As the final seconds ticked off the Carrier Dome scoreboard, the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team couldn’t contain its excitement.

Members of the Orange bounced up and down on the sideline, unable to keep still. The clock finally reached zeroes, and they stormed out onto the field, arms raised toward the sky.

The celebration was more than just an 11-8 triumph over No. 1 Notre Dame. The joy came from what was, in the eyes of the opposing coach, SU’s best performance this season with so much on the line.

‘I’ve seen all their film this year,’ Fighting Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan said. ‘And that’s the best game I’ve seen them play.’

No. 4 Syracuse (13-1, 5-0 Big East) handed the Irish its first loss of the season Saturday in front of 14,751 fans — the largest on-campus crowd for a college lacrosse game this year. In what was expected to be a slugfest between two of the nation’s top defenses, the Orange offense proved to be the difference in securing at least a share of the Big East crown.

SU’s 11 goals were a season high for a Notre Dame opponent. The Irish (10-1, 5-1) had not allowed a team to reach double digits yet this year.

And though the offense has been much maligned at times this year, it seems to have figured out those problems with the NCAA tournament just two weeks away.

‘There was a lot of people questioning our offensive skill,’ senior attack Stephen Keogh said. ‘But it’s just execution. … When we’re unselfish, we just move the ball around, get open looks and just get the ball in the net.’

Notre Dame scored the first two goals of the game to take an early lead, but once Syracuse’s offense got started, it never looked back.

Jeremy Thompson crashed down the right side and bounced a shot between Irish goalie John Kemp’s legs to put the score at 2-1.

Then Steve Ianzito caught a pass about 15 yards from the cage and started to step into a shot. As the defense slid in front of him, Keogh popped open on the crease. Ianzito hit him with the pass, and Keogh turned around for an easy finish to knot the game at 2-2.

‘I thought that the middies did a nice job looking for the attackmen and other players who were open within the offense,’ SU head coach John Desko said.

Junior Tom Palasek then put the Orange in front with 3:33 left in the first half on a diving shot into the crease. SU never trailed from that point on.

Syracuse goalie John Galloway tallied 12 saves, and the defense forced Notre Dame into 17 turnovers. And as the defense shined as it has most of this season, the offense put on a show at the other end.

With just more than three minutes left in the first half and SU leading 5-3, Jovan Miller carried the ball along the left side of the offensive zone. As he tried to create separation from a defender, Keogh flashed open on the crease. Miller sent the ball to the senior attack and with his back to the goal, Keogh whipped the ball between his legs into the side of the net.

‘Those kind of plays, I don’t really know, it just kind of happens,’ said Keogh, who scored four goals in the game.

Palasek added another creative SU goal to start the third quarter.

As Ianzito crashed down the right side, Palasek cut to the front of the goal, shaking his stick at his teammate to call for the ball. Ianzito sent a pass high to the junior, but he jumped, made the catch and put it in the net in one motion.

Notre Dame came into the game allowing just 5.9 goals through its first 10 games. But SU broke into double digits on Keogh’s final goal of the day in the fourth quarter. It marked the first time an Irish opponent scored 10 or more since Syracuse scored 12 and defeated Notre Dame last year in South Bend, Ind.

And despite a late Notre Dame charge, the offensive domination over a normally stingy defensive team gave Keogh and the Orange reason to celebrate.

‘If we just move the ball around and take good shots, the ball is bound to fall in the back of the net,’ Keogh said. ‘It was just some unselfish plays, and hopefully, it continues.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

 

Published on April 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm