Orange to Face St. John's in Second Cobb County Classic

(1) SYRACUSE (4-0) vs. ST. JOHN'S (1-4)
Game Details: Saturday, March 7 | 1 p.m.
Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium | Kennesaw, Ga.
Game Links: Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM (Syracuse)
Twitter: @CuseMLAX | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
St. John's Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

KENNESAW, Ga. – Newly-minted as the top-ranked team in the nation, No. 1 Syracuse (4-0) ventures away from the Carrier Dome for the first time in 2015 to take on St. John's (1-4) in the Cobb County Classic at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Saturday, March 7. Faceoff is at 1 p.m.

The Orange is one of eight unbeaten teams remaining in Division I lacrosse. Syracuse has wins over three ranked opponents already this year, including a 15-9 triumph against then-No. 5 Virginia last weekend at the Dome.

The Red Storm own a 13-8 victory over Stony Brook and gave No. 6 Yale all it could handle in its most recent outing before falling to the Bulldogs in overtime, 11-10.

ABOUT THE COBB COUNTY CLASSIC
The 2015 season marks the second year of the Cobb County Classic. Syracuse defeated the Red Storm, 14-8, in last year's inaugural event.

The Cobb County Classic is organized by LB3 Lacrosse and its founder Liam Banks, who played four seasons at Syracuse University (1999-2001, 2003). In addition to the game, the event includes a youth tournament and clinics throughout the weekend.

Earlier this year, Denver and Duke squared off as part of the series of Cobb County Classic games. LB3 also hosted a women's lacrosse game between Virginia and Northwestern on the same day.

DOWN GEORGIA WAY
Syracuse is 3-0 all-time in games played in the Peach State, including last year's 14-8 Cobb County Classic victory against St. John's. Prior to 2014, the Orange's only previous trip to Georgia was in April 1927. Syracuse defeated the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech on consecutive days, 11-2.

WHEN NO. 1
SU has been No. 1 in 91 polls since the USILA started its rankings in 1973. The Orange is 111-22 (.835) when holding the nation's top ranking, including a 44-10 (.815) record under head coach John Desko.

SU is 47-1 (.979) all-time versus unranked foes when serving as the nation's No. 1-ranked team. The only unranked opponent to beat the Orange when its been No. 1 was Hobart (16-13) on April 19, 1986. When playing with the No. 1 ranking, SU has won 36 straight games against non-ranked foes.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The Orange is allowing 7.75 goals per game, on pace for its lowest average since surrendering 6.94 goals a game in 2011. Syracuse limited both Cornell and Virginia to one goal in the first half. Against Virginia, SU shut out the Cavaliers for the first 26:21, the longest scoring drought for an SU opponent since 2013.

Syracuse's current average of 30.1 shots allowed per game is also on pace to be its best mark since the 2011 season (28.2).

GALASSO ADJUSTING JUST FINE
An attackman for most of his career, Nicky Galasso moved to midfield in 2014 and contributed 13 goals in 14 games (0.9 goals per game). This season, Galasso has exploded for 10 goals in four games (2.5 goals per game).

Galasso has also been Syracuse's most accurate shooter (min. 10 shots), connecting at a 58.8 percent clip (10-17) and putting 82.4 percent of his attempts on goal (14-17).

SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S
The Red Storm's four losses have been by a combined total of five goals. Since defeating Stony Brook on Feb. 14, St. John's has lost three straight, all by one goal, including two games in overtime.

Syracuse transfer Eric DeJohn is the Red Storm's leading scorer with 23 points on a team-high 14 goals and nine assists. DeJohn tallied a career-high five goals Tuesday afternoon against Yale.

The St. John's defense is allowing 9.8 goals per game behind senior co-captain Mark DeFrangia (19 ground balls) and goalie duo Harry Burke (23 saves, 8.75 GAA) and Joseph Danaher (33 saves, 10.40 GAA).

Head coach Jason Miller is in his ninth year at St. John's. He has an overall record of 46-69. A Rochester native, Miller spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Massachusetts before taking over the Red Storm program in 2007.

THE ST. JOHN'S SERIES
The Orange is 8-0 all-time against the Red Storm, including a 3-0 record in neutral-site games. Syracuse has outscored St. John's in the series cumulatively, 133-58, and by an average of 16.6 goals per game to 7.25.

The squads have played every year since 2010 and met for the BIG EAST Championship in 2012, a game won by the Orange, 12-4.

UP NEXT
Syracuse returns to the Dome for a date with archrival Johns Hopkins. The Orange and Blue Jays renew their rivalry Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.

Orange to Face St. John's in Second Cobb County Classic

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Players Mentioned

Nicky Galasso

Syracuse University Athletics