PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It’s become a familiar trend for the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team. Three straight road games now, the Orangemen have trailed by at least three goals late in the first half. Head coach John Desko said it’s not a problem, the least of his concerns.

The evidence of late certainly seems to support him. SU rallied for its second straight comeback win, defeating Brown, 13-6, at Stevenson Field on Saturday.

The No. 3 Orangemen (6-1) used a 6-0 run, which began with 3:49 remaining in the first quarter and didn’t come to a close until 25 seconds remained in the half. No. 10 Brown (6-1) scored just one goal in the second half, coming with 3:52 remaining in the game. Both totals – six goals allowed in a game and one in the second half – were SU season bests.

‘I think a lot of the teams we play against really get up for the Orangemen,’ Desko said. ‘They put a lot into their early part of the game. They come out excited to play. It’s just like today. They came out and got the early goals. It’s a matter of digging in, getting the ball back and being patient on offense.’

Early in the game, it appeared that the previously undefeated Bears might surprise the Orangemen. Brown took an early 4-1 lead on a pair of goals by both Chazz Woodson and Chris Mucciolo. Bears goalie Mike Levin frustrated Syracuse early, repeatedly denying SU from what appeared to be easy scoring attempts.

But after Brown’s fourth goal with 7:01 remaining in the first quarter, Desko called timeout, and the Orangemen responded – especially Brian Crockett. The sophomore attackman scored his second of six goals on a perfect feed from Michael Powell.

‘The first quarter, they came out real hard, and we were trying to match their intensity,’ Crockett said. ‘We called a timeout, coach talked to us and settled us down. I think we were able to eliminate some of the mistakes on defense and start executing a little bit on offense.’

For Crockett, Saturday’s performance came as the breakout game that he had been looking for. After playing midfield in his freshman year, Desko moved Crockett to attack for this season. He responded early, scoring 13 goals in Syracuse’s first three wins. But in the next three games, he managed just two goals. Against Brown, he matched his career high in goals, set on March 6 against Virginia, and also set a new career high with seven points.

On the other side of the field, the Orangemen’s defense dominated the Bears. After Woodson and Mucciolo – Brown’s first- and fourth-leading scorers, respectively – scored the Bears’ first four goals, SU’s defense shut them down for the remainder of the game. Freshman Steve Panarelli led the effort, attaching himself to Woodson. Brown’s junior attack repeatedly tried to free himself behind the goal in a Powellesque fashion, but Panarelli wouldn’t let him get to the goal. This led to an array of high and wide shots by Woodson in the second half.

‘Our defense played well today,’ SU midfielder Greg Rommel said. ‘They really wanted to focus on really crushing down on the crease, not letting in easy goals and making them shoot from the outside. They did that, and Jay (Pfeifer) made some great saves.’

Brown was also hurt by the loss of second-leading scorer Charlie Towers to injury late in the first quarter. Before he left the game, Brown led, 4-1. After his injury, SU’s 6-0 run began. Mucciolo said the Bears missed more than Towers’ goals. The senior attack is the player responsible for setting up the offense, calling out plays and handling substitutions. Minus his 20 points and leadership, the Bears stumbled.

For SU, the win marked its continued bounce back from a devastating 17-5 loss to Johns Hopkins on March 20. Since then, the Orangemen have had a run of three wins in just eight days.

‘On all the scraps, all the fights, it seemed like they were coming up with those key ground balls and key possessions to keep their (scoring) spurts alive,’ Mucciolo said.

Said Desko: ‘For us, we played Princeton last week and Hobart on Tuesday, and to be on the road and come here and win like we did today was really good for our spirits. It’s been a long week, a good week, a productive week, and I think the guys have gotten a lot out of it.’

Published on April 4, 2004 at 12:00 pm