Powerhouses Collide in CNY Rivalry

                             Orange takes on Big Red after tight win over Binghamton

Story by Mason Walling
Photo by Jennifer Ready

The stage is set for the 99^th meeting in the grudge match that is Syracuse versus Cornell men’s lacrosse.  The two schools are separated by approximately 54 miles of highway in central New York, and their rivalry dates all the way back to the 1920s.

The all-time series stands at 62-35-1 in favor of Syracuse, which is historically one of the most dominant men’s lacrosse programs in the nation, holding an NCAA Division I record with 11 national championships.  Since the turn of the millennium, however, the matchup has been fairly equal with Syracuse recording nine wins to Cornell’s six.

The rivalry reached one of its most intense moments when Syracuse defeated Cornell in the 2009 national championship in an overtime thriller in Boston that ended 10-9.  Cornell has won two of the last three head-to-head meetings, once in Syracuse in 2011 and the other in Ithaca in 2012.  Last season, Syracuse barely nipped Cornell 13-12 at the Carrier Dome, in a late game comeback fueled by goals from Henry Schoonmaker and Kevin Rice. 

Coming into this year’s contest, Inside Lacrosse ranks Cornell at number six in the nation and Syracuse at number seven.  Cornell was a perfect 9-0 and ranked second until losing a tough home game to Harvard 14-9 on Saturday.  The Big Red are led by senior attackman Dan Lintner who has 33 goals through just ten games.

Syracuse has had a very up and down season thus far.  The Orange currently sits at 6-3, with all three losses coming against top ten opponents and new ACC foes Maryland, Virginia, and Duke.  Junior Kevin Rice has provided a big boost for the Orange lately, accounting for six goals and four assists in the past two games.  Also, look for Syracuse to continue using Dominic Lamolinara and Bobby Wardwell as dual threat goalkeepers.

 

The battle is set to begin at 7 PM at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca. For in-game updates and live statistics, follow along on Twitter @NewhouseSports.