'Cuse Opens 2014 Versus Niagara, St. Mary's

Game #1 - Syracuse (0-0-0) vs. Niagara (0-0-0) Game #2 - Syracuse (0-0-0) vs. St. Mary's (0-0-0)
Game Details	Friday, Aug. 29 - 2 p.m. / Sunday, Aug. 31 - 7 p.m. \| Syracuse, N.Y. SU Soccer Stadium \| Weather
Game Coverage	Cuse.com: Live Stats Twitter: @SUMensSoccer
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide \| Notes
Niagara Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide
St. Mary's Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Guide

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse (0-0-0) kicks off the 2014 campaign by co-hosting the first Central New York Classic with nearby Colgate this weekend. The Orange will host a pair of matches, beginning with the season opener Friday, Aug. 29 versus Niagara (0-0-0) at 2 p.m. at the SU Soccer Stadium. The Orange will also host St. Mary's (0-0-0) on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. Admission for both games is free.

Down in Hamilton, N.Y., Colgate welcomes St. Mary's on Friday. The Raiders host Niagara Sunday afternoon.

ORANGE IN SEASON OPENERS
Syracuse is 40-34-5 all-time in season-opening games and has won its first game of the season in six of the past nine years. The 2014 campaign marks the second time in school history Syracuse has opened the year versus Niagara. In 2006, the Orange started the season with a 3-1 victory against the Purple Eagles.

Head coach Ian McIntyre is 9-4-2 all-time in season openers during his head coaching career, including a 2-2 mark at Syracuse. The Orange has won its last two campaign starters, including a 4-0 triumph at Colgate in 2013.

BATTLE TESTED
The Orange is one of the most experienced teams in the nation. SU brings back 96.6 percent of its goal-scoring from 2013, the third-highest percentage in Division I. Sophomore Emil Ekblom is the squad's top returning goal-scorer, netting 10 as a rookie last season. In addition, the members of the 2014 roster boast a combined 409 collegiate starts, which also ranks among the national leaders. Senior defender Jordan Murrell leads the way with 53 first-string appearances.

Highest Pct. of Goals Returning
1.   SIU Edwardsville – 100.0 (14/14)
2.   Evansville – 97.1 (33/34)
3.   Syracuse – 96.7 (29/30)
4.   North Carolina – 89.5 (17/19)
5.   Missouri State – 88.2 (15/17)

Teams w/Most Career Starts
1.   North Carolina – 560
2.   Evansville – 422
3.   Syracuse – 409
4.   Virginia – 363
5.   UNLV – 345

BONO ONE OF 'CUSE'S BEST
Entering his third season, Alex Bono is already making his way up Syracuse's career goalkeeping record lists. He ranks in the school's top 10 in goals-against average (2nd - 0.93), save percentage (8th - .788), shutouts (t-3rd - 18), wins (6th - 23) and minutes played (6th - 3,468).

An All-ACC selection in 2013, Bono competed for Reading United AC in the Premier Development League (PDL) over the summer and earned All-Eastern Conference honors. In addition, he was one of three finalists for PDL Goalkeeper of the Year.

Bono has started 38 of the Orange's 39 games over the last two years.

MURRELL RACKING UP ASSISTS
Senior defender Jordan Murrell has 13 career assists, tied with Ed Pinon for 10th on SU's all-time assists chart. Murrell led the Orange in assists in both 2012 (7) and 2013 (6).

In 2012, Murrell tallied 11 points (2 goals, 7 assists), the most points for an Orange back since 1994.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES
Niagara was 5-12-1 a year ago and was picked to finish 10th in the MAAC this season. Callum Willmott and Nicholas Watson lead the Purple Eagle offense. Both players scored three goals in 2013 and Watson led the squad with nine points (3 goals, 3 assists).

Eleftherios Lazaridis is Niagara's most experienced keeper. The senior played in two games in 2013 and recorded four saves.

Coach Eric Barnes is in his second year at the helm after helping the Purple Eagles to the MAAC title and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance as an assistant in 2012.

SCOUTING THE GAELS
St. Mary's is coming off a 7-9-4 campaign and a fourth-place finish in the West Coast Conference. Defender Bobby Conner was an All-WCC First Team selection in 2013. He started all 20 games and chipped in offensively with three goals and an assist. Top scorers Ben Braman (5 goals, 1 assist) and Michael Semenza (3 goals, 4 assists) are also back.

Senior Andre Rawls is likely to get the starting nod between the posts. Rawls made 62 saves last season and registered three shutouts in 14 appearances.

Coach Adam Cooper is a two-time WCC Coach of the Year recipient. He is 64-62-32 in eight seasons with the Gaels.

THE NIAGARA SERIES
The Orange owns a 15-4-0 lead in the all-time series with the Purple Eagles, which dates back to 1971. Since 1978, Syracuse has won 11 of the 12 pairings.

Niagara won the most recent meeting, 2-1, in 2012 to snap SU's 11-game series winning streak.

In 1989, Syracuse scored a series-high nine goals, shutting out the Purple Eagles at home.

THE ST. MARY'S SERIES
Sunday's game will be the first meeting between the Orange and Gaels. In fact, the contest marks the first match ever for the Orange against a current member of the West Coast Conference. The league's membership includes Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Portland, St. Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara.

UP NEXT
The Orange hits the road for the first time in 2014 to face a pair of former BIG EAST rivals. Syracuse travels to Rutgers for a 7 p.m. match on Sept. 4 and continues the road trip two days later against St. John's.

Syracuse University Athletics

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