Massachusetts men’s lacrosse coach Greg Cannella made something perfectly clear at yesterday’s UMass Sports Luncheon. For his team, Saturday’s match up against defending NCAA champion Syracuse at Richard F. Garber Field isn’t any more important than every other game his Minutemen have played this year.
“It’s always an over-hyped week here at UMass,” said Cannella, whose team has lost 21 straight against the Orangemen. “We are trying to de-emphasize that this week, trying to get our guys to play the other team and not the name ‘Syracuse.'”
It may sound unbelievable, but the No. 7 ranking for the 6-4 Orangemen shows they are probably as vulnerable as they have been during UMass’ 21-year drought. Syracuse, which entered the season at No. 1, is coming off back-to-back losses to Rutgers and Hofstra. The Rutgers game, a 12-11 overtime defeat, was ‘Cuse’s third one-goal loss of the season at the Carrier Dome – the most losses in one season in the building’s history.
The Minutemen (11-1), meanwhile, are coming off an impressive 11-8 win over previously unbeaten Georgetown. The win jumped UMass from No. 6 in the polls to No. 4, behind Johns Hopkins (9-1), Princeton (8-2) and Virginia (9-2).
“It was a great win for us,” said Cannella, who saw eight Minutemen tally at least one point in the contest. “Another team win.”
The defense continued to impress against the Hoyas, as well. Goaltender Bill Schell made 14 saves as the Maroon and White held its opponent under 10 goals for the 11th time this year despite being out shot 48-35.
“That was really impressive to do that against a team like Georgetown,” Cannella said.
Schell and company will have a tough task in Saturday’s matchup, which will feature a battle between two of the best offenses in the nation.
Syracuse enters the game as the top offensive team in the country. The Orangemen average 13.82 goals per game, a mere .12 ahead of Johns Hopkins. The Minutemen, meanwhile, rank third in offense with 13 gpg.
“I think we match up pretty well [with Syracuse],” Cannella said. “Their offense is outstanding. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play with the same intensity that we played with last week.”
It is the UMass defense that must be the difference-maker, however, as the Minutemen rank ninth in the nation in goals against average (7.25) despite their up-tempo style of play. Syracuse, meanwhile, falls outside the top 20.
Despite the higher ranking and solid averages, Cannella has no illusions about what it will take for UMass to snap the Syracuse losing streak.
“We’d love to get [the win], but we’ll have to put together another tremendous effort,” Cannella said.
Notes: The first 500 fans into Saturday’s game will get a free UMass lacrosse T-shirt. … The Maroon and White’s No. 3 national ranking is the second-highest in program history. The Minutemen were ranked No. 3 in the nation heading into the 2001 Georgetown game. … Cannella’s crew has compiled a 35-7 record since the start of the 2001 season, the best mark in the nation over that time period. … Junior Jeff Zywicki ranks third in the nation in both points (52) and goals (34). Zywicki also ranks 17th in assists (18). … Senior Kevin Leveille is 18th in points (39) while classmate Chris Fiore ranks 17th in goals (28).
