April 26, 2008

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - No. 1-ranked Syracuse scored early and often as the Orange posted a 16-3 win over UMass on Saturday at the Carrier Dome. The Minutemen close out the 2008 season next Saturday at Garber Field when UMass hosts Rutgers at 3 p.m. The game will be shown live on CN8 television. Syracuse won its 10th game in a row to move to 12-1 in the nation. UMass is now 5-8 overall.

UMass' leading scorer Tim Balise added to his ECAC-league-best total in goals with a pair in the loss to Syracuse, giving him 32 on the season. The Minutemen's other goal came from freshman Mike Wilus, on the extra-man, his first collegiate goal.

Syracuse's Mike Leveille, playing his brother Kevin's alma mater for the final time, had six points on three goals and three assists. Steven Brooks also had a hat trick for the Orange. Stephen Keogh, Pat Perritt and Greg Niewieroski each scored two goals in the win.

In goal, UMass' Doc Schneider had 11 saves while the Orange's John Galloway stopped seven shots.

The Orange scored the first nine goals of the game and never looked back. Leveille scored the first two of the game as Syracuse took a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. They built the advantage to 9-0 at halftime as six different players scored in the first half.

Balise got UMass on the board as he finished off a face-off win by Bobby Hayes to begin the second half, making it 9-1 SU. The Orange scored the game's next five goals to lead 14-1 at the end of the third quarter. Wilus and Balise's man-up goals in the fourth quarter finished UMass' scoring.

The 16 goals allowed were the most by UMass since a 19-9 loss to Johns Hopkins in the 2005 NCAA Quarterfinals.

The Minutemen won the face-off battle, taking 13-of-22 with Joe Reale winning 9-of-12. UMass was outshot 42-21 and outgroundballed 33-30.

Again, UMass hosts Rutgers to wrap up the season next Saturday at Garber Field, at 3 p.m.