PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Dominic Lamolinara beamed with pride following Tuesday’s win over Providence.

“I had 24 hours to get mentally prepared, and that’s really all I needed,” Lamolinara said.

Three days ago, he hadn’t played a second all season. After holding Johns Hopkins to two second-half goals on Saturday, though, Lamolinara earned the starting nod over Bobby Wardwell.

Lamolinara held the Friars to five goals, saving 11 shots in the process and carrying No. 4 Syracuse (5-1, 2-0 Big East) to an 18-9 blowout win over Providence (5-2, 0-2) on Tuesday night at Lennon Family Field in Providence, R.I. After allowing a goal less than two minutes in, Lamolinara buckled down and fended off Providence’s attack with poise.

“He played amazing,” SU midfielder Henry Schoonmaker said. “Those doorstep saves – he saved us probably four or five goals on the doorstep, so you can’t ask for any more from a goalie.”

When Andrew Barton rifled a turnaround shot past Lamolinara at the 13:22 mark, Syracuse’s goalie didn’t hang his head. He said the shot was well-placed and that he didn’t have much time to react. After his first save on a ball that took an AstroTurf-induced skip just minutes later, Lamolinara said he started to get into a rhythm.

The goaltender’s task wasn’t an easy one, though. He had to deal with the quick turnaround from Saturday’s contest, the unpredictable AstroTurf and, most notably, the blustery wind and lingering snow.

“I was losing my voice by the second quarter,” Lamolinara said. “It was cold out there. I think my voice cracked four or five times.”

Despite those obstacles, Lamolinara stepped up and contained the Friars the rest of the way. Syracuse embarked on a 6-0 run spanning just more than 10 minutes in the first quarter. With his team’s offense executing to near perfection, the pressure was off of Lamolinara.

SU head coach John Desko has the luxury of having two goalies in Lamolinara and Wardwell who can both contain the opposition. He said he went with Lamolinara because of his strong play against Johns Hopkins, along with the strides he’s shown in practice recently. Desko said Lamolinara excelled in what he labeled a “trap game” Monday afternoon.

“Today, he made a bunch of one-on-one saves again and played pretty consistently,” Desko said. “I think he’s playing well for us.”

One of Lamolinara’s best one-on-one saves came close to three minutes into the second quarter, when Providence’s Daniel Textor fired a shot from just outside of the crease. The ball looked like it was destined for the back of the net, but Lamolinara got on one knee as the ball bounded toward him and deflected it toward Syracuse defender Brian Megill.

While Syracuse dominated the game in all facets and the outcome was never in question, Providence still got off a substantial number of quality looks.

Later in the second quarter, Providence defender Michael Noyes scooped up a ground ball off of a Dylan Donahue miscue and sprinted the other way. Noyes generated space and got off a strong shot, but Lamolinara again got in front of the ball and shielded it as it squirted past the goal.

Similar saves defined Lamolinara’s performance Tuesday night. Providence came into the game averaging 12.5 goals on the season, taking advantage of a relatively easy schedule. The Friars have capable goal-scorers, but Lamolinara kept them in check.

He left the game at the 11:37 mark of the fourth quarter after surrendering a goal to J.T. Weber – a rare blemish on an otherwise special night. The contest was well out of reach at that point. Lamolinara did his job in just the fourth start of his career.

“Dom was exceptional,” SU attack Kevin Rice said. “He gave up the first goal, but they didn’t score for a while after that. I thought he played really well.”

Published on March 20, 2013 at 1:50 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass