As the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team prepared for last year’s NCAA Tournament, it knew it had the firepower and experience to win a national championship. Its offense was no doubt its strongest unit to take the field – the young Orange defense was the only question mark.

When Syracuse suits up against Maryland for a 1 p.m. scrimmage on Saturday at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, that question mark will be erased. In its place is an exclamation point.

After losing six of its top seven scorers to graduation, the Orange defense, proven by a national championship win last May against Navy, will lead SU.

‘That’s the theme we’ve been going off of since the fall,’ said SU junior defender John Wright. ‘We’re gonna have to be the strength of the team. We are prepared to be in that position as a defense with the experience that we have.’

At the start of the 2004 season, Wright, Herkimer transfer Scott Ditzell and freshman Steve Panarelli had no starting experience between them. Now, they are the backbone of an experienced unit.

Wright started all 17 games for the Orange last season, the 6-foot-2 Ditzell earned a reputation as a defensive enforcer and Panarelli was an All-America honorable mention as a freshman.

‘Last year we grew a lot on defense,’ Panarelli said. ‘We came together late in the year and we’ve done a good job picking up where we’ve left off. The chemistry is unbelievable.’

In SU’s first scrimmage against Navy, freshman Kyle Guadagnolo was the lone addition to the starting defensive unit. He played close defender but said he can play the pole if asked to. It remains to be seen whether or not he will start the Orange’s first game on Feb. 26 at the Carrier Dome.

‘Nothing’s really set yet,’ Guadagnolo said. ‘We’ll see as things progress. It will go week by week.’

Said Wright: ‘(Guadagnolo’s) doing great. We know we have four defensemen we want on the field. He’s gonna play a lot and he’s gonna have a large impact on the team.’

Meanwhile on offense, freshman Mike Leveille has been given a starting spot. Against Navy, he led the team with four goals.

On defense, Guadagnolo provides the Orange with some size at 6 feet, 200 lbs. And after a year of prep school at West Point Prep, he is physically ready to join the college ranks.

‘It’s a big transition,’ Wright said of coming to Syracuse, ‘But he can play. He’s got the same athleticism as anyone on the team. It’s really just a mental thing, adjusting to the college game.’

Ditzell, a senior tri-captain, said he likes that the defense will be the leading unit for this season.

‘Most of the guys have a good grasp on the team defense that coach wants to run better than they did last year,’ he said. ‘It’s gonna come quicker. We’ve got more experience and that’ll help.’

Published on February 16, 2005 at 12:00 pm