PRINCETON, N.J. — A quick take on Syracuse’s dramatic 13-12 win against Princeton Saturday evening, in the lone Tigers home lacrosse game this season big enough to be played on the football field inside 27,773 seat Princeton Stadium, a brisk April day prior to the Orange basketball team meeting Michigan at the Final Four in Atlanta.
WHAT HAPPENED: Playing in their new custom anthracite Nike Vapor uniforms, the Orange (7-2) were barely recognizable in the gray look, and for awhile it seemed the uniforms were bad luck. In a back and forth affair that was tied 5-5 at halftime, Princeton attackman Mike McDonald scored twice in the final two minutes of the third quarter to put the Tigers (6-3) ahead for the first time, before SU rallied late. Henry Schoonmaker’s career-high fourth goal tied the game 12-12 with 4:31 to play, and Jo Jo Marasco’s second goal of the game won it two minutes later.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Orange still need some more big wins on their resume, despite being able to grab the automatic NCAA bid by winning the Big East tournament next month. With only four regular season games remaining, Syracuse is eying ranked teams Cornell and Notre Dame for victories to impress the tournament selection committee for an at-large berth if they don’t win the Big East tournament.
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STAR GAZING: Redshirt freshman middie Schoonmaker, an Oregon native, not only had his first four-goal game for the Orange, but also added two assists for a game-high six points.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse returns home Wed. night April 10 to face another big rival, upstate neighbor Cornell in the Dome. The second ranked Big Red is 10-1 after rallying to beat Harvard Saturday. Its lone defeat was a 9-8 upset at home against Bucknell on March 19. Last season, SU lost in Ithaca 12-6. Game time: 6:00 pm ET / TV: ESPNU
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