Sean Lindsay began by pulling a goal from behind his back, but by the time he finished scoring, he’d pulled out a win as well.

Last night, Lindsay led the No. 4 Syracuse men’s lacrosse team to a 13-8 victory over No. 11 Cornell in the Carrier Dome in front of a crowd of 3,074. Lindsay scored four goals, including a key tally in the third period, and had two assists.

With 4:40 left in the third quarter, Syracuse’s lead, which had been as large as four, dwindled to one. The Big Red had held the Orangemen (7-2) scoreless for more than 22 minutes while slowly pecking away on offense, closing the gap to 6-5.

Lindsay quickly squashed any upset hopes the Big Red had cultivated. Lindsay took the ball, spun back and forth against Cornell defender Chris Viola, then leaped backward and fired the ball between goalie Brandon Ross’ legs.

“That was very big,” SU head coach John Desko said. “They had the momentum on their side a little bit. It was nice to get the lead back to two.”

Besides providing a cushion, the goal woke SU’s dormant offense.

Twelve seconds later, midfielder Jarett Park took a faceoff and deposited it in the goal. Lindsay fittingly ended the 3-0 run himself, running by midfielder George Boiardi and uncorking a shot just under the crossbar.

“We just took advantage of our opportunities,” Lindsay said. “We got on a roll.”

Before Lindsay’s offensive eruption, Syracuse struggled. In the second quarter, the Orangemen constantly turned the ball over, completing only 7 of 12 clearing attempts. They also found themselves shorthanded five times during the scoreless spell.

“I don’t think they were doing a lot to stop us,” SU attacker Mike Powell said. “It was just us. We were turning the ball over, not taking advantage of our opportunities.”

While Syracuse floundered on offense, the Big Red (6-3) peppered SU’s net with shots, forcing goalie Jay Pfeifer to make a number of point-blank saves to help SU maintain the lead. The Big Red finished the game outshooting the Orangemen, 43-31, but failed to capitalize on its man-advantage opportunities. Cornell finished the game 2 of 10 with the extra man.

“We just didn’t make the plays to win,” Cornell defender Tim DeBlois said. “We couldn’t make the plays to get there. We couldn’t get the tying or the winning goal.”

Lindsay’s output was aided by Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni’s decision to place his long-stick midfielder on Lindsay’s teammate, Steve Vallone. Lindsay said the midfielders remain attuned to which players have advantages and pass them the ball more often.

Vallone and Lindsay entered the game tied for second on SU in goals, with 17, and continue to anchor a surprisingly productive midfield. Despite losing all three starters from last year’s unit, this year’s midfielders — while prone to turnovers — have replaced nearly all the firepower. Desko said Cornell forced him to use the starting three midfielders nearly exclusively because Cornell’s slow-down tactics hindered SU’s ability to get into the flow of the game.

Despite the 22 minutes of struggling, Syracuse’s offense at the beginning and end of the game rivaled the explosiveness during the Lindsay-led run.

After spending the first three periods aiming to keep the game close, Cornell fell behind, 10-6, and was forced to press forward. In doing so, the Big Red allowed the Orangemen to take advantage of transition opportunities and end the game with a 4-2 run.

Lindsay, as he did during the game-winning stretch, led Syracuse’s charge to its 6-2 early lead, scoring SU’s first goal on a behind-the-back shot while picking up a goal and another assist during the stretch.

“We got off to a good start and put some points on the scoreboard,” Desko said. “They picked away a little. The midfielders just keep getting better and better. We’re getting the production we need to spread the defense.”

Published on April 8, 2003 at 12:00 pm