Orange Men's Lacrosse Reclaims Kraus-Simmons Trophy in 100th Meeting with Hobart

Story by Jack Fitzsimmons
Photos by Jillian Thaw 


GENEVA, N.Y. (Newhouse Sports Media Center) - When Jake McHenry scored for Hobart with 1:53 remaining in the third quarter, it was beginning to look like Syracuse’s four game winning streak was in serious jeopardy. That goal put the Statesmen ahead 8-7, and at the time reestablished the advantage for the team that had led most of the contest. However, it proved to be the last time Hobart held the upper hand, as Syracuse closed the game on an eight to one run en route to a 15-9 victory.

Syracuse entered today’s contest with the goal of reclaiming the Kraus-Simmons Trophy after the Statesmen came  away with a shocking win over the Orange last season at the Carrier Dome. Today’s contest marked the 100^th edition of the rivalry between the two Central New York Schools.

The fourth-ranked Orange got off to a bit of a shaky start in front of the raucous crowd of just under 3,000 at Boswell Field, and Taylor Vanderbeek opened the scoring just under two minutes into the game. Syracuse answered with goals from Kevin Rice and Randy Staats to take a 2-1 lead at the midpoint of the first quarter, but did not lead again until the end of the third.

Instead, it was the Statesmen who caught fire, rattling off five unanswered goals. When Zach Reed scored unassisted with 5:30 remaining in the half, Hobart found itself with a four-goal edge and all the momentum. It took a herculean effort from the OCC transfer Staats to cut into the Statesmen lead, as he tallied his second, third, and fourth goals of the afternoon to cut the deficit to one before halftime.

The third quarter provided mostly back and forth action, as the teams traded goals up until McHenry’s just under the two-minute mark.

“The Centennial Game” really started to turn in favor of the Orange in the last 30-plus seconds of that third quarter. Kevin Rice tallied his fourth goal of the contest with 33 seconds remaining. Then a quick Hobart turnover led to an incredible half-field pass from Staats to Dylan Donohue, who scored just 21 seconds later to give Syracuse a 9-8 advantage. It was the team's first lead in nearly 40 minutes, and one it would never relinquish.

Despite its ultimate importance, Staats made sure to downplay the dart of a pass as much as he could.

“I got the ball there, and I knew there was 30 seconds left," he said. "I’d seen Dylan standing there wide open and I just threw up a prayer and it got to him.”

From there, the Orange proceeded to pour it on in the fourth. Staats tallied his fifth goal on an assist from Henry Schoonmaker and added a few helpers of his own as Syracuse pulled away.

“Fortunately we came out in the second half, were able to get some more possessions, and I think we calmed down offensively,” SU head coach John Desko said.

Reed attempted to pull Hobart back into the game when he tallied with 5:38 to go, but goals from Billy Ward, Hakeem Lecky, and Donohue on an extra-man opportunity slammed the door on the Statesmen.

After the game, Syracuse's coach was quick to point out how tough it had been.

“Well, it didn’t feel like a 15-9 game,” Desko said. “I thought Hobart was a team that came out fired up and ready to play, and they had their crowd behind them. Hats off to their coaching staff who did a really good job, and their players who came to play.”

The win was the fifth in as many games for Syracuse, and moved its overall record to 9-3. SU's next contest provides a chance to further prove itself, as the Orange heads down to Chester, Pa. for the ACC Tournament. There it will face a Duke team that blasted Syracuse by a score of 21-7 back on March 23.  For Hobart, the contest was just another tough loss in what has become a disappointing season. The Statesmen are now 4-8 on the year, and will play their next two contests against the 10-3 Hawks of St. Joseph’s, the latter in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament.

SU Postgame Reaction

Hobart Postgame Reaction