WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Seven different Orangemen scored during an 8-0 spurt in the
second half which helped No. 10 Syracuse come back from an 8-3 deficit on its
way to a 12-10 victory against No. 5 Georgetown at Harbin Field. The win
snapped a three-game losing skid for SU, which finished the regular season with
an 8-5 record. Georgetown is 10-3.
The two teams played to a 2-2 tie in the first quarter. Junior midfielder Sean
Lindsay (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Lakeland-Panas) netted both goals for Syracuse
during the opening 15 minutes.
Georgetown dominated the second quarter of play. The Hoyas tallied the first
four goals to take a 6-2 lead by the 7:32 mark. Trevor Walker scored twice,
while Brian Chen and Phil Vincenti also scored. With 1:41 remaining in the
first half, senior attackman Michael Springer (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) fed
Liam Banks (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) for SU's third goal. Georgetown led,
6-3, at halftime. Andy Corno won nine of 11 faceoffs for the Hoyas in the
first half and finished 18-of-26 for the game.
Georgetown took its largest lead of the game (8-3) at the 8:19 mark behind
back-to-back goals by Neal Goldman in the middle of the third period. That's
when Syracuse turned things around and went on its run.
Freshman midfielder Greg Rommel (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) sent a low shot past
GU goaltender Rich D'Andrea at the 7:49 mark of the third quarter to get things
rolling. Freshman Brian Crockett (Yorktown, N.Y./Yorktown) weaved his way
through traffic, switched hands and delivered SU's fifth goal at 6:11.
Springer pulled the Orangemen within two goals (8-6) with his only goal of the
day at the 5:39 mark. On a man-up opportunity, Springer assisted junior Alex
Zink (Rowayton, Conn./Darien) for a blast from the right side at the 4:35 mark.
With 1:59 remaining in the third quarter, SU made the most of an unsettled
situation when Crockett found Banks stationed just outside the left of the
crease. Banks buried the shot and tied the game at 8-8. Junior attackman
Brian Nee (Cockeysville, Md./Boys' Latin) registered the go-ahead goal, on an
extra-man play, with 20.7 seconds remaining in the the pivotal third quarter.
The Orangemen extended their lead to 11-8 after Rommel and junior attackman
Michael Powell (Carthage, N.Y./Carthage) found the back of the net at the start
of the fourth quarter. Those two goals completed SU's 8-0 run. Powell dished
off to Rommel at the 13:25 mark and then scored himself after taking a pass
from Springer on a two-on-one and faking D'Andrea at 11:58.
The Syracuse defense held Georgetown scoreless for more than 16 minutes before
Goldman recorded his third goal of the game at the 6:39 mark of the fourth
quarter to make the score 11-9.
Powell put SU back on top by three (12-9) with 4:29 left to play. He caught a
pass from Springer in front of the GU cage and in one sweeping motion, shot the
ball around his back and into the goal.
Mike Hammer set up Jordan Vettoretti just 23 seconds later for the contest's
final score.
SU goaltender Jay Pfeifer (Towson, Md./Gilman) had his best game of the season
with 18 saves. He was one stop shy of his career-high (19 saves vs. Virginia
in last year's national semifinals).
Springer finished the day with a career-high five assists and cracked the
school's top 20 career assist chart. He is 19th with 69 career helpers.
The Orangemen await their seeding in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Selections will
be announced Sunday, May 4, at 8 p.m. Syracuse is a likely participant in this
year's field of 16, based on its winning record, strength of schedule and
victory against No. 1-ranked Johns Hopkins on March 15.
Georgetown vs. Syracuse
| Current Record | |
|---|
| Georgetown | 10-3 |
| Current Record | |
|---|
| Syracuse | 8-5 |