No. 2 UVa and No. 1 Syracuse to Tussle on Sunday at Klockner Stadium
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Cavaliers, ranked No. 2 this week in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and USILA coaches poll, host the Syracuse Orange, ranked No. 1 overall in the same polls, Sunday at the Klöckner Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live stats will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
Sunday, baseball and lacrosse parking will be available in the University Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and Cage lots as well as the Emmet-Ivy Garage. Fans are encouraged to arrive early because large crowds are anticipated to attend both events.
The game will also be broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA AM 1070 with John Freeman calling the action and Jamie Leachman doing the color broadcast. ESPN360 will televise the game live, followed by a tape delay on ESPNU. Eamon McAnaney will call the play-by-play for ESPN360 and Quint Kessenich will provide the color.
Virginia remained at No. 2 in both polls this week after sweeping both games they played during the week, including a 13-8 triumph over No. 18 Stony Brook in the home opener on Saturday. UVa also traveled to Mount St. Mary’s on Feb. 23, leaving with the 15-7 victory.
Sophomore Chris Bocklet led UVa with seven goals and two assists on the week, including three straight against Stony Brook, which gave UVa the separation it needed in the second quarter to pull away to victory.
Saturday’s game will be the first at Klöckner Stadium this season. Record snowfall in the Charlottesville region forced Virginia to host its home opener at the University Hall Turf Field, the first men’s lacrosse game at the facili¬ty since the 2007 home opener. UVa has won 10 straight games at Klöckner Stadium and 11 home games overall, dating back to the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
This is the 16th consecutive season the Cavaliers have faced the Orange, who is coming off back-to-back NCAA national championship seasons. Syracuse is currently ranked No. 1 in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA coaches poll, marking the second straight season these two programs have faced each other in a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup. Head coach John Desko enters his 12th year at Syracuse where the Orange have won five NCAA national championships under his direction.
Syracuse’s Chris Daniello and Cody Jamieson lead the way for the Orange on offense. Both have six points, as Daniello and Stephen Keogh lead the team with five goals. John Galloway has been stellar between the pipes, allowing 6.69 GAA and saving .667 of shots against him.
In the last meeting, UVa midfielder Shamel Bratton scored four goals and five points in helping Virginia become the first visiting program to win three straight games in the Carrier Dome, as the Cavaliers defeated No. 1 Syracuse 13-12, Feb. 27, 2009. Sunday’s contest marks the first time in four years the teams have faced each other at Klöckner Stadium and the fifth time UVa has faced Syracuse with a 3-0 record or better (1995, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010).
Sunday’s game also marks the third year in a row both squads have featured unblemished records at game time (during the regular season). Like the outcome of the last meeting, UVa holds the narrow 13-12 advantage in the all-time series. Ben Rebeor and Matt Ward each scored three goals and five points helping UVa on a 9-1 run en route to a 20-15 victory over Syracuse in the last meeting at Klöckner Stadium, March 4, 2006. The victory was Virginia’s first home win over the Orange in 10 years and second all-time.
Bocklet leads UVa with nine goals and 13 points. Steele Stanwick has seven goals and 12 points to help lead the attack. Rhamel Bratton and Brian Carroll each have four points coming from the midfield, including Carroll’s two man-up goals. Goalie Adam Ghitelman is coming off a strong performance against No. 18 Stony Brook. After scoring 21 goals in its season opener, Stony Brook was held to only eight scores against the UVa goalie. In the opening half, Stony Brook won 10 of the game’s first 14 faceoffs, took 25 shots in the first half, yet only scored four times before the break on UVa and Ghitelman. On the season Ghitelman has a 7.27 GAA and is saving .556 of shots taken against him.
Tickets for Virginia lacrosse games can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com, by phone at (800) 542-8821 or in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Virginia lacrosse season tickets for 2010 are $30 (adult general admission) and $20 (youth, senior, faculty/staff general admission).
Single-game tickets to lacrosse games are $7 (adult general admission), and $5 (youth, senior, faculty/staff general admission).
All reserved seats are sold out for the 2010 season.