Syracuse lacrosse fans should have been relieved when a healthy SU men’s lacrosse team returned to the turf during the annual fall scrimmages. Instead spectators observed one vital component of the squad was missing.

Premier players like midfielders Greg Rommel and Steven Brooks, and attackman Greg Niewieroski were back on the field after missing significant time last season. But attackman Mike Leveille, who started every game of his career, was absent from the field.

Leveille, the team’s second-leading scorer in 2006, was recuperating from surgery he had on a sports hernia in the summer.

The 2007 preseason All-American resumed practicing by spring and retook his spot as the leader of Syracuse’s attack. Leveille will take his place in the starting lineup when SU battles Army tonight at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome, as he tries to prove missing the fall has had no unfortunate consequences on his game.

‘(Missing the fall) affects you a little bit,’ Leveille said. ‘You don’t have the game experience. You miss out on that in practice or anything. But the preseason here and now getting into the games, I’m getting more and more comfortable.’

Although he started for the Orange in all 15 games last season, Leveille said the hernia had been bothering him since early in the season. He was not sure what triggered the injury; he only could recall waking up one morning and feeling an intense pain in his stomach.

A sports hernia is caused by a tear in the muscles of the lower abdomen. Diagnosing such an injury is a relatively new practice, Leveille said.

During the 2006 season, the training staff at SU kept Leveille in strong enough shape that he would not have to sit out any games. Once the year ended, Leveille headed to Philadelphia, where he decided to have surgery at the end of July.

‘It was kind of nagging,’ Leveille said. ‘Nothing I couldn’t play through, but certainly it was hard being uncomfortable at times. Hard to get going and playing when you step on the field and you’re not feeling well, but it’s something you deal with and I’m just glad to be healthy right now.’

The doctors operating on Leveille were the same ones who performed the surgery on current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and SU graduate Donovan McNabb when he suffered a sports hernia in 2004.

After the operation, Leveille needed to rest and wait for the injury to heal before he could play lacrosse competitively again.

Leveille said he does not feel ill side effects from the surgery, nor does he expect it to take long before he’s up to full speed. It seems to be a matter of just practicing and getting used to being back out on the field.

SU head coach John Desko believes the injury has done little to affect Leveille’s lacrosse abilities.

‘We really haven’t seen him miss too much,’ Desko said. ‘I think like anything he had to adapt knowing he’s got a scar there, but he’s been playing very well and I haven’t seen him hold back at all, and he’s so well-rounded and it hasn’t affected his feeding or his shooting or off ball movement, so I think he’s good to go.’

Despite the injury, Leveille remains one of the most talented offensive players on the SU roster. He sent in the game-winner against Hobart on Sunday. Thus, the main concern for the Syracuse attack is perfecting the chemistry between its starters.

Joining Leveille on the starting attack line will be two new attackmen, Dan Hardy and Kenny Nims.

Hardy and Nims both agreed Leveille’s absence in the fall led to some shakiness when the he stepped back onto the field in the spring.

However, Hardy said the offense had to make minimal adjustments to its game because Leveille can fit into any role on the offense.

It’s a comment echoed by Nims. The sophomore dismissed the significance of Leveille missing the fall, remarking the sole issue is having a healthy Leveille to work during the regular season.

‘He’s our leader,’ Nims said ‘He’s the guy we all look up to there on offense. He’s a pretty vocal guy. He’s always helping out and stuff and he’s pretty much the quarterback of the offense.’

Published on February 21, 2007 at 12:00 pm