That dull buzz that reverberated through South Campus at 8 this morning?

It must have been the alarm clocks of the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team, which all went off around that time to rouse the Orangemen for today’s 11 a.m. scrimmage against Maryland at the Carrier Dome.

Because the Syracuse men’s basketball team already booked the Dome this weekend for its Saturday matchup against Notre Dame, the men’s lacrosse team was forced to play today. And it had to be early enough to give the Dome staff time to lift up the turf and lay down the court.

“It’s either that or go on the road,” SU head lacrosse coach John Desko said. “It’s just nice to get a guaranteed facility this time of year.”

Most players thought it would’ve been nicer to sleep in.

“I’d rather play later,” SU defenseman Sol Bliss said. “You’re in the groove of getting up a little later. Usually our earliest games are noon. Eleven o’clock during the week? That’s early.”

Early enough to cause a number of Syracuse players to miss classes.

Bliss will miss two. Attacker Mike Springer will skip one, but it’s a three-hour sociology class required for his major. And goaltender Jay Pfeifer would’ve missed one had it not been canceled.

“The only day I like to play at 11 in the morning is Memorial Day,” Springer said, referring to the day the NCAA Championship game is played. “But I guess there’s nothing you can really do about it. You’ve got to wake up a lot earlier. No one likes to do that.”

But the Orangemen do like that they’ve been practicing on a 110-yard field since Friday.

Not only did the men’s basketball team force the men’s lacrosse team into today’s morning start, it also shortens its practice field. When the basketball court is set up in the Dome, only about 60 yards remain for the lacrosse team.

But with the men’s basketball team in Morgantown, W.Va., last weekend and then in Hartford, Conn., on Monday, the full field has been available.

“Lacrosse is a similar sport to basketball in terms of concepts,” Desko said. “In basketball, if you’ve got only half a court, you can’t work on your full-court press or breaking a press. I would equate that to our riding and clearing.”

In their first scrimmage against Navy on Saturday, the Orangemen did both well. Syracuse converted 20 of 21 clears while forcing the Midshipmen into 23 turnovers.

What the Orangemen failed to do well, though, was score. SU tallied just five first-half goals before adding eight in the second.

SU’s attack today will likely be without Liam Banks, who injured his right shoulder Saturday.

“I don’t think I’m going to play,” Banks said. “I haven’t (practiced) all week.”

Bliss was also injured Saturday when he took a stick to the back of the head. He should start today.

“I’m fine,” Bliss said yesterday before practicing. “The trainers made more out of it than it is. There’s nothing wrong with me.”

But there is something wrong with waking up early.

“We’ve got to try to get to sleep early tonight and get up tomorrow,” Bliss said yesterday afternoon. “It’s harder to get as pumped for a scrimmage, especially early in the morning, than it is for a game.”

Published on February 12, 2003 at 12:00 pm