Syracuse lacrosse is one game closer to its regular season, but no closer to a decision on a starting goalie.

Saturday’s scrimmage, a 14-9 win over Harvard, saw four different goalies showcased, each turning in up-and-down performances. And when it was all over, the long-awaited decision on who will be between the pipes in next week’s opener against Villanova was still up in the air.

Syracuse head coach John Desko gave rookie John Galloway the nod for the start, and played him throughout the entire first half. Three goalies – Pete Coluccini, Al Cavalieri, and Nathan Farabee split the second half and a 10-minute ‘fifth quarter.’

Galloway got off to a shaky start, giving up a goal 78 seconds into the game, and letting the Crimson jump out to a 4-1 lead. Things seemed to settle down as the half progressed, in what Galloway described as getting the butterflies out.

‘I’ve just got to calm down in the goal right now,’ Galloway said. ‘That’s what I have to do and play a little more consistent and keep clearing the ball well and hopefully be able to figure it out in the next couple of days.’

Galloway gave up five goals on 11 shots during his 30 minutes in net. Desko said he was pleased with his new goalie’s afternoon, after giving him the start to test him in a game-like scenario.

‘He was very comfortable in the open field,’ Desko said. ‘Again, we wanted him to adjust to all the emotion to the start of the game. I think he did a good job, all in all.’

As to his save percentage, Desko said he would have to review the game’s final stats and film before he would evaluate Galloway’s performance stopping the ball.

Pete Coluccini, who started all last season as well as last week’s scrimmage, started the second half and played until the 8:42 mark of the fourth quarter. He gave up two goals, during a stage of the game in which Syracuse’s offense took over, going on an 8-0 run and maintaining possession for most of the game.

The rest of the game was split between sophomore Al Cavalieri and freshman Nathan Farabee.

After last week’s scrimmage, the goalies and Desko indicated that the lack of shots taken against the Orange made it difficult to evaluate either goalie’s ability to make stops. The only place he saw an advantage was in clears, and it went to Galloway.

The race took another turn earlier this week, when Desko said whomever he gives the start to in next week’s opener isn’t necessarily the long-term starter. He said the position could change from week to week, depending on performance.

‘This could be a situation, too, where as the year goes on, we could still be evaluating, and we could use more than one goalie throughout the year,’ Desko said on Wednesday.

That approach would be a departure for Coluccini, who despite giving up 11.27 goals per game last season, kept his job throughout all 13 games. But he took the news in a positive light, as an opportunity to improve.

‘We had a conversation about that,’ Coluccini said of him and Desko. ‘We understand that you have to regain the spot every week. That’s part of the game, and it makes you a better goalie and a better team.

‘It makes you play consistent, doesn’t it? Because if you have a bad game, you’re not going to be the starting goalie. It makes you a better player, and it’s better for your team.’

Galloway was equally diplomatic about the situation.

‘We’re just going to keep working and try to get the starting position,’ Galloway said. ‘And if that’s what it takes, one guy to play a quarter and another guy to play another, that’s fine with us. We’re going to be playing, and we’re going to be trying to win a national championship.’

kbaustin@syr.edu

Published on February 10, 2008 at 12:00 pm