Syracuse sinks Siena

SYRACUSE — Cody Jamieson picked the perfect time for his official coming-out party.

The junior attacker went from unstoppable star in junior college to almost an unknown player on Syracuse's men's lacrosse team at the beginning of the season. As the NCAA Division I tournament started for the Orange on Sunday, Jamieson's performance demanded attention.

Jamieson produced a game-high three goals and assisted on another as No. 2 seed Syracuse pulled away from Siena, 11-4, in a first-round tournament game before a crowd of 3,122 at the Carrier Dome. The Orange (13-2) will face Maryland in the quarterfinals Saturday at Hofstra University in Hempstead. The time of the game is yet to be determined. The Terrapins (10-6) handed seventh-seeded Notre Dame its first loss of the season in a 7-3 victory earlier in the day.

A left-handed offensive specialist, Jamieson earned his first career start on Syracuse's top attack line with captain Kenny Nims and Stephen Keogh. Jamieson didn't disappoint.

"It was good that he was excited to play," Orange coach John Desko said. "We had somebody who was shooting well against their goaltender, and he was able to penetrate and get closer to the goal. They actually short-sticked him a couple times. We weren't unhappy about that."

Jamieson's goals were noteworthy since Syracuse's offense sputtered in the first half. Even more uncharacteristic of the Orange was committing six penalties in the game, including three in the opening half. SU's man-down defense was thrust into the dubious position of slowing down Siena's energetic offense. But Orange goalie John Galloway was up to the task.

On Syracuse's first penalty, Galloway made a save and a perfect outlet pass to spark a transition break. The sequence resulted in the first of Stephen Keogh's three goals. Galloway stopped two more shots to negate two more infractions. The sophomore recorded seven saves through the first 30 minutes, but the defense in front of him also kept Siena (12-6) off the scoreboard.

"In a game like this, we weren't man-up once," Desko said. "The man-down was big, along with the defense. I thought Coach (Kevin) Donahue does a great job preparing the group for what they're going to see during the game."

The Saints watched their deficit swell to 4-0 by halftime. If it wasn't for goalie Brent Herbst's eight key saves, it could've been worse for Siena. The offense buried its first goal on the EMO with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Watertown native Jordan Loftus set up Kenny Mazzone for the tally.

After Jamieson deposited his second goal, Loftus scored with 6 seconds left in the frame as Siena moved within 6-2 after three quarters. Despite going 11-for-19 on clears and converting just one of six man-up chances, the Saints stayed close to SU.

"Our kind of thinking all along was, let's go out there for at least three quarters, make them really tight and see what happens in the fourth," said Herbst, who finished with 11 saves.

The fourth quarter belonged to Syracuse's offense, which was fueled by Jamieson and Nims. Jamieson provided a goal and a nice assist on a Nims tally in the period. He also secured two ground balls to maintain possessions. SU outscored Siena 5-2 in the period.

"It was just execution," Jamieson said. "We were getting shots in the first half. Their goalie was hot. We just executed in the second half."

Jamieson said there has been "healthy competition" between Chris Daniello and Tim Desko — Syracuse's two other lefty attackers — all season in practice. Once Jamieson was inserted into the starting lineup Sunday, though, the Saints' didn't have much of a scouting report.

"We definitely didn't know what to expect from him," Herbst said. "We hadn't seen him on film, and we had film on the rest of the guys. He's a strong player, very aggressive."

Perhaps Maryland taped Sunday's game. The Terrapins will have six days to strategize for one more offensive weapon in Jamieson.

"Coming into the playoffs, we wish we had him for the whole season," said Galloway, who totaled 13 saves. "If we're going to get him, we got him at the right time."

It's was a typical outing for Nims, who added four assists along with his goal. It extended the Watertown product's point-scoring streak to 31 consecutive games.

nNOTES:Greg Niewieroski, also from Watertown, returned to Syracuse's lineup after missing three games with a bruised left knee. He scored a goal in the fourth quarter. ... The Orange was 24-for-26 on clears.