#9/8 UAlbany Men's Lacrosse Returns to #6/4 Syracuse for NCAA First Round Battle in the Dome on Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
UAlbany Game Notes
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The UAlbany men's lacrosse team will play in its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament with its first-ever at-large berth, rematching against 8-seed Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Sunday, May 15th at 7:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU and online on WatchESPN. Mike Corey and Mark Dixon will have the call live from the Carrier Dome.
For those looking to attend the game in Syracuse, tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and students (including UAlbany students) with proper ID. Parking on game day around the Carrier Dome is $15. Gates open at 6 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. game.
UAlbany earned an at-large into the NCAA Tournament after winning the America East regular season title, coming off an 11-10 overtime defeat to Hartford on May 5th in the conference semifinals to enter Sunday at 12-3 overall and 6-0 in league play. Syracuse won the ACC Tournament title and comes into this contest on a five-game winning streak following an 18-3 victory over Colgate last weekend, standing with 11-4 overall and 2-2 conference records.
The winner of this contest will play the victor of Maryland-Quinnipiac in Providence on Saturday, May 21st.
UAlbany stands in the top-10 for the eighth straight week in both polls, coming in at #9 in the USILA Coaches Poll and #8 in the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll. Syracuse is at #6 and #4 in those polls respectively.
UAlbany and Syracuse met on February 21st in the Carrier Dome, with the Orange winning 16-7. Syracuse leads the all-time series 13-1, including a 21-13 home win in the 2004 NCAA First Round, with UAlbany's victory coming in a 16-15 double OT win in 2013.
UALBANY EARNS 2016 AMERICA EAST REGULAR SEASON TITLE: For the fourth year in a row, UAlbany earned a perfect America East regular season, which secured the 1-seed in the America East Tournament. UAlbany is the first America East team to accomplish that feat since Hofstra from 1995-98.
UAlbany earned its seventh America East regular season title and its sixth outright title. Winning the regular season title gave UAlbany hosting rights to the league tournament.
FIELDS, RIORDEN NAMED 2016 TEWAARATON NOMINEES: On April 29th, Connor Fields and Blaze Riorden were selected as two of the 25 male Tewaaraton nominees.
This marks the fourth straight year that UAlbany has had at least one Tewaaraton nominee. Those two and Seth Oakes were on the Tewaaraton Watch List.
The Tewaaraton Trophy, which will be narrowed to five finalists this weekend, will be awarded in Washington D.C. on June 2nd.
100-POINT WATCH: UAlbany came into 2016 without a career 100-point scorer. Three UAlbany players have passed the 100-point point mark while others are approaching that mark.
--Connor Fields, So. A: 159 (108 G, 51 A)
--Seth Oakes, R-Jr. A: 119 (97 G, 22 A)
--John Maloney, Sr. M: 118 (74 G, 44 A)
--Bennett Drake, Jr. A/M: 67 (45 G, 22 A)
--Justin Reh, So. A: 59 (27 G, 32 A)
--Derrick Eccles, R-Sr. M: 43 (28 G, 15 A)
--Kyle McClancy, So. M: 36 (20 G, 16 A)
UALBANY #9 IN COACHES POLL, #8 IN MEDIA POLL: In the final polls before the start of the NCAA Tournament, UAlbany went to #9 in the USILA Coaches Poll and #8 in the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll.
UAlbany has remained in the top-10 in each poll for eight consecutive weeks. UAlbany has been ranked in both polls in the preseason and all weeks of the season.
In the preseason, UAlbany ranked in the top-13, being #12 in the coaches poll and #13 in the media poll. It is the third consecutive year that UAlbany has ranked in the top-13 in the preseason.
UALBANY EARNS FIRST AT-LARGE BID INTO NCAA: For the first time in program history, UAlbany earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
UAlbany is making its fourth consecutive and eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The previous seven times, UAlbany held the America East automatic qualifier.
The Great Danes come into the NCAA Tournament at 12-3 overall, including victories over ranked opponents Yale and Stony Brook.
CONNOR FIELDS - 34-GAME POINT STREAK: Connor Fields is on a 34-game point scoring streak, earning a point in all games in his college career. The streak is the 15th-longest in DI. In that span, he has scored 159 points. In addition, Seth Oakes is tied for 19th with a 31-game streak.
National Point Scoring Streak (games as of 4/28)
1 - Dylan Donahue, Syracuse, 54
2 - Myles Jones, Duke, 53
3 - Chris Baxa, Mercer, 49
4 - Devin Dwyer, Harvard, 49
... 15 - Connor Fields, UAlbany, 34
... t19 - Seth Oakes, UAlbany, 31
BLAZE RIORDEN - 2ND AT UALBANY IN SAVES: Blaze Riorden stands second all-time in UAlbany history and first all-time in the program's Division I history in saves with 840.
He finished in the top-10 in single season saves each of his first three years, including 237 in 2014 for 3rd all-time in a UAlbany season.
Al Cornfield in the UAlbany saves leader with 941 from 1982-85. Kevin Rae, the former DI saves leader at UAlbany, had 825 saves from 2002-05.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Home is where the heart is for UAlbany, drawing on the home state for most of its roster. Of its 48-man roster, 37 players hail from New York State.
From the USA, other states represented on UAlbany's roster include California, New Jersey, Ohio and Utah. The team also has four players from Canada.
The team's diversity is represented on its helmets. Each UAlbany helmet has three flags on the back, representing the United States, Canada and the Iroquois Six Nations.
SCOUTING THE SYRACUSE ORANGE: Syracuse is making its ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Averaging 12.93 goals a game to rank seventh in DI, Syracuse is led by redshirt senior attack and Tewaaraton nominee Dylan Donahue with 28 goals and 31 assists. Junior attack Nick Mariano has the team lead of 34 goals, adding 11 assists.
Syracuse has split between two goalies this season. Redshirt junior Evan Malloy is now the starter, saving 57.7% and allowing 6.80 goals a game. Redshirt senior Brandon Mullins earned All-ACC honors with 26 caused turnovers and 36 ground balls.
Junior Ben Williams is eighth in DI with a 63.1% faceoff rate, standing with 100 ground balls.
BLAZE RIORDEN EARNS AMERICA EAST DEF. PLAYER OF THE YEAR, SCOTT MARR AMERICA EAST COACH OF THE YEAR: Blaze Riorden earned America East Defensive Player of the Year and Scott Marr is honored as America East Coach of the Year as the 2016 conference men's lacrosse yearly awards were announced on Wednesday, May 4th.
Marr earns his fifth America East Coach of the Year honor and third in four years, also being chosen in 2013 and 2014. Riorden is selected for an America East yearly honor for the first time in his career. It is the first season where the player of the year honors are split into offensive and defensive.
In addition, UAlbany placed six players on the America East All-Conference squads, including five on the First Team. UAlbany also put three players on the America East All-Rookie Team and four on the All-Academic Team.
Riorden, Connor Fields, Seth Oakes, Troy Reh and Stone Sims earned First Team honors while John Maloney got Second Team. Jack Burgmaster, Eric Dluhy and Zach Ornstein were selected to the All-Rookie Team while James Burdette, Fields, Maloney and Kyle McClancy were chosen for the All-Academic Team.
The America East honors were announced at the pre-tournament awards reception at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany.
Riorden, a 2016 Tewaaraton nominee, will graduate as a four-time all-conference player, including the last three years on the first team. The senior goalkeeper stands third in Division I with 12.64 saves per game and sixth with a 57.5% save percentage. In total, Riorden has a 12-2 record, allowing 9.51 goals per game. The three-time America East Defensive Player of the Week has had at least eight games with 14+ saves, including victories over Cornell, Harvard, Stony Brook and Yale.
Marr has coached UAlbany to a #4 ranking in the USILA Coaches Poll and Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll, the highest rankings for the team since 2007. UAlbany just completed its fourth consecutive perfect America East regular season and was the 1-seed for the America East Tournament at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.
UALBANY NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: UAlbany heads to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year and eighth time in the Division I era.
The Great Danes have earned a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals each of the past two seasons, with true road wins, and three times overall, with the third appearance coming in 2007.
The team earned its first at-large bid in program history this season and first among America East teams since UMBC did in 2007.
Last year, UAlbany defeated 8-seed Cornell 19-10 in Ithaca before falling to 1-seed Notre Dame 14-10 in Denver. The Great Danes had earned a 13-6 victory at 3-seed Loyola in 2014 before a 14-13 overtime defeat to 3-seed Notre Dame in Hempstead, New York.
All-time in the NCAA Tournament, UAlbany is 3-7 overall, including 3-4 in the first round.
UAlbany returns to Syracuse for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. The two met in the Carrier Dome on May 16, 2004, with the Orange winning 21-13. Merrick Thomson led all scorers with six goals and an assist for UAlbany. Alex Zink and Brian Nee each had four goals for Syracuse.
