SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Two of the most highly decorated programs in college lacrosse square off when No. 11 Princeton (6-2) visits the Carrier Dome for the first time since 2008 to meet No. 17 Syracuse (4-4) Saturday, April 7 at 4 p.m. The Orange (11) and Tigers (6) have won 17 NCAA championships between them. In addition, the two schools have combined for 50 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Tickets are available online at SUathletics.com, over the phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 12-and-under. Syracuse University students and ‘Cuse Kids Club members get in free with proper identification. Parking is $10.
Saturday's game will be televised live in the Syracuse area on Time Warner Cable Sports. Fans can also hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange - TK 99 (99.5 FM). Live streaming video and audio are available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.
The reason it’s been so long since the Tigers last came to Syracuse is because the two sides took their rivalry to the Meadowlands in 2009 and 2010 to be part of the Big City Classic. The series returned to the Princeton campus last season with the Orange posting 7-5 decision over the Tigers.
DOME DOUBLE DIP
The Syracuse-Princeton contest is the second of two games at the Carrier Dome Sunday. Prior to the Orange and Tigers, the Syracuse women’s team will square off against BIG EAST rival Rutgers at 1 p.m.
FILLING THE TROPHY CASE
Overall, Syracuse and Princeton have combined to win 17 of the last 24 NCAA championships. The two teams have played one another for the national title four times (1992, 2000, 2001, 2002). The two sides split those meetings with SU winning in 2000 and 2002, and the Tigers emerging victorious in 1992 and 2001.
DECADE OF DOMINATION
During the 1990s Syracuse and Princeton ruled the college lacrosse world, combining to win eight of the 10 national championships during the decade. The Orange claimed the championship in 1990, 1993, and 1995. The Tigers took home the crown in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
THE NEW MILLENNIUM
SU and Princeton’s dominance continued into the 2000s. The two programs have won six of the 12 national championships handed out since the turn of the century. The Orange and Tigers met in the NCAA title game three straight years (2000, 2001, 2002). SU emerged victorious in those championship meetings in 2000 and 2002. The Orange also won titles in 2004, 2008 and 2009. Princeton claimed the 2001 crown.
LAST TIME OUT
The Orange lost its second straight game, falling to Duke in the second game of the Konica Minolta Big City Classic by the score of 12-10. AttackmenTommy Palasek (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) combined for nine points in the contest. Palasek totaled a season-best five points, including tying his career high with four goals. Desko contributed two goals and two assists.
Syracuse trailed 9-6 in the third quarter before rallying to tie the game. However, Duke goalie Dan Wigrizer came up big, making four saves in the final period, including two sensational point-blank stops with the Orange down by one, to help the Blue Devils earn the win.
PALASEK NAMED TO BIG EAST HONOR FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK
Following his five-point performance against Duke, senior Tommy Palasek (Rocky Point, N.Y.) was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for the second straight week on Monday, April 2. He earned his first honor roll nod of the year on March 26 after averaging 3.5 points per game against Providence and Villanova.
MEGILL A MIDSEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
Junior defenseman Brian Megill (Clark, N.J.) was named to the Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America First Team on April 4. Megill was one of four defenders picked to the first team, joining Kevin Randall (Notre Dame), Tucker Durkin (Johns Hopkins) and Jason Noble (Cornell). The magazine’s staff selected two midseason All-America teams and recognized a total of 32 players.
The 2012 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Megill is second on the Orange in ground balls (23) and leads the team in caused turnovers (19). He ranks fifth nationally in caused turnovers per game at 2.38 per contest.
SCOUTING PRINCETON
Princeton has won four in a row and enters this weekend with a 6-2 overall record and a 3-0 mark in Ivy League play. Included in the winning streak is a 10-9 victory over Yale in five overtimes on March 24 that stands as the longest game in Princeton lacrosse history. The Tigers are averaging 11.12 goals per contest and boast the fifth-stingiest defense in the nation (6.88 goals allowed per game).
Midfielder Tom Schreiber is Princeton’s offensive catalyst. Schreiber leads the team in goals (17), assists (17) and points (34). His 4.25 points per game average ranks ninth nationally. Jeff Froccaro (14 goals), Tucker Shanley (12), Mike MacDonald (11 goals) and Alex Capretta (10 goals) are the Tigers’ other double-digit goal scorers. It was Capretta who ended the marathon against Yale, scoring 2:21 into the fifth extra session.
Senior goalie Tyler Fiorito anchors the Princeton defense. Fiorito ranks fourth in the NCAA in goals-against average (6.65) and ninth in save percentage (.579). Chad Wiedmaier (13 GBs, 18 CTs) is the club’s top close defenseman. He ranks seventh nationally in caused turnovers per game at 2.25 per outing.
Third-year head coach Chris Bates is 21-15 since replacing Bill Tierney as the Tigers’ head coach in 2010. Bates led Princeton to an 11-5 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance his first season. Prior to joining the Tigers, Bates spent 10 years as the head coach at Drexel.
THE SERIES
The Orange has won seven of the last nine meetings with the Tigers and holds an 18-9 advantage in the all-time series. Ten of the 27 series meetings have come in the NCAA playoffs. In 1999, the two clubs played an epic four-overtime game won by the Tigers, 15-14, which stands as the longest game in SU history.