Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLacrosse Guide 2009
Living up to a legacy
John Desko has won four national titles, yet his critics never seem to quiet. Is this the year he finally leads a repeat champion?
By Meredith Galante
John Desko stood on the sideline at Gillette Stadium, having returned to championship weekend. After a disastrous, scandal-filled 5-8 season in 2007, Desko led the Orange back to the 2008 men's lacrosse final four. Back to the top. As Desko waited for the Syracuse-Virginia national semifinal game to begin, Virginia head coach Dom Starsia approached him on the sidelines.
Not satisfied
He has a championship ring. But John Galloway knows he can be a better goalie
By Tyler Dunne
John Galloway knows he was a third wheel most of last season. The then-freshman goalie tripped into funks, but was consistently bailed out by the second-best scoring offense in the nation. He beat himself up after games, apologetic for mediocrity. So this was refreshing.
Fill in the X
Danny Brennan is gone. Who will step up to win faceoffs?
By Matthew Ehalt
In the final game of the season against Colgate last year, Syracuse men's lacrosse head coach John Desko experienced life without Danny Brennan in the faceoff X. Brennan, who helped lead the Orange to a national title last season, won an impressive 214 out of 321 faceoffs last season, or exactly every 2 out of 3 battles inside the X.
Schonbrun: Its reputation restored, Syracuse must find motivation without the vengeance
By Zach Schonbrun
It must have been Syracuse's year, for how else do you go about explaining the Orange's magical run to the final four, its redemption tour as the savior for SU athletics through a pristine Memorial Day weekend in Foxborough, Mass.? Had the lacrosse Gods hopped on the vengeance bandwagon? It was talent and chemistry, sure - and a certain Tewaaraton Trophy winner, Mike Leveille - that carried the Orange to its 10th national title, re-branding Syracuse's name at the top of the echelon of collegiate lacrosse.
Everything is expected -- and more
Do-it-all midfielder Matt Abbott will have to do more to replenish Syracuse's scoring
By Andy McCullough
In the past, he usually appeared in flashes. He was the spark for offensive rushes, the lanky midfielder digging out loose balls, the forgotten man in the offensive zone sneaking a shot on net. Matt Abbott did most everything for the Syracuse men's lacrosse team, but most of it didn't show up in the score sheet.
The Challengers
With a team of up-and-comers, Virginia looks to be more than a runner-up in 2009
By Conor Orr
Danny Glading sat and watched the Syracuse players rush onto the field. A double-overtime goal from Mike Leveille had just sent SU to the national championship game and sent Glading's Virginia team home. The Orange met in the center of Gillette Stadium in a bouncing sea of orange and white.
WLAX: One last chance
Katie Rowan has put together two of the best seasons in program history. But she's still waiting to shine on the biggest stage
By Didier Morais
Katie Rowan can't shake the thought of last year's failure in the final four. Heading into the postseason, Rowan, then a junior attack and one of the nation's top scorers, carried all the expectations of the Syracuse women's lacrosse team in the stick resting on her shoulders.
