The Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse season gets underway tomorrow, as the Orange take on Siena at the Carrier Dome. This season is a particularly special season for the Orange, as they are celebrating the 100th season in program history. After a disappointing exit in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, in which they were the number two overall seed, the Orange have some holes to fill.
Syracuse lost five of their six leading scorers, with Dylan Donahue being the only holdover. Filling the scoring void created by the loss of players such as Kevin Rice, Randy Staats and Nicky Galasso will be a huge key for the Orange.
They do, however, have the players necessary to step up and take on the scoring load. Nick Mariano, a heralded recruit out of high school, transferred from Umass-Amherst, and is likely to play a big role within the attack unit alongside Donahue and Jordan Evans, who will don the legendary No. 22 this season.
“Mariano comes in from [Umass], he’s the leading scorer as a freshman and sophomore,” SU head coach John Desko said after a recent scrimmage against Brown. “I think you saw him stick one today and I think you’ll see him make a couple more from the outside when he gets his hands free. And he has the ability to go behind the goal too, and you’re going to see him with first midfield and attack now.”
The key for the Orange’s attack might just be Evans. Evans—who was ranked as the number one freshman by inside lacrosse in 2013—has had a disappointing start to his career at SU. He has only recorded 11 goals and 14 points total in his two years at Syracuse. The Orange will need the once highly touted recruit to reach his potential if they want to make a run this season.
SU vs. Siena Saturday @ 1 PM Countdown to face-off @ 12:30
Another key for the Orange will be face-offs. Second team All-American Ben Williams returns this season. Williams, who was practically a cheat code at winning draws last season, finished with the second best face-off percentage in the country (first in the ACC), winning draws at a 67% clip.
On defense, the Orange will be led by a pair of seniors; Brandon Mullins—who was a First Team All-American last season—and Jay McDermott. The Orange will also have a new goalie this year. Warren Hill, the primary backup last season who saw limited action, and transfer student Dom Madonna are the two likely candidates to take over the starting role.
"It’s got to be a strength of ours,” Desko said. “Our shorties are back, our poles are back.”
The Orange are a younger team than they have been in the past, so you can expect to see a learning curve with many of the younger players. However, the Orange still have a ton of talent to make a big run this season.