BROOKLANDVILLE, Md. – For the past four years, the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team hasn’t had to worry about the player minding the goal. But in Saturday’s ‘Lacrosse for Leukemia’ Tournament, the Orange found itself without a proven goalie – and even without a set starter.

After losing four-year starter Jay Pfeifer to graduation last spring, the prospect of a goalie controversy faces Syracuse. While the starter hasn’t been appointed, Orange head coach John Desko named redshirt freshman Peter Coluccini and sophomore Jake Myers the competitors for the starting job, and Syracuse used Saturday’s tournament as a ground to test the young goalies.

Both made saves when the other team should have scored. Both also made mistakes, preventing either Coluccini or Myers from standing out. As a result, no one lost the starting job on Saturday. No one won it either.

The competition hasn’t morphed into a controversy yet. Coluccini started all three games, though he and Myers split time almost evenly. Syracuse lost all three of its games on Saturday – 16-4 to the U.S. National Team, 15-10 to Towson and 12-7 to Penn State – but it focused more on individual performances and hashing out its starters before the start of the regular season in February.

‘I’d love to be a four-year starter and do the same thing Jay did,’ Coluccini said. ‘I learned a lot from Jay last year, just sitting behind him and learning. If everything works out, great. If not, I’ll just go out there and play lacrosse. It’s fun. There’s only pressure if you bring it upon yourself.’

Coluccini played the first half in each of the Orange’s three games and Myers took over in the second half.

With the attack adjusting to a new motion system, it was up to the goalies to lead Syracuse. Neither goalie looked to be under much pressure despite the stakes at hand, laughing and chatting with teammates and family after the U.S. National Team, Towson and PSU swept Syracuse.

‘They’re doing really well,’ Syracuse third-string goalie Zach Fields said. ‘Pete or Jake, whoever gets it, they’re both very capable. They’re battling, so that makes it more interesting because they’re trying even harder.’

Coluccini and Myers continued to push each other for Desko’s attention during the times he coached SU on Saturday. Desko is also the head coach for the U.S. National Team, and he split his time between both squads.

Desko felt Coluccini and Myers excelled in different areas Saturday, making his decision even harder come spring. Coluccini was extremely vocal in the goal, yelling out to his defense and taking command of the team despite just starting his first official year with Syracuse. Coluccini practiced with SU last year as a redshirt. Myers was quieter than Coluccini, but performed better with the ball, clearing it quickly and running out of the goal to set up the attack.

‘Both goalies had their moments,’ Desko said. ‘We’re happy with both. We have a battle going on now. Any time you come back and you’re not settled on your goalie situation you get anxious a bit. But again, we’ve got so much time between now and our first game things could change three or four times.’

No matter who is named the starting goalie once the season begins, SU is confident it can win. And with two capable goalies on the roster, the Orange can still compete if something should happen to the original starter.

While neither goalie has the experience of Pfeifer, Coluccini and Myers believe Syracuse can achieve just as much without him.

‘That’s awesome to have two really good goalies,’ Myers said. ‘That’s something the team needs, if something happens. Either one of us can get the job done. I have all the confidence in him and I’m sure he has confidence in me. It looks good for our goalie situation.’

Published on October 2, 2005 at 12:00 pm