Hat Trick?

Syracuse will try for its third consecutive national championship in 2010, but in a very new way. With the inaugural season of the Big East lacrosse conference underway this year, the Orange is seeing a lot of new faces on the schedule, mixed in with its classic loaded slate of storied rivals, including away games at Virginia and Johns Hopkins. At first glance, it’s hard to miss road games at Notre Dame and St. John’s, which should provide interesting challenges that weren’t there a year ago. Out of conference, though, the most intriguing matchup has to be Denver. After former Princeton head coach Bill Tierney shocked the lacrosse world and filled the coaching job there in the offseason, the Pioneers will come to the Carrier Dome opening night with a loaded roster and a new outlook on lacrosse.

DENVER: The Pioneers are slated by Inside Lacrosse to finish third in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, but could be a little stronger than the preseason rankings suggest. Denver attack Mark Matthews was second on the team in scoring last year, but look for the 6-foot-4 sophomore to come in and challenge the Orange defense right away. It will be a great early test to see how John Lade and company can manage without departed stalwart Sid Smith.

VIRGINIA: Always one of the must fun games of the year. Dom Starsia and the Cavaliers are constantly re-loading in the offseason and will undoubtedly be hungry after a shocking exit in last year’s NCAA final four. This time, though, the Cavaliers get SU in Charlottesville, Va., and will look to stymie Syracuse with its textbook midfield led by Brian Carroll and the always-dangerous Shamel Bratton.

JOHNS HOPKINS: The Blue Jays will be looking for a shot at Syracuse after losing to the Orange last year. Add in the raucous nighttime atmosphere down in Baltimore, and that’s a recipe for a barnburner. JHU is strong in the middle, especially with preseason All-American senior Michael Kimmel distributing the ball. This will be a great game to see how some of Syracuse’s new midfielders step up in the transition game.

NOTRE DAME: The odds-on No.2 in the conference this year will be amped for an opportunity to take down Syracuse. And why not? The Irish may just have the makings to slow down Syracuse’s fast-paced attack with a loaded defense. Look for Cody Jamieson and Stephen Keogh to be battling all day long against Notre Dame’s All-American goalie Scott Rodgers and solid defenseman Sam Barnes.

– Compiled by asst. sports editor Conor Orr

Published on December 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm