2016 Lacrosse Season Preview

2016 LACROSSE SEASON PREVIEW

THEIR SHOTOUT OF THE SHADOWS

Dylan Donahue is preparing to take on a role he’s not used to. Page 5

WHAT’S IN A NUMBERJordan Evans is still trying to meet expectations of No. 22. Page 7

IN THE MIDDLETransfer Nick Mariano settles into a supporting role with SU. Page 11

AGAINST THE GRAINAllie Murray’s unconventional path to SU matches her play. Page 13

2 LACROSSE GUIDE 2016 dailyorange.com

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Sports Editor’s note:Dear readers,Syracuse heads into the 2016 season without five of its top six scorers from last season. Coming off an NCAA tournament quarterfi-nal loss to Johns Hopkins, the Orange turns to old and new faces to fill the offensive voids. Fifty-goal scorer Dylan Donahue strives to orchestrate the offense while staying out of the spotlight. Jordan Evans, donning the symbolic No. 22, hopes to finally meet the expectations that accompany the number. Midfielder Derek DeJoe, whose shot can reach 111 miles per hour, wants to be known for more than just a laser. Also read about women’s players Riley Donahue and Allie Murray, who will be integral on an SU team picked atop the ACC. Enjoy our stories and thank you for reading.Sincerely,Matt Schneidman, Sports Editor

cover photo illustration by phillip elgie staff photographer

LACROSSE GUIDE 2016 3 dailyorange.com [email protected]

MEN’S LACROSSE BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS

CONNOR GROSSMANRecord: 9-4 regular seasonACC tournament finish: Loss in semifinalsNCAA tournament finish: Loss in semifinalsThere’s no definitive way to replace five of your six top scorers. The Orange finished with the nation’s second-highest scoring offense

last season, and it’s unlikely it’ll reach that height in 2016. Jordan Evans is on a mis-sion to validate the “22” sewn on the back of his jersey, and transfer Nick Mariano is expected to flourish on a team where he won’t draw opponent’s best defender. SU will run with a completely new midfield line, and faceoff specialist Ben Williams is expected to see an expanded role in the offense. Ultimately Syracuse is just too much of a team in transition to go the distance.

JON METTUS Record: 9-4 regular seasonACC tournament finish: Loss in semifinalsNCAA tournament finish: Loss in semifinalsSyracuse has lost more than three games during the regular season just once in the last eight years. But with a completely new starting

midfield and five of the team’s top six scorers from last season gone, the Orange could suffer from some early-season growing pains. Though expectations for midfielders Jordan Evans, finally healthy, and Nick Mariano, a transfer from UMass, are high, SU is still a team in transition. Its early-season matchup with No. 7 Virginia on the road could be key in determining whether or not the Orange will rise to the challenge.

PAUL SCHWEDELSONRecord: 10-3 regular seasonACC tournament finish: Loss in championshipNCAA tournament finish: Loss in quarterfinalsSyracuse could surprise people, not because they won’t expect much from the most successful college lacrosse program, his-

torically, in the country, but because the Orange’s biggest concerns are simply just unknowns. Will Jordan Evans finally live up to being the No. 1 recruit in the country? Will transfer Nick Piroli show the passing ability he did last year with 24 assists at Brown? Will there be enough scoring output from an entirely new start-ing midfield? SU has three months to figure it out and a late-May run is never out of the question for a John Desko-coached team. But with all the questions fac-ing Syracuse at the start of the season, there’s not enough evidence to predict a Memorial Day weekend appearance.

SAM FORTIERRecord: 16-3 regular seasonACC tournament finish: Win championshipNCAA tournament finish: Loss in championshipSyracuse enters this season having lost only three key players from its 2015, Atlantic Coast Conference championship season that ended

only against eventual-national champion Maryland. The team filled one hole by adding experienced goalkeeper, senior transfer Allie Murray, from Notre Dame and returns two All-Americans, including senior Kayla Treanor, a Tewaaraton Award finalist last season. The problem: Maryland returns Tewaaraton-winner senior Taylor Cummings and ACC foe North Carolina also reloaded. The Orange has the offensive firepower and defensive experience to make a national championship run, but in the coming season it has a tough mountain to climb.

TOMER LANGERRecord: 15-4 regular seasonACC tournament finish: Win championshipNCAA tournament finish: Loss in championshipSyracuse will have to, once again, play through one of the tough-est regular-season schedules, especially as it starts Atlantic Coast Conference play. Still, the Orange will be well equipped to stay

near the top of the ACC standings after returning 10 of 12 starters from last year, with many of them now juniors and seniors. Still, SU’s biggest problem the past few years has been Maryland in the NCAA tournament and the Terrapins will once again be the Orange’s downfall.

LIAM SULLIVANRecord: 16-3 regular seasonACC tournament finish: Win championshipNCAA tournament finish: Loss in semifinalsSyracuse’s attack has the weapons to repeat as ACC champi-ons. Seniors and preseason All-ACC selections Kayla Treanor

and Halle Majorana combine with sophomore Riley Donahue to return 225 of the team’s 441 points from last year. Add in Nicole Levy, who head coach Gary Gait called a “super freshman,” and SU’s offense is bound to only improve. But defense wins championships and goalkeeper Kelsey Richardson graduated, leav-ing a vacancy at goal. There are high expectations for graduate student goalie Allie Murray, but a trip to PPL Park in Philadelphia for championship weekend will hinge on her play.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS


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photo by phillip elgie staff photographer


By Connor Grossmanasst. web editor

ABOUT 50 YARDS OFF THE SHORES OF OTISCO LAKE, Kevin and Dylan Donahue let the early evening breeze navigate their undersized, metal flat-bottom fishing boat.

Equipped with a couple of downriggers, rubber worms and a fish finder, it was all they needed to ease the sting of a NCAA tournament quarterfinals loss to Johns Hopkins that was hardly two weeks old.

“We just needed to occupy some time,” said Kevin Donahue, Dylan’s father and a Syracuse assistant coach.

The Orange graduated 70 percent of its starting lineup, including five of its six top scorers. Donahue is the lone holdover. So as father and son waited in their usual spot for the bass to bite, they didn’t talk about lacrosse. They found something else.

The leaky roof in their 150-plus year-old house on Otisco Lake that requires an array of pots and pans to counter. Trolling for walleye instead of waiting for bass. Last night’s tortellini soup. Anything else, just not lacrosse.

“Nothing really needed to be said,” Dona-hue said.

While the subject was easy to deflect on that evening in early June, Donahue is now on the doorstep of his final season. As hum-bly as he might fend off the perception he won’t have to be the focal point of Syracuse’s offense, there’s no denying that role for the 5-foot-9 attack who led SU with 50 goals last season, the most scored by a Syracuse player since 1991.

He’s driven by a unique perception of the game, blending his incessant work ethic in a lacrosse-oriented family, experience play-ing behind former offensive quarterback Kevin Rice and a keen spatial awareness on the field that suits him perfectly to serve as the conductor this season.

He’d just prefer to stay out of everyone’s way while doing it.

“I don’t really like the spotlight that much,” Donahue said. “I just kind of really like to play lacrosse.”

In the confines of the Donahue’s home in Camillus, New York, nearly every room is inhabited by a bed, dresser, armoire or table made out of cheap pine. Kevin put his woodworking skills to use as a young father looking to save money with his wife.

It took 22 years for Kevin to share that passion with his youngest son, but eventu-ally the duo settled on a foosball table over Winter Break. They hid in the basement for hours on end, dismantling parts off an old model they picked up from a bar.

They made use of the old rods, bear-ings and figurines, which now floated above a scaled-down lacrosse field designed by Donahue and inspired by the Carrier Dome’s look, with a block orange “S” at midfield.

Under his father’s tutelage, Donahue built the wood-stained oak cabinet that sup-ported the refurbished playing surface. But

more so, the tangible site of something he built struck a cord.

“You just work hard and try to prove it yourself that you can do it,” Donahue said. “You look at something you want to make, and once you’re done you get to appreciate it.”

Donahue can perceive the product he wants to construct on the field. It unfolds like the way he helped build the foosball table: rigging together old parts — senior midfielders Sergio Salcido and Tim Bar-ber — with new ones like transfers Nick Piroli and Nick Mariano to create some-thing of value.

He hopes to run an offense based on the hockey assist. An offense Kevin Donahue explained ran off at least two passes before a shot. Kevin Donahue swears the best game of his career was one that involved no goals or assists.

He was the player that set up his team-mate to get an assist, who in turn was the player to set up his teammate to score. A domino-effect system balances out the stat sheet and worked f lawlessly last year behind the play-calling of Rice. With four players scoring at least 29 goals, Syra-cuse ranked as the nation’s second-highest scoring offense.

It’s difficult to imagine the same script materializing this year with 62 percent of last year’s points gone. Donahue’s 19 percent remains, and the onus is on him to lay the foundation for his project.

Dylan Donahue isn’t keen on stepping into the limelight, but as SU’s first 50-goal scorer in 24 years, it’s exactly what he’ll do

I DON’T REALLY LIKE THE SPOTLIGHT THAT MUCH. I JUST KIND OF REALLY LIKE TO PLAY LACROSSE.Dylan Donahuesu attack

DYLAN DONAHUE was Syracuse’s first 50-goal scorer in 24 years in 2015. After the departure of attack Kevin Rice due to graduation, Donahue will run the offense even though he prefers staying out of the spotlight. daily orange file photo

“He knows, the team knows and the coaches know that he’s the guy and he’s going to be the guy,” Rice said.“

Building is a relatively new concept to Donahue, but he’s long had a vision. Work-ing in her son’s elementary school classes, Laurie Donahue was taken aback to see her sports-consumed child not only sitting still, but drawing.

The basement walls of their Camil-lus home have since been splattered with Donahue’s scenic landscapes. Even more drawings were given out as Christmas gifts last year.

He’s simply able to observe, visualize and execute. In most cases that’s happened in a chair facing an easel, but it’s translated into what Rice calls an “uncanny” spatial aware-ness. The former SU attack said in jest he’s not once seen Donahue in the wrong spot on a play.

His complex perception will come to a head this season as he tries to balance slid-ing himself into scoring windows like years past, but orchestrate his teammates’ posi-tioning as well.

“Dylan understands that it’s not just what’s in front of him,” Kevin Donahue said. “It’s what’s behind him and what’s over there.”

What stands in front of him is a final chance. Not necessarily to improve his team-leading numbers from last year, but to adapt his perceived role from finisher to creator.

Behind him stands more inexperienced, yet talented pieces like Mariano and Jordan Evans, who Donahue will try to relay his perceptions to, grooming them as the team’s future ringleaders.

And over there is the NCA A champion-ship game on May 30, in Philadelphia. The final win that ’s proved elusive to Donahue, the one he can’t possibly per-ceive missing again.

[email protected] | @ConnorGrossman

BY THE NUMBERS

50Donahue notched the first 50-goal season for an Orange player since 1991.

5Number of his family members that have played for Syracuse men’s lacrosse

GOALS

2013 2014 2015

27

37

50

SHOOTING PERCENTAGE

2013 2014 2015

51.9

52.9

39.7

YEAR

YEAR

SYRACUSE POINT LEADERS SINCE 2011

STEPHEN KEOGH JOJO MARASCO41TOMMY PALASEK54

66

80

84

JOJO MARASCO

20112012

20132014

2015

KEVIN RICE

KEVIN RICE

61%

NO POINT

33%

MISSING OUT

Syracuse is without 61 percent of its points scored from last year, and Donahue remains the biggest offensive holdover from last season.

Syracuse has just 33 percent of its starts coming back.

Donahue had 71 points last season, second behind Rice, but is expected to lead SU this season.

Since transferring to Syracuse from Air Force, Donahue has slowly stepped into the spotlight and scored more goals each season.

Donahue earned a reputation for being an accurate shooter, but as he’s taken more shots, his shooting percentage has dropped 13 percent.

POINT MAN


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By Jon Mettusdigital editor

BRIELLE DEJOE CROUCHED BEHIND THE GOAL IN HER FRONT YARD and watched her older brother Derek fire shot after shot into the netting. She

braved the oncoming barrage of lacrosse balls for the thrill of watching the numbers flash on the radar gun in her outstretched arm.

104. 105. 106.“I was always excited to see how fast it

was,” Brielle said. “… I would suck it up and stand back there, but I was definitely scared.”

When it wasn’t Brielle standing behind the cage, it was her father, Steve, who was testing the speed of Derek’s shots. And if it wasn’t at home, Derek was showcasing his high-velocity shot at camps, tournaments and other lacrosse events.

DeJoe’s shot has defined his lacrosse career. It’s fast — topping out at 111 mph at an official Major League Lacrosse radar test last summer, which is only 8.9 mph shy of a world record — and why head coach John Desko tabbed him as the team’s “3-point shooter.”

But three years into his Syracuse career, DeJoe is tired of answering questions about his shot. He’s tired of being stuck, for much of his career, as a man-up specialist. He has a chance to be a mainstay in the midfield and display parts of his arsenal not defined by triple digits.

“I don’t think he’s gotten to show a lot of that stuff,” Steve DeJoe said, “Because when you’re just on man-up you just have a certain

role. Once he gets more consistency out on the field, he’s going to rise to the top and do a lot better because he’s been waiting.”

DeJoe lines his chin up over his right shoulder, extends his arms fully back to his left and crow-hops forward before ripping a shot toward the cage. It’s his mechanics that give him such high speeds on his shots, he said, joking that he’s “not that big of a guy” at the prospect of it being pure strength.

The now 6-foot-1, 215-pound midfielder was a mechanically sound player from the start, his former high school coach and current Rochester Rattler’s (MLL) coach, Tim Soudan, said. He was a natural. He never had a problem shooting with his arms tight to his body or limiting his strength to just his elbows like many players do.

What he did have was larger thighs than

his teammates, which allowed him to gener-ate power through his lower body and put torque on the ball.

“It’s rare that you get a guy that ... you can see how significantly faster he shoots the ball than other guys,” Soudan said.

At home, DeJoe constantly shattered his own windows and the neighbors’. The neigh-borhood didn’t mind too much, his dad said, but when DeJoe nearly shredded a hole in a neighbor’s garage door, his father set up a 20-foot high and 60-foot wide screen to confine the balls to their front yard.

Warming up before a game during his sophomore year of high school, DeJoe rock-eted a ball near post toward his teammate, Blaze Riorden, in net. His hand stood about as much of a chance as any of the windows.

The ball struck near the goalie’s thumb and broke the side of his hand, sending him to the hospital. DeJoe’s coaches had to talk to him about easing up in practice.

“Basically, what I told him was just shoot for the corners, “ Soudan said. “We don’t want to hurt any more of our guys. ... He’s just a guy that shoots it hard.”

When DeJoe was younger, he watched Soudan shoot in the low-100s at clinics that Soudan ran. It was the fastest DeJoe had ever seen and he wanted to emulate it.

In time, he did. DeJoe started winning every fastest shot competition he could enter. Crowds gathered at the annual Ithaca Tur-keyShoot Lacrosse Tournament to watch him

ON THE RADARDerek DeJoe wants to be known for more than just his shot LIGHTING

IT UP

I DON’T THINK HE’S GOTTEN TO SHOW A LOT OF THAT STUFF. BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE JUST ON MAN UP YOU JUST HAVE A CERTAIN ROLE. ONCE HE GETS MORE CONSISTENCY OUT ON THE FIELD, HE’S GOING TO RISE TO THE TOP AND DO A LOT BETTER BECAUSE HE’S BEEN WAITING.Steve DeJoederek dejoe’s father

111DeJoe’s top shot speed in MPH

119.9World record shot speed in MPH

88 of Derek DeJoe’s 13 goals have come with a man advantage

MAN-UP GOALS

see dejoe page 9

SEAS

ON P

OINT

S

Derek DeJoe may have more opportunities in the 2016 season to raise his point totals from years past.

2013 2014 2015

11 83



see evans page 10

Jordan Evans is still trying to fulfill the expectations of No. 22 after 2 leg injuries

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Evans has played in just 78 percent (25/32) of games since coming to Syracuse.

78%

GAMES PLAYED

1 Evans was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2013

By Chris Libonatiasst. sports editor

STANDING ON THE TURF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 49,250-SEAT CARRIER DOME, fans’ stares cornered Jordan Evans. Their eyes pleaded with him: What’s going on now? He

caught the glares of people expecting him to play in Syracuse’s 2015 season-opener against Siena.

Ranked the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2013, the Jamesville-DeWitt (New York) product was tabbed by Syracuse head coach John Desko as the first freshman to wear the iconic No. 22 since 2006. His first two seasons haven’t lived up to the hype he came to SU with.

Leg injuries diverted Evans’ path away from Syracuse’s record books. His absence on the field compounded the expectations that followed wearing the same number Gary Gait, Charlie Lockwood and Mike Powell. He’s invited that pressure and used it to fuel a rediscovery of the player he once was.

In the first round of the 2015 NCAA tour-nament against Marist, Evans scored five goals. Two came while he played attack, his natural position and the one he’ll play in 2016. Three came at midfield, where the start of his career was derailed. Entering his junior year, he’ll have a chance to prove he’s the Jor-dan Evans of old. That he’s over the injuries, over the pressure and he’s better than the mediocre first two seasons of his career.

But when Syracuse opened 2015 against the Saints, he sat out, injured for a second straight season. Again, he could feel people’s disappointment raining down on him. It didn’t matter there was no “22,” his scarlet letter, stitched on his back. The gray sweat suit said more to the fans. The eye contact was “brutal,” he said. His voice wavered.

“All these people who wear this jersey ahead of you put so much pressure on you, and it’s not their fault that they were great players,” Evans said. “It’s the fans who put this pressure on you. There’s nothing wrong with it.

“… It’s disappointing that I want to show people, but I haven’t gotten the chance to.”

•••He crumpled to the turf and his mind raced to the worst conclusion: a torn ACL, the 2015 seasaon, also his sophomore season, over before it began. He sat off to the side

of practice and broke down, unable to bare another year lost.

Just before the season, Evans’ finger split open and his fingertip shattered. It was relatively minor, his mother, Wendi Evans, said, but after a rough freshman cam-paign, he was ready for a breakout season. “He was really, really upset about that,” Wendi said. “He was just pissed … It was so defeating. ‘Are you kidding me, I just got hurt again?’”

“… I said, ‘Jordan, it’s only a finger, it’s not a knee.’”

The comment, meant to provide per-spective, became reality. Choked up, Evans called Tommy Anthis, a former Jamesville-DeWitt lacrosse player and longtime friend. Anthis says he’ll never forget that call. No

TICK TOCK

AUG. 5, 2013inside lacrosse reported evans will wear no. 22 as a freshman

FEBRUARY 2014evans sprained his ankle, which persists for much of the season

FEBRUARY 2015evans’ knee buckled in practice, but he doesn’t think it’s an acl injury

MAY 10, 2015evans took off his knee brace against marist and scores five goals, nearly doubling his career output

FEB. 13, 2016evans will play

attack for syracuse when the orange plays siena

The time is ticking on Jordan Evans’ career after two leg injuries shortened his first two seasons. Since taking No. 22, he hasn’t been able to fulfill the expectations set for him.

CATCH 22


8 LACROSSE GUIDE 2016

1916–1930 | LAURIE COX

WHO HE ISWhen his dad retired, it only made sense for Simmons Jr. to carry on the tradition. He’d been the second-leading scorer on the 1957 undefeated team — second to only Jim Brown. Simmons Jr. became head coach in 1970, led the team to an NCAA-record 16-consecutive final fours and won six national championships. He retired in 1998 with an all-time record of 290-96 (.751).

JOHN DESKO | 1

999–PRESENT

ROY SIMMONS JR. | 1971–1998

1931–1970 | ROY SIMMONS SR.

THREE BEST PLAYERS Mikey Powell

Cody Jamieson

JoJo Marasco

THREE BEST WINS 1983 national title —

Syracuse 17, Johns Hopkins 16

It’s Simmons Jr.’s favorite champion-ship. His father, Roy Simmons, cried after “his boy” won his own first title.

1989 national title — Syracuse 13, Johns Hopkins 12

The Orange avenged its only regular season loss by beating the Blue Jays behind the efforts of the Gait brothers.

1993 national title — Syracuse 13, North Carolina 12 Syracuse’s Matt Riter scored the game winner with eight seconds left to give SU its fourth national championship.

MEET ROY SIMMONS JR.

WHY HE MATTERSA man with the last name of Simmons coached Syracuse lacrosse for 67 consecutive years in the 1900s. The Simmons name is synonymous with lacrosse. Simmons Jr. stewarded the legacy and elevated the program’s status by consistently winning. He began the outreach into Canadian lacrosse, recruiting the Gaits and Tom Marecheck. He also fostered a culture for the Orange. In an ESPN interview, he said he told the freshman class, “Thank you for coming to Syracuse. I’m your new coach for the next four years. And if you want to play for me, you owe me your first-born male child.”

THREE BEST PLAYERS

Gary Gait

Casey Powell

Paul Gait

WHO HE ISDesko won five national championships in the 10 years from 2000-09 and had no problems carrying the torch from the father-son Simmons coaching combo. He boasts a 32-11 record in the NCAA tournament, the best winning percentage in tournament history, while accounting for the third-most NCAA titles of all-time with five. He also boasts the highest winning percentage of any active Division I coach with a 76.2 mark and 211 overall wins. Desko has been a part of the Orange coaching staff for 36 years and enters his 18th season as SU head coach.

WHY HE MATTERSDesko seamlessly strung the championship tradition of Syracuse lacrosse into the 21st century, with one of the best stretches in lacrosse history during his first decade. He’s upheld the tradition of Syracuse’s connection with lacrosse in Onondaga County as he was instrumental in bringing the World Indoor Championships to Syracuse in 2015.

THREE BEST WINS 2004 national title - Syracuse 14, Navy 13

The fourth-seeded Orange defeated the No. 2-seed Midshipmen thanks to a game-winner from Mikey Powell with a minute left in the fourth quarter. SU outscored Navy, 3-1, in the final five minutes of the game for the win.

MEET JOHN DESKO

2008 national title - Syracuse 13, Johns Hopkins 10

Syracuse rode a three-goal performance from midfielder Dan Hardy and a three-point outing by NCAA tournament MVP Mike Leveille to its second title in five years.

2009 national title - SU 10, Cornell 9

Cody Jamieson scored a sudden-death game-winner in overtime to erase a once three-goal deficit late in the fourth quarter to give SU back-to-back championships.

100 YEARS OF SYRACUSE

LACROSSEA look at four coaches that

have carried the tradition of SU lacrosse over an entire century

LACROSSE GUIDE 2016 9

1916–1930 | LAURIE COX

WHO HE ISSimmons Sr. led Syracuse to a 251-130-1 record as the head coach at Syracuse from 1931-1970. Although he came to Syracuse to play football, he also played lacrosse from 1924-25. Simmons Sr. coached in the North-South All-Star game in 1952, 1954 and 1963, and is the only Syracuse coach to do so more than once. Simmons would craft his roster from normal SU students and football players that weren’t in season. His 1957 team went undefeated, and his son, Roy Simmons Jr., and Jim Brown played on the team.

WHO HE ISThe first head coach in Syracuse lacrosse history, Cox laid down a foundation for success in the 100 years that have followed. In 14 seasons as head coach, he went 116-40-15. The Nova Scotia native graduated from Harvard with a degree in landscape architecture in 1908 and played for the Crimson. He brought the game to Syracuse while also serving as the head of SU’s landscape engineering department. He later became the inaugural coach at New England College while also serving as its president. Cox was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1957.

JOHN DESKO | 1

999–PRESENT

ROY SIMMONS JR. | 1971–1998

1931–1970 | ROY SIMMONS SR.

THREE BEST WINS May 18, 1957 — Syracuse 8, Army 6

The win completed Roy Simmons Sr.’s only undefeated season. Roy Simmons Jr., Oren Lyons and Jim Brown all played on the team and the win was the team’s closest of the season.

MEET LAURIE COX

WHY HE MATTERSAnytime someone establishes something that exists for 100 years, they’re going to matter. Cox led Syracuse to championships in 1920, 1922, 1924 and 1925. While the sport of lacrosse on the collegiate level was still in its early stages, Cox scheduled games against other clubs unafilliated with schools.

THREE BEST PLAYERS Frederick Fitch

Irving Lydecker

Victor Ross

MEET ROY SIMMONS SR.

WHY HE MATTERSSimmons coached at Syracuse for 40 seasons and built on the foundation Laurie Cox set for the program to eventually become the machine it is. He coached in the first-ever box lacrosse game between two college teams and helped provide an athletic respite from the Great Depression. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1964.

THREE BEST WINS May 24, 1918 — 2-0 win at Penn

Syracuse’s first three wins in program history all came against the Syracuse lacrosse club. After winning just one game in 1916 and not having a season in 1917, SU’s win over Penn marks its first against another college.

April 29, 1922 — 3-1 win at Johns Hopkins

SU’s first win against Johns Hopkins played a key factor in its 1922 USILA co-championship season. In 1922, no team emerged from USILA’s southern division and Syracuse went undefeated.

May 24, 1924 — 6-5 win vs. Hobart

Syracuse went 13-0-1 in 1924 and its one-goal win against Hobart was its closest call of the season, save for a tie against against Onondaga Nation. SU went on to be the undisputed USILA champion.

THREE BEST PLAYERS Oren Lyons

Jim Brown

William Fuller

April 4, 1931 — Syracuse 3, Alumni 2

The win was Roy Simmons Sr.’s first as Syracuse’s head coach. The 1931 team went 7-4 and started a streak of 24 seasons finishing .500 or better. Years that Simmons served during World War II were not included.

May 13, 1931 — Syracuse 9, Hobart 1

Simmons’ first win against Hobart came in his first season. Eventually, the two teams formed the Kraus-Simmons Trophy, named for Simmons Sr. and Hobart coach Francis “Babe” Kraus, that Syracuse and Hobart play for annually.

100 YEARS OF SYRACUSE

LACROSSEA look at four coaches that

have carried the tradition of SU lacrosse over an entire century


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I FELT LIKE, OK, I CAN DO THESE THINGS AND I’M NOT GOING TO BE AFRAID TO SHOOT OR DODGE ON PEOPLE ANYMORE. AFTER THAT I WAS LIKE, I’M GOING TO PLAY LACROSSE NOW.Jordan Evanssu attack

number of words could convey the message Evans’ tone spelled out clearer.

“He puts a lot of stress on himself,” Anthis said, “and I think it stressed him out more because of the hype when he injured himself for the second time … I think he was more angry than anything.”

Teammates patted him on the back, tell-ing him everything was going to be fine and that he’d contribute to the team, all things that seemed false. The comforting overtures softened the blow, if only slightly. Luckily for Evans, an MRI revealed he hadn’t torn his ACL and that, with rehab, he could return early in 2015.

That was at least a silver lining for the then-sophomore. He would be able to play just one year after his freshman season slipped away because of a high ankle sprain. It prevented him from dodging and cutting, two key parts of his skillset. He was forced to play defensive midfield, a position he had never played.

Two knee injuries in two years would mean little to fans had the number on his back not been No. 22.

The theory that injuries have shortened his last two seasons may hold weight, but those eyes ogling from the stands want to see a No. 1 recruit, not Evans’ 11 career goals and three assists.

“People take the injury and say, ‘Well, he’s injured, he may not be that good,’” Evans said. “But I don’t see how that is something that you could combine an injury with.”

He said he doesn’t read tweets and online comments, but Evans knows what people say. For as much external pressure as there is on Evans to get back, he’s also pressed himself to return. He, just like the fans, would like to see his old self, the one that was tabbed to take No. 22.

In his two seasons at SU, the injuries have heaped pressure on to the already ever-present expectations. Sometimes, Evans has joked about giving up the number, taking another one and easing the weight, now two

years old and growing, off his back. “I know nobody on this team would switch

numbers, so sometimes I’m like, ‘You want to switch numbers with me?’ ‘Oh yeah, I’ll take No. 1 next year.’ And then I think of, that would be a huge story in itself,” Evans said. “Well now he doesn’t want the number, but then what if I’m a better player if I’m No. 1.

“It’s just a jersey number. People just don’t realize that.”

•••When Evans rehabbed from injuries, former teammate Mike Messina was there to crack jokes and keep him positive. When Evans strug-gled with a position switch to defensive midfield, Messina helped Evans learn the position.

After hurting his leg twice, Anthis said Evans started working out more to protect himself from another crushing injury. So when Evans got into the weight room, it was Messina helping him develop his habits.

The junior works out six days per week, getting up at 8 a.m., arriving at the gym by 9:30 a.m. and sometimes stretching for an hour to prevent injury.

Working out has become Evans’ pressure valve. During high school, Evans channeled the pressure of his recognition into doing things on the lacrosse field no one had ever seen before.

“I would laugh at myself,” Evans said, “where if I did things that not a lot of people were able to do, that’s what eased the pres-sure, like, ‘Wow this is awesome.’”

But Evans hasn’t had that outlet the past two seasons. His lateral movement has been limited by injuries and a brace wired him to be a mechanical player.

Messina pushed him to get into the weight room and to continually improve even if he couldn’t be on the field. Evans’ motivation was partially to earn the nickname “hammer,” Mes-sina said, which was first given to JoJo Mar-asco, the No. 22 before Evans, for his prowess in the weight room and then passed to Messina.

In addition to his lacrosse workouts, Evans started cross-fit training with Anthis two years ago at Anthis’ gym, Urban Life Athletics. Within three days of the 2014 season ending, Evans came into the gym and Anthis could see the frustration of Evans’ lost season, and he watched him burn off the disappointment.

Evans asked Messina if he earned the moniker throughout the 2015 season, but the senior held off as long as he could.

“Toward the end of the season,” Mes-sina said, “I told him, ‘Hey man, you’re a hammer now.”

In the NCAA tournament against Marist,

from page 7

evans

2Number of games Evans missed in 2015 after he thought he had torn his ACL.

the work Evans put in to earn the nickname converged with the work he did on the field. His knee brace’s removal unchained Evans from the turf.

The result is saved on his television — he scored five goals for his first career multi-goal game.

He discounts some of his production because to him it was just Marist and two goals were gifted to him, but Evans looked as comfortable as he ever has. A fake pass to Nick Weston drew one defender out of Evans’ shooting lane, allowing the latter to fire a laser into the top left corner.

“I felt like, ‘OK, I can do these things and I’m not going to be afraid to shoot or dodge on people anymore,’” Evans said. “After that I was like, ‘I’m going to play lacrosse now.’”

For so long, Anthis had watched Evans tentatively plant, but he and Wendi realized her son, even if only for a night, had returned.

•••In the last two years, Evans has talked to his mom mostly about classwork with lacrosse a close second. She suspects it’s because it

hurt to think about the sport he couldn’t play up to the expectations set for him. Recently, however, lacrosse has dominated thew conversation.

There are no injuries to keep him off the field. He’s no longer playing out of position. He doesn’t have to consult his brain how to defend.

He’s gotten back to yelling when team-mates score, laughing when someone is shook by a move and going crazy when some-one stings a corner.

“That’s the fun part of lacrosse,” Evans said. “People think you’re like a trash talker or something if you laugh when someone makes somebody fall, but that’s what I like to do.”

The most fun part about playing attack to Evans, though, is the ride. He craves the opportunity to get the ball back after los-ing it, grabbing possession before the other team hits midfield. He believes that’s where the game is won.

Evans’ first two seasons have been a mis-fire. As his career approaches midfield, he sees the opportunity to grab ahold of it again.

[email protected] | @ChrisLibonati

MEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE

Siena —Saturday, Feb. 13, 1 P.M., Carrier Dome

Albany — Sunday, Feb. 21, 4 P.M., Carrier Dome

Army — Sunday, Feb. 28, 4 P.M., Carrier Dome

Virginia — Friday, Mar. 4, 5:30 P.M., Charlottesville, Virginia

St. John's — Saturday, Mar. 12, 4 P.M., Carrier Dome

Johns Hopkins — Saturday, Mar. 19, 4 P.M., Baltimore

Duke — Saturday, Mar. 26, noon, Durham, North Carolina

Notre Dame — Saturday, April 2, 5 P.M., Carrier Dome

Hobart — Wednesday, April 6, 7 P.M., Geneva, New York

Cornell — Tuesday, April 12, 7 P.M., Ithaca, New York

North Carolina — Saturday, April 16, 4 P.M., Carrier Dome

Binghamton — Wednesday, April 20, 7 P.M., Carrier Dome

ACC Tournament — April 29-May 1, Kennesaw, Georgia

Colgate — Saturday, May 7, 1 P.M., Carrier Dome

WOMEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE

Loyola — Sunday, Feb. 14, noon, Carrier Dome

Binghamton — Sunday, Feb. 14, 7:30 P.M., Carrier Dome

Wagner — Sunday, Feb. 21, noon, Carrier Dome

Marist — Sunday, Feb. 21, 7:30 P.M., Carrier Dome

Northwestern — Sunday, Feb. 28, noon, Carrier Dome

Florida — Tuesday, Mar. 1, noon, Carrier Dome.

Virginia — Saturday, Mar. 5, 1 P.M., Charlottesville, Virginia

Maryland — Saturday, Mar. 12, noon, Carrier Dome

Harvard — Wednesday, Mar. 16, 6 P.M., Cambridge, Massachusetts

Boston College — Saturday, Mar. 19, 1 P.M., Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Notre Dame — Saturday, Mar. 26, noon, South Bend, Indiana

Connecticut — Tuesday, Mar. 29, 6 P.M., Carrier Dome

Duke — Sunday, April 3, noon, Carrier Dome

Canisius — Tuesday, April 5, 7 P.M., Buffalo, New York

Virginia Tech — Saturday, April 9, noon, Blacksburg, Virginia

Albany — Tuesday, April 12, 3 P.M., Albany, New York

North Carolina — Saturday, April 16, noon, Carrier Dome

Cornell — Tuesday, April 19, 7 P.M., Ithaca, New York

Louisville — Saturday, April 23, noon, Carrier Dome

ACC Tournament — April 28-May 1, Blacksburg, Virginia


By Paul Schwedelsonasst. sports editor

NICK MARIANO DIDN’T NEED THE SPOT-LIGHT. With or without it, he would have been content. But among older teammates who went on to play at

Johns Hopkins, Marquette and Towson, the freshman was still the one being talked about.

A local TV host nicknamed him ‘Slick Nick, the fearless freshman.’ A newspaper referred to him as ‘Nicky Lax.’ Mariano didn’t like the attention, but it spread quickly.

When he traveled to Maryland for the Blue Chip recruiting showcase, Mariano’s room-mate already knew him before they met.

“‘Oh wow, I know that name,’” his father, Phil Mariano, recalled Nick’s roommate saying. “‘You’re Slick Nick.’

“Nick was embarrassed.”Mariano received attention starting as a

first grader by playing against sixth graders. He made it onto his future varsity coach’s radar as a fourth grader. He was the center of defensive game plans as Massachusetts’ leading goal-scorer in his first two collegiate seasons.

But Mariano says the turning point of his career, which began when a miniature plas-tic stick was placed in his hands two hours after birth, came just months ago when he transferred to Syracuse.

The focus, for a change, isn’t solely on him. His SU coaches give him more leeway to experiment and make mistakes than his UMass coaches did. He won’t attract the opposition’s No. 1 defender. When he plays midfield, a position he hasn’t played since sixth grade, he’ll only be guarded by a short stick instead of a long pole.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy playing lacrosse before,” Mariano said.

Before transferring, Mariano totaled 51 goals and 30 assists in two seasons. He was recruited by Syracuse out of high school, but the Orange’s interest wavered. Mariano took a detour, but he is finally at the school he dreamed of attending while growing up.

The natural attack brings a dynamic skill set that gives Syracuse flexibility to play him either at attack or midfield. He fits into an offense that also features attention-getters Dylan Donahue, who scored 50 goals last

OUT OF FOCUSNick Mariano finds niche role at Syracuse after being the leading scorer at Massachusetts

MINUTES MAN

Nick Mariano racked up 42 of UMass’ 245 points last season, good for 17.1 percent of the Minutemen’s offense. The player with the second-most points had 28.

Mariano took 98 of UMass’ 494 total shots last season, good for 19.8 percent. The player with the second most shots on the Minutemen took 61.

17.1% 19.8%

OFFENSE %

TOTAL SHOTS

see mariano page 14

34Mariano was ranked 34th in the Class of 2013

81In two seasons at UMass, Mariano totaled a team-high 51 goals and 30 assists, adding up to 81 points.

AT UMASS, EVERYTHING WAS ABOUT NICK AND … IT’S TOUGH WHEN YOU TRY TO CARRY THE WHOLE TEAM.Phil Marianonick mariano’s father



[email protected]

By Liam Sullivan staff writer

RILEY DONAHUE RECEIVED HER FIRST LACROSSE STICK FROM HER FATHER BEFORE SHE WAS 6 YEARS OLD. After watching her two older brothers Dylan and Collin play,

she had been clamoring for one of her own. Donahue was shorter than the stick at

the time, but her father Kevin dyed the white men’s stick her favorite colors, purple and pink.

The stick remains in the Donahue’s garage today. It serves as a distinct twist on Donahue’s lacrosse lineage, which features her dad, three uncles and two brothers, all of whom have played at Syracuse.

“I can learn a lot from what they’ve all done here for their programs and the success my family’s had,” Donahue said.

After 12 years of playing in the shadow of her family members who have left their mark upon the men’s program, the sopho-more is primed to make a name for herself in 2016.

But with current seniors Kayla Treanor and Halle Majorana combining for 182 of SU’s 441 total points last year, the upper-classmen will shoulder most of the offensive load on the attack this season. The pair leaves Donahue as Syracuse’s third attack, a position she’s more than comfortable with

as she learns from and quietly builds upon her family’s example.

Even as a freshman in 2015, Donahue provided head coach Gary Gait with a reli-able complementary option with the third-most goals, 28, and third-most assists, 15, on the team while starting every game. Donahue already possesses a savvy lacrosse IQ, seizes opportunities on the attack and excels at groundballs, Gait said, but in 2016, he’ll ask for more as he looks to diversify his team’s attack even further.

“There’s so much focus of Kayla Treanor and Halle Majorana … and (Donahue’s) going to be able to quietly play her game and put up some unbelievable numbers,” Gait said. “Most people talking will be talking about those players, and she’ll just be out there getting the job done.”

As a high-profile recruit with a famil-

iar last name, expectations were high for Donahue during her freshman campaign. Treanor and Majorana would thread no-look passes that soared by, catching Dona-hue unaware. She found herself playing timid at times and taking the field in the Carrier Dome for the first time brought nerves that hindered her play.

This year has been noticeably different, though, as Donahue’s confidence blossomed throughout fall practice and pre-season workouts. Over Winter Break, she spent five days a week at Manley Field House doing wall-ball drills, putting shots on net and even occasionally playing with her brother Dylan and other players on the men’s team.

She possessed a strong shot, a knack for being in the right place at the right time and even an ability to score last year, Majorana said. But with added repetitions, Donahue’s confidence has increased, making Syracuse even more dangerous.

“She’s a sophomore, but she plays like a senior,” Majorana said. “She’s not afraid to lead people out there and now she’s not afraid to be vocal.”

Even as Donahue improves, she’ll take a backseat like she did while growing up. She had her own friends, but would spend a lot of her time at her brother’s practices and watching games.

As she grew up, she’d play in the backyard with both of her brothers — sharpening a

tough, mental edge. Now she practices with her teammates, coordinating times to meet up for extra work with a group text message with the other attacks.

The work isn’t to overtake Treanor and Majorana as the team’s offensive leaders, but to better complement the pair and make opponents’ third defender pay. Even when she had been the star of a team in high school, she shied away from the attention that comes with the leading role.

Laurie Donahue, her mother, remem-bers Riley pacing the kitchen while on the phone with her high school lacrosse coach, Bob Elmer, who informed his star senior attacker she had earned 2014 CNY Player of the Year honors.

“He told her the award and she said, ‘What’s that?’” Laurie said. “She’s just always been that way, hating attention. Riley does what she does for her teammates and because she loves lacrosse.”

In 2016, Donahue doesn’t have to be the star. But just like her pink and purple men’s stick, she’s going to take what others have given her and make it distinctly hers.

“I just want to build on some of the things that I have learned so far here at Syracuse and try to make a little bit of a name for myself as well,” Donahue said. “On one hand, I don’t have to do much, but on the other, I think I have a really big role to play.”

[email protected]

NEXT IN LINERiley Donahue follows family footsteps, seeks to create own name with SU women

51.9%

RILED UP

Riley Donahue’s shooting percentage last season

SHOOTING %

RILEY DONAHUE has often followed in the footsteps of her family, whether it be her father, brothers or uncles. But now she’s ready to break out in her own right. She’ll serve as the Orange’s third attack with All-Americans Kayla Treanor and Halle Majorana while looking to build on her 43 points from 2015. courtesy of su athletics


Goalkeeper Allie Murray’s unorthodox path to Syracuse mirrors her playing styleBy Sam Fortier asst. copy editor

THAT FEELING, THE COMPETITIVE ITCH TO PICK THE LACROSSE STICK BACK UP, hit Allie Murray whenever she played sports with the kids. After graduating

from Notre Dame in three years, she worked in youth development for a university-affiliated community center in South Bend, Indiana.

She taught reading, writing, even a little lacrosse during daily after-school programs. While searching for graduate programs, she kept thinking about her final year of eligibility. In UND’s 2014 regular season finale, Murray’s last-ever start, she allowed six goals on seven shots and was pulled after seven minutes and 41 seconds. The opponent, then-No. 1 Syracuse.

Then she walked away, unsure if she’d ever play again. She had no idea her career would be resurrected at the same school that once ended it.

“A second chance I never thought I’d have,” Murray said.

It was the solution Syracuse didn’t expect. After falling short in the national semifinal, the Orange lost just three key players, one of whom was goalie Kelsey Richardson. An injury to sophomore Melina Woon Avery left the position in question. The answer arrived when Murray visited SU with her mother and enrolled in a graduate Child and Family Studies program. Murray’s unorthodox path to Syracuse mirrors her unorthodox style of play, which at times has left her on the bench and other times “unbeatable.” Head coach Gary Gait still has yet to officially name a starter but tabbed Murray the frontrunner.

“I’d like to say we took a leap of faith, but it really wasn’t,” said assistant coach Regy Thor-pe. “It was a no-brainer. … What I love about her is that she’s hungry, she gets another chance.”

She missed two fall practices per week because of teaching assistant obligations, but made up for it by consuming hours of film in 30-minute chunks and playing in 20-plus scrimmages. Since arriving at SU, Murray has also groomed SU’s future. Teammate and first-team All-American Halle Majorana said she never turns down offers to take extra shots. Murray developed a routine for goal-keepers of “next-level drills” featuring foot-work, clearing and hand-eye coordination.

Murray’s been working on those drills since high school. At Downington East (PA), she had the quickest hand-eye coordination Lee Krug had seen in 39 years of coaching. During game warm-ups Krug usually scored at will from six yards out on most high school goalkeepers, but Murray surprised him. Krug shot harder. It made no difference. Sometimes, he thought Murray was laughing at him.

Her reflexes helped develop an approach Krug had never seen before. When faced with a 1-on-1, Murray aggressively took one or two steps out to the right or left. Typically, goal-keepers step straight to the player, forcing them to choose a side to attack. Murray chose for them, cutting off shooting angles to one side,

but leaving an open net on the other. Murray watched, waiting for the shot and then used her reflexes to meet the attacker’s stick. It remind-ed Krug of a basketball player blocking a shot.

The coaching staff tried to change her approach, but she kept winning, became a high school All-American and they aban-doned the project. Murray carried the aggression to Notre Dame under Christine Halfpenny and now Syracuse.

“She’s not shackled back there,” Thorpe said. “She comes out and makes plays. We’re going to give up some open-netters probably here or there. She’s fun to watch. She’s really like an eighth defender.”

A few times during her senior year of high

school, Murray was subbed out mid-game because, Krug said, she didn’t seem inter-ested. When she played well, she excelled, but she struggled with consistency.

Krug, Halfpenny and Thorpe all said when Murray goes on a “hot streak,” she’ll make game-changing saves. Each coach used the word “unbeatable.” Once, when Halfpenny said Murray got “really hot,” she made eight saves, including one in the final minute on a free position shot to preserve

a Fighting Irish one-goal upset over No. 4 Northwestern. Forty-five days later, she was subbed out against Syracuse.

That feeling — the happiness of picking up a lacrosse stick again — hit Murray when she stepped back onto the turf. She shares a house with her fifth-year teammates and relishes seeing shots again. She allowed goals this fall, but even that felt OK when the defense formed around her.

“It’s unlike anything else,” Murray said of teammates, for whom she has plans. “… We have a good opportunity at winning (the national championship).

“I know it’s my last shot.” [email protected]

A SECOND CHANCE I NEVER THOUGHT I’D HAVE.Allie Murraysu goalkeeper

647 Number of days between appearing in an NCAA lacrosse game for Murray

ALLIE MURRAY made her last college start for Notre Dame against then-No. 1 Syracuse in 2013. Two years later, the senior has revived her career with the Orange and filled one of the team’s few holes heading into the 2016 season. courtesy of su athletics

AROUND THE BEND


[email protected]

86

season, and Jordan Evans, who wears Syra-cuse’s famed No. 22.

That leaves Mariano to take advantage of opportunities he hasn’t had since playing at Yorktown (New York) High School, when he played alongside five other All-Americans his senior year and anything less than a sec-tion title was considered a failure.

“You want to play at the highest level you can possibly play at,” Mariano said. “… and that’s what you get when you come here (to Syracuse).”

Even as a first grader going against sixth graders, Mariano had the best stick skills on the field. He threw behind-the-back passes with ease and scored three goals that season

in extremely limited playing time to reduce injury risk against bigger kids.

After Mariano’s first-ever goal, an announcer at the game proclaimed, “Believe me folks, you’re going to hear about this kid as a Division I player somewhere,” Phil recalled. The 7-year-old continued garnering atten-tion from parents who were upset he was better than their children five years older.

Before the spring of Mariano’s second-grade year, a coach told his dad he would no longer be allowed to play in Ossining’s league with the older players because he was too young. Phil Mariano said he thinks the real reason was because several parents complained Nick was too good.

So he put his house up for sale and moved to Yorktown, which borders Ossining, fac-

toring in both the long-term and short-term ramifications.

Nick could play for the Yorktown Ath-letic Club, which had teams appropriate for his age and, later on, play for a high school that sent 11 All-Americans to Syra-cuse from 1981 to 2001, including National Lacrosse Hall of Famers Tim Nelson, Roy Colsey and Dom Fin.

“It had all to do with lacrosse,” Phil said of the reason why he moved. And the reason Mariano transferred to Syracuse had “abso-lutely” to do with a chance to win a national title, his dad said.

In his second collegiate game, Mariano scored a game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Minutemen over Ohio State in a nationally televised game, immediately introducing him to the college lacrosse world. It’s a goal that his teammates at Syra-cuse still remind him about.

But on a team that’s only made one final four in program history, Mariano grew from a freshman standout to the focal point of his team’s offense.

Now, he won’t be.“There’s five, six, seven other kids as good

as him if not more,” Phil said. “It’s not all on (him). Everything’s about Dylan Donahue and it should be, because he’s a star and he’s a phenomenal player. At UMass, everything was about Nick and … it’s tough when you try to carry the whole team.”

With two years left to play for Syracuse, the pressure is off of Mariano. He doesn’t know where he’ll fit into the offense or how much offensive production he’ll have.

But for Mariano, none of the unknowns matter anymore.

“I don’t really have to worry about any-thing,” Mariano said. “It gives me the swagger to go out and just play the game that I know.”

[email protected] | @pschweds

Mariano played alongside 5 other All-Americans his senior year of high school.

from page 11

mariano


win lacrosse stick heads each year. At tourna-ments, his teammates would take the money their parents gave them for the $1 shot speed competitions and give it to DeJoe to use.

“He’d win a bunch of prizes for doing it,” Riorden said. “… We knew he was going to win.”

In games, though, a quick release is more important than the velocity on the ball, he said. That was something that came natu-rally to him, too.

From 15 yards out, DeJoe can catch a pass

while taking a step forward and shoot on net all in one fluid motion.

“I usually tell people to let up shots out-side of 12 yards. Twelve yards is fine with me,” said Riorden, now the starting goalie at Albany. “But when it comes to Derek, I have to tell them to push out to at least 15 yards.”

His shot and ability to stretch opposing defenses has been mostly limited to man-up opportunities. Eight of his 13 career goals have come during a man advantage. In the stands, his father would anxiously await opposing penalties because they signaled DeJoe’s time on the field.

DeJoe focused on dodging this offseason and improved his shooting with his non-dominant right hand. During Syracuse’s scrimmage against Le Moyne on Jan. 30, DeJoe played with the second line of mid-fielders. Now that midfielders like Nicky Galasso, Henry Schoonmaker and Hakeem Lecky are gone, there are spots in the mid-field for the taking.

“That’s what he’s been waiting for,” Steve DeJoe said. “That’s what he’s been trying to do.”

Standing on the block S in the middle of the Carrier Dome field, DeJoe is the only player on the team that can fire the ball straight up

165 feet and hit the top of the Dome.His shot has gotten him this far in his

Orange career. It’s given him a reputation in the lacrosse community, causing defenders and even sometimes goalies to duck out of the way.

But even though he can tag the inflated roof with lacrosse balls, he hasn’t yet reached his own ceiling. His first, and last, chance to show his dodging, improved offhand and effect he can have beyond the extra man role all hinge on this season.

“I don’t want to leave any questions,” DeJoe said.

[email protected] | @jmettus

By Tomer Langer asst. copy editor

PETER JR. AND CONNOR FIELDS, 11 AND 8 YEARS OLD, respectively, had just received new lacrosse sticks for Christmas. They went to their back-

yard, dusted off the snow and began to play catch. At a certain point, Peter’s hands went

numb because of the cold. He decided to go inside, expecting Connor to follow him. Instead, Connor pulled out a bounce-back wall and told his older brother that he was going to keep shooting for a bit.

Connor stayed outside for another 45 minutes.

“He would just spend hours in the back-yard just shooting and practicing and per-fecting his shot,” Peter Fields Jr. said.

Fields’ talent and desire to improve showed from an early age. It’s what led him to become a two-time All-American in high school, set the New York state record with 129 goals his junior year and be ranked as the 15th best recruit in the 2014 class by Inside Lacrosse.

Last year, Fields scored 66 goals for Albany, the most in a season by a freshman in Division I histo-ry and the ninth most all-time. But now the Great

Danes are without Lyle Thompson, the first ever back-to-back Tewaaraton Trophy winner, whose 52 goals and 69 assists last year helped him set the NCAA all-time record for points and assists. And if the No. 13 Great Danes are going to make the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year, it’s going to be Fields who leads the way.

“You saw Connor one dimensional last year,” Albany head coach Scott Marr said. “You’ll see him this year, and over the course of the next couple of years being someone

who has the ball in his stick a lot, carrying the ball and making things happen, being a playmaker not only as a scorer but as a feeder.

In his last season at Albany, Thompson took Fields as his understudy. They were roommates on the road, they’d sit next to each other on the bus and they’d hang out together at night. Marr said he could tell they had a con-nection on the field as early as fall practices.

Fields said no individual can replace Thomp-son, but he’s aware of the added pressure and responsibility he’s going to face this year.

“We talked about it,” Peter Fields Jr. said. “I think he’s up for the challenge.”

Growing up, when Fields wasn’t playing catch with the bounce-back wall, he was honing his shooting touch in one-on-one matches with Peter. At the beginning they would decide whether to use a field lacrosse or box lacrosse net — they both started off playing box lacrosse in Canada — and then set up targets in the goal.

Fields also played ice hockey in high school, which he thinks helped him solidify his most defining lacrosse attribute, his unorthodox underhand shot.

“When I started coaches were always telling me to shoot overhead, overhead,

overhead,” Fields said. “I was really trying to work on that, but it was more comfortable for me to release on a lower angle.”

While Marr said he’s impressed with Fields’ underhand shot, he still wants him to use the overhand when it’s more beneficial.

Still, one of the most impressive moments Marr remembers of Fields from last year was in the America East championship game against Stony Brook. Fields made a move and found himself with a sliver of space with just his right hand on the butt end of his stick. He took the bottom-to-top one-handed shot and rifled it just underneath the crossbar.

“It was a pretty remarkable shot,” Marr said. “It was late in the season, but it showed us how talented he really is.”

Albany also returns Seth Oakes, who scored 54 goals last year. And with the Great Danes’ fast-pace run-and-gun offense, there should be plenty of opportunities for the team to get good shots on net.

But Fields knows he’ll have to dodge and feed more without Thompson. He’s confident he can make it happen, and so is his head coach.

And Marr, who’s coached four Tewaaraton finalists and 19 All-Americans, knows that his star player is just scratching the surface of his potential.

“I think really the sky is the limit for him,” Marr said.

[email protected] | @tomer_langer

Connor Fields steps in to fill void left by Lyle Thompson at Albany

YOU’LL SEE HIM THIS YEAR, AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS BEING SOMEONE WHO HAS THE BALL IN HIS STICK A LOT, CARRYING THE BALL AND MAKING THINGS HAPPEN, BEING A PLAYMAKER NOT ONLY AS A SCORER BUT AS A FEEDER.Scott Marralbany head coach

FIELD GENERAL

With Lyle Thompson gone, Connor Fields will step into a larger role along with attack Seth Oakes.

2015 SEASON GOALS

THO

MPS

ON

FIEL

DS

OAK

ES

52 66 54

2015 SEASON ASSISTS

69 22 12THO

MPS

ON

FIEL

DS

OAK

ES

CONNOR FIELDS replaces possibly the greatest college lacrosse player ever. The two-time high school All-American and single-season record holder for goals by a college freshman has an opportunity to prove he’s up to the challenge. courtesy of bill ziskin

from page 6

dejoe

FIELDS DAY


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3 Nate Solomon A 5-10 178 Fr. Alpharetta, Ga. / Centennial

4 Joe DeMarco M 5-5 190 Jr. Massapequa, N.Y. / Massapequa

5 David Dilts D 6-1 186 Fr. Carmel, Ind. / Culver Academy

6 Luke Schwasnick M 6-1 228 RF Baldwin, N.Y. / Oceanside

7 Brad McKinney M 6-2 202 RF Watertown, N.Y. / Watertown

8 Tyler Ford M 6-0 170 RF Owego, N.Y. / Owego

9 Tim Barber M 5-10 194 Sr. Camillus, N.Y. / West Genesee

10 Gale Thorpe A 5-11 212 RF Elbridge, N.Y. / Jordan-Elbridge

11 Brandon Mullins D 6-3 225 R-Sr. Coppell, Texas / Coppell

12 Derek DeJoe M 6-1 215 Sr. Fairport, N.Y. / Fairport

13 Evan Molloy GK 6-1 184 R-Jr. Manhasset, N.Y. / Manhasset

14 Spencer Schmitt M 6-1 176 R-So. Encinitas, Calif. / Cathedral Catholic

15 Pat Carlin M 6-3 213 RF Vestal, N.Y. / Vestal

16 Ryan Simmons M 5-10 173 R-So. Fayetteville, N.Y. / Fayetteville-Manlius / Salisbury School (Conn.)

17 Dylan Donahue A 5-9 180 R-Sr. Camillus, N.Y. / West Genesee

18 Tyson Bomberry D 6-0 215 Fr. Ohsweken, Ontario / McKinnon Park

20 Nick Weston M 5-9 168 Jr. Honeoye Falls, N.Y. / Honeoye Falls-Lima / Salisbury School (Conn.)

21 Nick Mellen D 5-9 177 Fr. Syracuse, N.Y. / West Genesee

22 Jordan Evans M 5-9 178 Jr. Syracuse, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt

23 Nick Mariano A 6-0 182 Jr. Yorktown Heights, N.Y. / Yorktown

24 Kevin Hutchings M 6-3 193 Fr. Marcellus, N.Y. / Marcellus

25 Scott Firman LSM 6-0 191 Jr. Fayetteville, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt

26 Dom Madonna GK 5-10 172 Jr. Liverpool, N.Y. / Liverpool

27 Warren Hill GK 5-10 250 Sr. Six Nations, Ontario, Canada / Hill Academy

28 Jonah Swigart LSM 6-5 182 Fr. Westlake Village, Calif. / Agorua

29 Nick Piroli A 5-10 170 Gr. Black River, N.Y. / Carthage

30 Riley O'Sullivan M 5-9 160 Fr. Valley Cottage, N.Y. / Don Bosco Prep

32 Tom Grimm M 6-0 187 R-Sr. Black River, N.Y. / Carthage

33 Ralph D'Agostino D 5-9 198 Sr. Tewksbury, N.J. / Immaculata

34 Zack Vehar M 6-0 224 Jr. Hudson, Ohio / Hudson

35 Paolo Ciferri M 6-0 178 R-Jr. Ithaca, N.Y. / Ithaca

36 Nate Farrell M 5-10 192 So. Whitesboro, N.Y. / Whitesboro

37 Ben Williams M 6-0 198 Jr. Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy

38 Tyler Avallone GK 6-4 243 R-Jr. Chester, N.J. / Mendham

40 Bobby Tait D 6-5 218 R-Sr. Buckingham, Pa. / Germantown Academy

41 Cal Paduda M 5-9 185 R-Jr. Madison, Conn. / Loomis Chaffee School

42 Austin Wentworth M 5-11 187 Sr. Stamford, Conn. / Westhill

43 Marcus Cunningham D 6-2 204 RF Glen Ridge, N.J. / Glen Ridge

44 Matt Lane A 6-7 224 R-So. Upper Montclair, N.J. / Montclair Kimberley Academy

45 Devin Shewell A 6-1 213 Fr. Lutherville, Md. / Boys Latin

46 Nick Martin M 6-4 193 Fr. Birmingham, Mich. / Detroit County Day

47 Joe Gillis M 6-1 198 R-Jr. Bernardsville, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep

48 Sergio Salcido M 5-7 159 R-Jr. Winter Park, Fla. / Winter Park

77 Alec Orazietti A 5-10 141 Fr. Bernardsville, N.J. / Watchung Hills

81 Laz Chavez D 5-11 211 RF Rye, N.Y. / Rye

83 Andrew Helmer LSM 6-1 187 Fr. Summit, N.J. / Summit

88 Jay McDermott D 6-2 207 Sr. Duxbury, Mass. / Duxbury

89 Josh Pulver LSM 5-10 188 R-So. Manlius, N.Y. / Fayetteville-Manlius

90 Austin Fusco LSM 6-0 181 RF Yorktown Heights, N.Y. / Yorktown

0 Kaeli O'Connor D Jr. 5-4 Cockeysville, Md. / Dulaney

1 Morgan Alexander A Fr. 5-10 Adams, N.Y. / South Jefferson

2 Amanda Wheeler D Sr. 5-9 Syracuse, N.Y. / Jordan Elbridge

3 Chelsea Mapes A So. 5-3 Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / Torrey Pines

4 Erica Bodt M Sr. 5-8 Forest Hill, Md. / John Carroll

5 Haley McDonnell D Jr. 5-10 Cockeysville, Md. / St. Paul's School for Girls

6 Ella Hogan D RF 5-10 Rochester, N.Y. / Our Lady of Mercy

7 Brenna Rainone D Sr. 5-3 Syracuse, N.Y. / Westhill

8 Alexa Radziewicz D Fr. 5-3 Manlius, N.Y. / Christian Brothers Academy

10 Ella Thorpe A Gr. 5-2 Elbridge, N.Y. / Jordan-Elbridge

11 Devon Parker M Jr. 5-10 Rye, N.H. / Portsmouth

12 Nicole Levy A Fr. 5-2 East Islip, N.Y. / East Islip

13 Mallory Vehar D R-Sr. 5-5 Hudson, Ohio / Hudson

14 Abby Connor D Jr. 5-3 Syracuse, N.Y. / West Genesee

15 Natalie Wallon M Fr. 5-4 Waxhaw, N.C. / Charlotte Catholic

16 Zoe Recchion A So. 5-2 East Quague, N.Y. / Westhampton

17 Caroline Webster D Sr. 5-6 Syracuse, N.Y. / Christian Brothers Academy

18 Neena Merola M So. 5-5 Painted Post, N.Y. / West

19 Taylor Poplawski M Jr. 5-2 Lafayette, N.Y. / Christian Brothers Academy

20 Gabby Jaquith M/A R-Sr. 5-8 Cazenovia, N.Y. / Cazenovia

21 Kayla Treanor A Sr. 5-9 Niskayuna, N.Y. / Niskayuna

22 Taylor Gait M R-So. 5-5 Fayetteville, N.Y. / Christian Brothers Academy

23 Brittany Kearns D R-Jr. 5-6 Oswego, N.Y. / Oswego

24 Emily Resnick M Fr. 5-4 Webster, N.Y. / Webster Thomas

25 Tori Wehner M Jr. 5-6 Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland

26 Kelzi Van Atta M So. 5-5 Rochester, N.Y. / Brighton

27 Kelly Cross M Sr. 5-11 Oreland, Pa. / Upper Dublin

28 Grace Donohue D Sr. 5-3 Manlius, N.Y. / Fayetteville-Manlius

29 Carly Randall A Jr. 5-4 Rochester, N.Y. / Brighton

30 Bri Barratt M So. 5-6 Bristol, Pa. / The Hun School of Princeton

31 Emily Amell A/M Fr. 5-6 Dexter, N.Y. / General Brown

32 Jackie Hingre D Fr. 5-7 Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker

33 Paige Rogers D R-So. 5-8 Syracuse, N.Y. / Westhill

34 Addy Tauro D Sr. 5-6 Skaneateles, N.Y. / Skaneateles

35 Kathy Rudkin D So. 5-4 Annapolis, Md. / Rancho Bernardo

36 Julie Cross M Fr. 6-1 Oreland, Pa. / Upper Dublin

37 Halle Majorana A Sr. 5-4 Manhasset, N.Y. / Manhasset

40 Jen Reininger M So. 5-6 Rochester, N.Y. / Irondequoit

41 Cara Quimby M Fr. 5-5 Schenectady, N.Y. / Guilderland

42 Kelsey Youmell D Jr. 5-4 Jordan, N.Y. / Jordan-Elbridge

43 Mia DiBello D So. 5-5 Syracuse, N.Y. / West Genesee

44 Mary Rahal M Fr. 5-6 Queensbury, N.Y. / Queensbury

45 Erin Francis A Jr. 5-3 Akwesasne, N.Y. / Massena Central

47 Riley Donahue A So. 5-4 Camillus, N.Y. / West Genesee

48 Erin Coleman GK So. 5-9 Manhasset, N.Y. / Manhasset

50 Bri Stahrr GK Fr. 5-5 North Syracuse, N.Y. / Cicero-North Syracuse

60 Morgan Hollenback D Fr. 5-2 Bel Air, Md. / Bel Air

77 Rebecca Congel D Jr. 5-6 Englewood, Colo. / Cherry Creek

88 Lisa Rogers M R-Jr. 5-5 Rochester, N.Y. / Irondequoit

89 Allie Murray GK Gr. 5-5 Exton, Pa. / Downingtown East

99 Melina Woon Avery GK So. 5-9 Ardmore, Pa. / Harritan

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2016 Lacrosse Season Preview