Jovan Miller called 2011 a year for redemption. Stephen Keogh said the team is thinking revenge. Joel White wants to rid himself of the foul taste still lingering in his mouth.

Three seniors ? each of whom is a two-time national champion ? can’t erase the end of last year’s season from their minds. It was the first time they hadn’t walked off the field as the nation’s best, and they hated it.

‘I know the guys that were on that field last year didn’t like the feeling,’ said White, a senior long-stick midfielder.

Nearly eight months after the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team was stunned by Army in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the horrid feeling continues to permeate the program. A 13-1 regular season, in their minds, shouldn’t have been capped off with a first-round playoff loss inside the Carrier Dome. It should have been a national title.

And that is the mindset that SU is carrying over into the 2011 season: NCAA championship or bust. The team held its annual media day on Jan. 13 inside Manley Field House, with everyone ? players and coaches alike ? talking about erasing that loss to Army.

For the seniors, that means living up to the expectations that come with SU’s preseason No. 1 ranking and winning their third championship in four years.

‘We’re like brothers now,’ said Miller, a senior midfielder. ‘And after we lost to Army, we were really saddened by the way our seniors went out last year. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.’

A big part of the quest for a national title this season will be senior preseason All-American goaltender John Galloway. In that 9-8 double overtime loss to Army, the winning goal was scored on a shot that Galloway said he has saved hundreds of times in his career.

Last season, Galloway was the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. award winner for the nation’s top goalie. But even through he posted the best statistics of his career a year ago, both Galloway and head coach John Desko think he could be even better this season.

‘His save has come along every year,’ Desko said. ‘Last year it was there, and he was as good of a goalie as anyone in the country. … Every year we’ve seen growth.’

Galloway and the defense have evolved into the strength of the Syracuse lacrosse program over the past few years. Desko and the players agreed that the team no longer has to outscore everyone to win games because the defense can stop anyone.

Stopping anyone and everyone is the first, second and third goal for the Orange this season. After being humbled by Army at home, players have learned that no team or game can be taken lightly.

The Orange will surely go into about every game this season as heavy favorites, but that is only on paper. And if the seniors want their third ring, they will have to keep the game from May 16 in the back of their minds at all times.

‘More than anything is that you can’t take anyone lightly,’ Miller said. ‘If we have a lead on somebody, we’re definitely not going to relinquish it.’

Marasco dons No. 22

JoJo Marasco played just 10 games a year ago, but that short stint was enough to impress Stephen Keogh.

It was so impressive that it earned Marasco preseason All-American honorable mention recognition in 2011, despite missing a third of the season last year.

Keogh called it brilliance.

‘I think JoJo Marasco can feed,’ Keogh said. ‘You saw it last year with flashes of brilliance. He’s back this year fully healthy.’

After missing the final five games of the season in 2010 due to a lower leg injury, Marasco is back healthy for the start of the new season. Keogh said Marasco is a player who can help fill the void left by Chris Daniello. The Orange needs to replace Daniello’s 53 points from a year ago, and a healthy Marasco could be the one to do it.

As a freshman last year, Marasco totaled nine goals and eight assists on his way to being SU’s top first-year player. Thirteen of his 17 total points came in one four-game outburst alone.

Desko said the healthy Marasco is bringing energy to the team early on in 2011. Prior to the season, Marasco hinted that he wanted to wear the coveted No. 22 jersey. A jersey that standouts Cody Jamieson and Dan Hardy have donned for the past six years.

Desko and his staff awarded the jersey to Marasco, and they, like Keogh, are expecting big things from the versatile sophomore midfielder and attack.

‘I think it’s great that they feel they want the challenge of wearing No. 22,’ Desko said. ‘I think he accepts that, and he’ll wear it well.’

SU welcomes talented freshman class

Nineteen sets of eyes gazed onto the field at Manley Field House and watched the media pounce. Preseason All-American John Galloway was snatched up by group after group of reporters. Joel White and Stephen Keogh were hounded by photographers.

But in the back ? awkwardly standing and watching ? were those 19 sets of eyes belonging to the 19 freshmen head coach John Desko brought to Syracuse. Occasionally, one of the players from the Central New York area was asked a question or two, but nothing like his upperclassman teammates.

‘When we were freshmen, we had some great guys to look up to,’ Keogh said. ‘I know they are freshmen, and they will make some mistakes, but you just have to help them out along the way.’

Part of that task includes helping acclimate these 18- and 19-year-olds to the constant spotlight that hovers over the No. 1 team in the country. Seven of the 19 newcomers are from New York state as Desko continues to hoard all of the local talent.

In all likelihood, as Desko explained, most of these freshmen won’t see time on the field. Six starters return from last year’s team, and the team has 12 seniors overall. But Desko has challenged his group of upperclassmen to help groom the new faces.

This year’s seniors were part of a national championship when they first came to Syracuse. Now Desko hopes they can return the favor.

‘We are happy that we have the senior group that we do,’ Desko said. ‘To spread that message to the freshman class of what it takes to be successful on a Division I lacrosse team, especially here at Syracuse University.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

 

Published on January 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13