The ability of the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team to remain calm can be irritating or worthy of applause.

During a three-game losing streak that nearly cost the Orangemen their NCAA tournament aspirations, they seemed to need a swift kick in the backside or a knee to the noggin. After each loss, the Syracuse chorus repeated the same refrain.

(ITALICS)We just need to get back to playing our game,(ITALICS) they said. (ITALICS)We’ll get it together. We know how talented we are. We just have to show it. (ITALICS)

But last Saturday, Syracuse’s ability to ward off panic earned SU a 12-10 win over Georgetown and a home NCAA Tournament game against Dartmouth on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the first round.

Syracuse entered the Georgetown contest having lost three straight games to traditional punching bags. The Orangemen wondered whether a fourth consecutive loss would keep them out of the NCAA tournament. They couldn’t win a face-off. They fell behind 6-3 at halftime. Then, two quick Georgetown goals made it 8-3.

‘(The halftime atmosphere) was more calm than I anticipated it to be,’ attacker Liam Banks said. ‘We knew we had to get something done and we went out and did it. I’d call it a calm atmosphere.’

Said midfielder Mike Smith: ‘You can’t be over-excited but you can’t be too relaxed either. We were only down by three goals and there was a whole half left.’

Sure there was. But those three goals and that one half had the potential to end Syracuse’s string of 20 consecutive Final Fours without even a postseason appearance. While the timing seemed perfect for a heartfelt halftime speech or a profanity-laden rant, the Orangemen were typically even-keeled.

‘I don’t think we’ve panicked at all this year, even at the end (of the losses) we had good possessions, good shots,’ head coach John Desko said. ‘We talked about having 30 minutes and having control of our own destiny. At 8-3, though, things weren’t looking real comfortable.’

The Orangemen showed no signs of discomfort either. Instead of desperation and panic setting in, the only sign that anything had gone wrong was Jake Plunket replacing Chris Bickel on face-offs.

Syracuse responded to its position on the brink of elimination by calmly scoring eight consecutive goals and then returning home to watch the NCAA selection show. They gathered around the television at Matt Bontaites’ apartment, and then, having digested the pairings, marched back out.

‘It’s been a roller coaster,’ Smith said.

Maybe so, but the Orangemen’s calm attitude is more reminiscent of an amusement park aficionado fresh off a spin on the teacups.

Despite the initial possibility of missing the tournament completely, Syracuse’s reaction to earning a home game — and being pegged the fifth-best team in the tournament, based on the fact that they’d play the winner of No. 4 Princeton and Albany in the quarterfinals — was subdued.

‘I don’t think we’re really surprised by it,’ Banks said. ‘We felt if we won, we’d get a home game.’

The Orangemen earned the home game based mainly on their strength of schedule. SU played seven of the 16 tournament teams during the season. Syracuse was also aided by a win over Johns Hopkins, the No. 1 team in the country.

Syracuse’s ability to avoid panic should serve them well against Dartmouth. Big Green goaltender Andrew Goldstein frustrated opponents throughout the year, allowing only 6.6 goals per game and stopping 65 percent of the shots.

‘They have a very good goaltender,’ Desko said. ‘If he’s hot, he can frustrate your offense a little. Even when things are working he can come up with big saves and frustrate you.’

Published on May 7, 2003 at 12:00 pm