May 22 — John Galloway finished classes weeks ago, but his biggest test looms this weekend. Until then, he’s playing the waiting game.

‘It’s tough,’ the freshman goalie said. ‘There’s not much to do.’

There’s plenty of free time for Galloway and the rest of the third-seeded Syracuse men’s lacrosse team before the Final Four kicks off this weekend, with a rematch against Virginia in the first national semifinal Saturday at Foxborough, Mass.

Time to practice, to prepare. Time to watch film: game tapes during the day, movies with the team at night. Time to spend with each other before this all ends.

‘It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to the seniors after this weekend,’ Galloway said. ‘But we’ll just cherish every moment now. We’re having a ball.’

The third-seed Orange and second-seed Cavaliers meet at noon (ESPN2). Top-seed Duke (18-1) squares off with fifth-seed and defending national champion Johns Hopkins (10-5) in the second semifinal at 2:30 p.m.

Saturday will be Syracuse’s 25th Final Four appearance, and a return to form after the struggles of last season. The Orange stumbled to a 5-8 record, missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 seasons.

Now, as SU (14-2) heads to Massachusetts to meet the Cavaliers (14-3), it latches its hopes to the freshman goalie from West Genesee, the kid who grew up on the doorstep of the Syracuse lacrosse dynasty and dreamed of someday playing for the Orange.

The team needed him in the quarterfinal win against Notre Dame last Sunday. A rough third quarter turned a 6-2 lead into an 8-7 deficit for the Orange. But Galloway gathered himself and made four saves in the final period, while his offense earned back the lead and the eventual 11-9 win.

It’s the kind of performance Galloway can build on, especially as a first-year starter.

He leapt past two-year starter Pete Coluccini on the depth chart during the position battle in spring practice, his clearing ability overshadowing the junior’s experience.

Syracuse head coach John Desko is fine with that: he’s started Galloway since the day one of the regular season, and hasn’t wavered from that stance. He has confidence in his freshman’s poise and preparation.

‘John will do his homework,’ Desko said in a conference call Monday. ‘He, I think, will remember most of the Virginia players from before, their tendencies. He’s very good at getting in and doing a lot of film to help prepare him. The school year is over, so finals are behind us. We’ve got nothing but lacrosse to concentrate on.’

Facing a familiar foe helps things. Syracuse took on Virginia way back in the beginning of March at the Faceoff Classic in Baltimore, a key moment in the Orange’s season.

Sure, Syracuse lost the game, a 14-13 overtime heartbreaker. Galloway made one big play in the extra session – intercepting a pass to give the Orange possession – but he couldn’t make a second. Brian Carroll’s rip from about yards out ended things with 1:29 left in OT.

But the goalie said earlier this week that he wasn’t discouraged by the result. The team wasn’t either.

‘To be able to know that I could make those saves – I learned a lot from that game,’ Galloway said. ‘And to know that this program was back: I think we really realized that our team could hang with the best in the nation.’

The Orange proved that as the season went on, winning 12 of 13 since. But the goalie’s play fluctuated during that time.

The Syracuse offense has bowled teams over this season, often leaving Galloway’s play as an afterthought. When he shined, as he did in double-digit save showings against Hobart and Albany, the team won. When he struggled, as he did in a four-stop outing against Rutgers, the team still won.

But that changed against Notre Dame – and Galloway responded. He needs to again this weekend, especially facing Virginia’s well-rounded attack, led by Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Ben Rubeor and All-American Danny Glading.

The chance excites Galloway.

‘Right after we won Sunday, we couldn’t stop talking about it,’ he said. ‘Getting to the Final Four and the experience and all the fans that are going to be there, and just how much different it is to actually get down there.’

Galloway will find out Saturday.

‘I’ve had some bumps and bruises,’ he said. ‘I’ve let these guys down more than once. I just want to be able to end on a high.’

ramccull@syr.edu

Published on May 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm