Senior Brian Karalunas (Dewitt, N.Y.) made the play of the game with under a minute left on the clock, stripping Syracuse's JoJo Marasco of the ball and assisting on Kevin Cunningham's (Garden City, N.Y.) goal with 57 seconds left to play, but the Orange clinched the nail-biter with six seconds remaining to secure the 5-4 victory.
With a school-record crowd of 6,289 in attendance, No. 7 Villanova (7-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) played their best defensive game of the season despite falling in their first BIG EAST matchup of the year against the Orange. The loss moves Villanova to 7-2 overall and 0-1 in conference, while Syracuse improved to 7-0, 2-0, respectively.
Syracuse wore Orange on Orange while the Wildcats wore White tops and White bottoms. A few players on both teams wore leggings for compression and to keep their legs warm.
Villanova Men's Lacrosse Post-Game Media Conference