Dick Blume/Syracuse.com

For the 2012 SU lax team, deciding who will fill the void in goal left by John Galloway has proven to be extremely difficult. The Orange opened the season this weekend with a 12-7 win over Albany and prepares to host Army next. But, Syracuse still hasn’t decided who will be the regular starting goaltender. Against the Great Danes, John Desko didn’t provide any insight into the battle. Redshirt sophomore Matt Lerman played the first half, sophomore Dom Lamolinara the second. Orange fans left the Carrier Dome wondering the same thing they did upon arriving: who will be the safety net for this young defense?

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Before the Albany game Lerman convincingly The Fizz he deserved the nod.

“Yeah. I do [deserve the start]. I definitely think I do. It’s been a long two years learning and it was a good fall. I’ve proven myself as a starter and I’m ready to get out there and help this team win. And I’m ready to show everyone that I’m not just John Galloway’s replacement, that I’m the starting goalie for SU lacrosse.”

You have to appreciate Lerman’s patience. He has waited in the wings behind one of the all-time great SU goalies, and is ready to step up and have a statement season.  Lerman learned a very important lesson from Galloway: the importance of clearing the ball. It was a JG trademark and is an advantage Matt has over Lamolinara. He says the permanent starting job would be a huge step for him.

“It would mean the world. This is my life. It’s been a long time that I’ve been preparing to play in college. It’s finally time to get out there and show everyone that I’m more than capable.”

Lerman certainly made his time in goal against Albany count. He made 6 saves and cleared the ball successfully 11 times out of 12.

But Lamolinara is making his case as well. The Maryland transfer outperformed Lerman in an exhibition matchup against his old team, notching 5 saves to Lerman’s 3. DL also allowing only 3 goals, while Lerman let up 6. Against Albany, the true sophomore was solid again. He made 10 saves and went 12-for-14 clearing the ball.  The one criticism would be his fourth quarter. Lamolinara allowed 5 late goals.  Regardless of the shaky ending, Lamolinara says this weekend will probably decide the race.

“I think I definitely raised a couple of questions. I don’t think it’s settled yet. Lerm played great. I think this game against Army is really going to settle it. Coach is going to make the right decision, and whatever that is, I’m going to go with it.”

Though he’s humble in the press room, Lamolinara certainly lays it all out in the crease. The slew of goals he was responsible for in the final minutes against the Danes is hardly representative of his overall performance. Of his 10 saves, many were incredibly skilled moves on high-speed shots going to tough parts of the net. He’s got what it takes to start, and that’s why Desko still hasn’t named a permanent solution in the lineup.

“We’ve been seeing what we’ve been seeing. We’ve got two goaltenders. Today, Matt [Lerman] warmed up pretty well and was ready, but Dom [Lamolinara] was pretty cool in the second half, had some good saves. So, we’re happy that we’ve got a couple of guys to choose from.”

Since there’s no hard answer out of the coaching staff, The Fizz turned to teammates. Defensive powerhouse Brian Megill says he’s optimistic about the future of the goalie situation, whatever the outcome is.

“All of those guys are great leaders. They do a great job talking, we can hear them, and we’ve got to do a great job talking back to them, and keeping them going.”

Though the defense relies on the goalie for leadership in games, Lamolinara is comfortable and says the defenders aren’t shaken by the uncertainty of not knowing who will be in net.

“I don’t think it’s that unsettling. They knew going into this year that they were going to have a new goalie. John Galloway was here for four years. These guys had to know that it was going to be a little different. It’s especially new with me. Whatever I don’t know, they’ve been teaching me.”

If four exhibition games and the season opener aren’t conclusive enough to tell the coaches who should start in goal, we at least know it’s a two-horse race. After the loss of Galloway, the position was uncertain. The Orange brought seven possible starters to the practice field. After a week, it’s been chiseled down to two: Lerman or Lamolinara.

Posted: Jake Moskowitz

Dennis Nett/ Post-Standard

The exhibition season is over, and the real work finally begins for #7 Syracuse lacrosse. The Orange will enter the season minus a few key players on both sides of the ball. After last year’s early elimination at the hands of Maryland, SU picked the revenge bone in a late-game comeback in yesterday’s preseason matchup, scoring five goals in the fourth quarter to win 11-9. The Fizz breaks down three on-field observations from the final exhibition weekend.

• Young Offense Gels

Kevin Rice scored 2 of those second half goals against Maryland, including the go ahead score with :16 left in the game. The freshman won’t take any credit though.

“Matt Pratt made a great pass, and I just dropped it in.  It was really easy on my part.” 

Rice says even though the offense is younger than years past, guys are coming together to work well as a unit, and the team might be poised to play better than people expect.

“It’s great, because nobody around the country is giving us a shot to be very good. We just have to play unselfishly, and when everyone on the offense touches the ball, it goes very well.”

You have to be impressed with Rice, especially with where he is mentally. He’s readily giving credit to his teammates, and the team is learning to play to each other’s strengths, move the ball, and find the net. Rice believes a key part of the offense is redshirt freshman Hakeem Lecky.

“He’s a great player. He’s impossible to stay in front of, he’s very fast, so he’s going to be great for us for the next four years.” 

Rice isn’t the only one impressed with the young offense. Senior attack Bobby Eilers, who had a pair of goals, likes to see the younger guys coming to the seniors for advice.

“They just want to soak it up, learn everything. They’ll come to me, JoJo [Marasco], [Hakeem] Lecky. They’ll ask us what to do on certain plays instead of going to Coach. They ask, we tell ‘em, and they execute, which is nice.”

John Desko agrees with Eilers on the potency of the young scorers, especially Kevin Rice’s two-goal performance.

“With Maltz out, Rice got some serious time with the first group, and he produced.  We were happy to have a freshman do so well for us.” 

• The Sooner Derek Maltz is Back, the Better

The 6’2” 190-pound Maltz is suffering from what Desko calls a “lower body injury” that is “by no means season ending.”  Either way, the Orange is much more dangerous with him. As a freshman, Maltz contributed 3 goals on 3 shots, and saw minutes in seven games. He’s a vital part of this young offense.

• Defense Closes the Door, Dominates Transition Game

In a nod to the 25-1 basketball team, SU lax is terrific at creating turnovers and clearing the ball out of the defensive zone. A lot of that success is due to the leadership of junior defenseman Brian Megill, who told the Fizz he was impressed with the defense’s second half compete level against Maryland.

“We had a little lapse during the first quarter, we let up four goals. Towards the end of the game, we only let up three goals, in the last half.  I don’t care who’s in, you only let up three goals in two quarters, that’s a good achievement, and if we come out with the energy that we game out at halftime with, we’ll be in good shape.”

Megill was named the team’s Inside Lacrosse Returning Leader, after leading the SU defense last year with 27 caused turnovers.

The Orange now awaits it’s opener against Albany next Sunday. One thing the victory over Maryland taught us is SU has plenty of young talent, and has shown early signs of confidence and synergy that could make Syracuse more lethal than it’s #7 ranking suggests.

Follow the Fizz on Twitter for live updates from the sidelines of every home game this year.

Posted: Jake Moskowitz