Syracuse men’s lacrosse: Orange announce five captains for 2019 season

After a program-record six captains a year ago (with two of them assistant captains), the Syracuse Orange will roll with five captains for the 2019 season.

Redshirt seniors Austin Fusco and Brad McKinney, along with senior Tyson Bomberry will serve as captains for a second straight season. Redshirt senior Marcus Cunningham and junior Peter Dearth are the new captains for Syracuse this season.

Fusco is one of Cuse’s LSMs and has been a vocal leader for the past couple of seasons. He recorded 11 caused turnovers and scooped up 25 ground balls last year for the Orange. The Yorktown product dons the No. 11 jersey, which is handed down to the team’s defensive leader annually and has become the defense’s version of the No. 22 jersey. He wore the “C” for most of last season, but did not have the letter on his jersey for games against Colgate and Cornell.

McKinney appeared in 13 games, scoring a goal against Army in Cuse’s triple-overtime thrilling victory last season. Despite only playing in 29 career games, his impact has been made in the locker room as another vocal leader.

Bomberry is entering his third year as a starter on the Orange defense. Despite missing four games due to an injury, the senior caused 15 turnovers, second on the team. His 26 ground balls were tied for fourth on the team.

Cunningham has been a consistent starter for the Orange. He’s only missed one game due to injury last season. The New Jersey native recorded eight caused turnovers and 18 ground balls last season and is one of five redshirt seniors on the team along with Fusco and McKinney.

Dearth had his role changed midway through last season. He began on the starting midfield unit with Jamie Trimboli and Tucker Dordevic before going down the depth chart and getting converted as a short-stick defensive midfielder. He finished the year with two goals and three assists along with five caused turnovers and 24 ground balls. With the new shot clock rules, he will certainly be a threat on transition and could be one of the better transition middies in the country.

One player I was surprised to not see was Trimboli, a junior and one of the team’s best midfielders. In just his sophomore year, he proved to be a role model and leader for many of the freshmen and some of his own classmates. It also helped that he played alongside former captain Sergio Salcido in his freshman season. Despite not sporting the “C” on his jersey, I’m sure Trimboli and others will grow in terms of leading the team on and off the field.

With finals fast approaching, the Orange are on their own individually until early January. The regular season schedule should come out before Christmas, usually around mid-December. So far, here’s what we know of the Orange schedule:

• Closed scrimmages against Hofstra (1/26) and Yale (2/2) at home in separate weeks
• Home against Army West Point (2/23)
• Home against Johns Hopkins (3/9)
• Home against Rutgers (3/16)

We should know other schedules later in December, which includes every ACC school. This year, the Orange will host Virginia and Duke and travel to Notre Dame and North Carolina. They should also host Albany and Cornell at home as well as Hobart since the Statesmen hosted two straight games before Syracuse played them in the Carrier Dome last season. The Orange are also expected to travel to Annapolis and take on Navy.

With the new ACC Tournament format (semifinals one weekend, ACC Championship the following weekend), that would possibly leave the Orange with one less regular season game. Syracuse scrimmaged Binghamton in the fall and it’s very rare for teams to play in the regular season after a fall scrimmage. That might mean Colgate gets moved up to the regular season, unless the Orange find a new opponent.