BIG EAST Titans Collide Saturday

#4 Syracuse (12-1, 4-0) vs. #1 Notre Dame (10-0, 5-0)
Game Details	Saturday, April 30 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: ESPNU \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes
Notre Dame Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The 2011 BIG EAST regular-season championship will likely be decided when No. 4 Syracuse hosts top-ranked and unbeaten Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 30 inside the Carrier Dome. Neither side has lost a conference game this season and the two squads boast a combined overall record of 22-1. Notre Dame comes in at 10-0, including a 5-0 conference mark. The Orange is 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the BIG EAST.

Tickets are available online, 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. Students get in free with their SU ID card. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and arrive early.

Fans that do not have a season or individual game parking pass are strongly encouraged to park in the Manley Field House North and South lots ($10 per car) and take a free shuttle to and from College Place to avoid delays in attending the game. Manley lots will open at 4:30 p.m. (Take Route 81 to the Brighton Ave. exit or Route 481 to the Brighton Ave./Rock Cut Rd. exit and follow the signs.)

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 audio is available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access. ESPNU will go live at 7 p.m. with a "Minute of Mayhem" to showcase the atmosphere in the Dome. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats early and to cheer on the Orange when the cameras roll and then throughout the game.

THE SCENARIOS
If Notre Dame wins, the Irish clinch the BIG EAST regular-season championship with a 6-0 conference record. Should the Orange prevail, Syracuse secures at least a share of the conference title for the second straight year, and could win the crown outright with a victory over St. John's in its regular-season finale on May 7. If the Orange beats Notre Dame and loses to St. John's, Syracuse and Notre Dame would be co-champions.

DEFENSE RULES
Goals will likely be at a premium Saturday. Both sides feature highly-ranked defenses. The Fighting Irish lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing 5.9 goals per game. The Orange is sixth nationally in scoring defense (7.23 goals per game).

JUST WIN BABY
The Class of 2011 can become the winningest senior class in school history with a victory against Notre Dame. The current seniors have won 57 games in their first three-plus seasons, tied with the Class of 1986 for the most wins in school history over a four-year period. SU's current seniors helped the program rebound from missing the NCAA playoffs in 2007 and tied the school season wins record (16) in 2008 and 2009 on its way to consecutive NCAA championships.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse used a stifling defensive effort to down Rutgers, 12-2, in the second game of the ESPNU Warrior Classic on April 23 at Rentschler Field. After surrendering the game's first goal, the Orange held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for 53:30 before allowing an extra-man goal late in the fourth quarter. In between, Syracuse scored 11 times to blow the game open. Offensively, junior Tommy Palasek totaled a career-best six points (3g, 3a). Sophomore JoJo Marasco, junior Collin Donahue and senior Jovan Miller all had two goals each.

PALASEK ENJOYS STARTING ROLE
With Tim Desko out of the lineup due to injury, junior Tommy Palasek has taken on a bigger role in the offense. Palasek has started the last four games with Desko out and is the Orange's leading scorer over that stretch with 12 points (3.0 ppg). Palasek has seven goals and five assists as a starter. On April 25, he was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year after notching three goals and a career-high three assists against Rutgers on April 23. He also added a goal in SU's win against Hobart on his way to the league's top weekly honor.

THE VACUUM CLEANER
Senior Joel White has been a ground ball demon for his entire career, but recently he's taken it to another level. He has 28 ground balls in SU's last four outings (7.0 per game). By comparison, White had 32 ground balls in the team's first nine games (3.6 per game). White currently ranks third in the BIG EAST in ground balls per game (4.62).

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
The Irish are the only unbeaten team in Division I. They are 10-0 this season after losing in overtime to Duke in the 2010 NCAA title game. Notre Dame is coming off of a commanding 14-3 victory against Providence in its first of three straight road games to close out the regular season. Its 14 goals against the Friars were a season high.

Sean Rogers, a junior attackman, leads the team with 15 goals and 21 total points. Senior attackman Colin Igoe and midfielders Zach Brenneman and David Earl all have 11 goals each. Brenneman, the 2011 BIG EAST Preseason Attack Player of the Year, and Earl make up one of the best offensive midfield tandems in the nation. Freshman Liam O'Connor is the primary faceoff man for Notre Dame, winning 66-of-120 draws (.550). He leads the Irish with 29 ground balls.

The defensive side of the field is where Notre Dame truly excels. The Irish lead the nation in scoring defense (5.9 goals per game) and have not given up double-digit goals in any game this season. Sophomore goalie John Kemp ranks second nationally in goals-against average (5.96) and save percentage (.631). He has two of the top close defensemen in the country in front him in seniors Sam Barnes (six ground balls, three caused turnovers) and Kevin Ridgway (10 ground balls, nine caused turnovers). The Irish also have a dynamic long-stick middie in senior Andrew Irving. In 10 games, Irving has three goals, three assists and 15 ground balls.

Head coach Kevin Corrigan is in his 23rd season at Notre Dame and owns a 216-103 (.677) record with the Irish. Overall, he is 226-118 (.657) in 25 seasons as a college head coach. Corrigan ranks ninth among active Division I coaches in winning percentage and ninth in Division I career coaching victories.

THE SYRACUSE-NOTRE DAME SERIES
The Orange has won the previous four meetings with the Irish, including triumphs in the 2001 NCAA semifinals (12-5) and the 2008 NCAA quarterfinals (11-9). Last season, the Orange defeated Notre Dame, 12-6, in its first trip to South Bend. The only previous meeting held in the Carrier Dome occurred on March 11, 2004 and was won by the Orange, 19-13.

UP NEXT
Syracuse will host St. John's in its regular-season finale on Saturday, May 7 at the Carrier Dome. Faceoff is slated for 1 p.m. on Time Warner Sports.

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