STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The Syracuse men's lacrosse team concluded its fall practice season with two dominating exhibition wins on Saturday, Oct. 11 at LaValle Stadium on the campus of Stony Brook University. The Orange routed the host Seawolves 18-5 in its opening game and throttled Bucknell, 16-2, in its second contest.
Sophomore attackman Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario) led the way offensively for the Orange with 11 points in the two games. Keogh had a goal and four assists in the victory against Stony Brook and contributed a team-best four goals and two assists against the Bison. Junior attackman Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) also had a big day, notching seven points (5g, 2a) in the two contests.
The Orange offense got in gear early against the Seawolves. Syracuse outscored Stony Brook, 6-0, in the first quarter on its way to a 10-1 halftime advantage. The Seawolves got four goals in the second half, but were no match for the Orange as Syracuse cruised to the 13-goal win.
In addition to Keogh's five points, Daniello and sophomore midfielder Josh Amidon (Lafayette, N.Y.) each recorded hat tricks versus Stony Brook. Senior captain Matt Abbott (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Georgetown transfer Scott Kahoe (Glenside, Pa.) also had two goals and one assist each for the Orange in the win.
Sophomore goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) played the first half and finished with four saves. He was relieved by junior Al Cavalieri (Lathrup Village, Mich.) who made one stop in the third quarter. Rookie netminder Paul Dubas (New Canaan, Conn.) played the final period and made four saves.
In its second exhibition, the Syracuse defense shut out Bucknell in the first half on its way to 9-0 advantage at the break. The Orange tacked on seven more goals in the second half and limited the Bison to just one score in each of the final two periods to secure the 16-2 triumph.
Keogh and Daniello combined for 10 points against Bucknell. Keogh's four-goal, two-assist performance paced the Orange and Daniello added two goals and two assists for four points. Redshirt freshman Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored three goals in the win and senior Pat Perritt (Holtsville, N.Y.) tied for the team lead with two assists in the contest.
For the second straight game, Galloway played the first half and stopped four shots. He did not allow a goal. Galloway finished with eight saves and allowed just one goal in four quarters Saturday. Cavalieri played the third quarter and part of the fourth against Bucknell. He made five saves before being replaced by Dubas.
Syracuse begins its off-season conditioning program this week in preparation for the upcoming 2009 season. The Orange will return to the field in January for the start of spring practice.