Rob Pannell is the engine that drives the Big Red offense. One of the top candidates for the Tewaaraton Trophy, Pannell ranks in the top three nationally in points per game (1st, 5.5), goals per game (3rd, 2.7) and assists per game (2nd, 2.8). No other Cornell player comes close to matching his production. David Lau (18g, 10a) is second on the squad with 28 points. Steve Mock (21 goals) has proved to be a capable finisher. Roy Lang is Cornell's best midfield threat, leading that group with 21 points, including 16 goals.

Max Feely and Jason Noble anchor the Big Red's close defense. Noble has a team-high 47 ground balls. Feely is a senior and was an honorable mention All-American in 2010. Sophomore goalie AJ Fiore has 72 saves and an 8.85 goals-against average. Fiore recorded a career-best 20 saves last season against the Orange.

DeLuca is in his first year as head coach of the Big Red. A 1998 Cornell alum, DeLuca spent 12 years overall as an assistant on the Cornell sideline. He was promoted to the top job after the 2010 season when Jeff Tambroni left to take over the Penn State program.

THE SYRACUSE-CORNELL SERIES
The Syracuse-Cornell series dates back to 1920 and the two schools have met every season since 1979. The Orange holds a 61-33-1 advantage in the series and is 32-15 in games played in Syracuse. The Orange has registered double-digit goals in 25 of the last 26 meetings dating back to an April 11, 1987 regular-season contest won by the Big Red, 19-6. The Orange is 21-5 against Cornell during that stretch and has won the last four in a row, including the aforementioned 2009 national championship game.

UP NEXT
Syracuse returns to BIG EAST Conference play on Saturday, April 16. The Orange takes on Providence in the opening game of the New England Lacrosse Classic at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Syracuse University Athletics

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