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| (above) Syracuse has won more lacrosse national championships than any other school |
From: USA Today
by Eddie Timanus
The University of Denver lacrosse team will face Syracuse today. Pioneer fans will be heavily outnumbered and drowned out in what will sound like a home game for the massive Syracuse fanbase.
Syracuse hasn't been to the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four since 2009. The Final Four drought wasn't sitting well with
the Orange's fan base. Their absence was also having a negative impact
on the attendance.
Semifinal Saturday drew 31,774 last season in
Foxborough, Mass., the lowest in the event's NFL stadium era, which
began in 2003.
That figure should improve today in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field with the Orange back in it.
"We're excited to be back," Desko says. "The community is buzzing, and a lot of people are making travel arrangements."
The
action on the field for that contest with Denver should be interesting.
Though the Pioneers have a different makeup than Tierney's
defensive-oriented title teams at Princeton, they still play with poise.
"They're
a hard team to prepare for," Desko says. "They have a few Canadians and
box-style players. You can talk to your defenders about how they're
good off the ball, but until you experience it on the field, it's hard
to know what to expect."
Sophomore Wesley Berg, one
of those Canadian players from Coquitlam, British Columbia, is the
Pioneers' top finisher with 56 goals. Eric Law (40 G, 35 A), a native of
nearby Centennial, Colo., and senior face-off midfielder Chase Carraro,
who hails from Louisville, give DU's roster a diverse geographical
footprint.
.
It is Syracuse that has needed to reinvent itself a bit this year with most of its experienced players on the defensive end.
Senior
Brian Megill is the captain who will lead the effort to contain
Denver's multiple weapons. But there's still the ability to take
advantage of fast break opportunities. The catalyst is midfielder JoJo
Marasco, a Tewaaraton candidate who has a team-high 38 assists to go
with 20 goals. Luke Cometti and Derek Maltz pace the Orange attack with
30 goals apiece.
