Nobody wanted to say the words.

After last week’s loss to Massachusetts, Mike Leveille mumbled them. Dan Hardy broke down before he could even speak on the topic. Finally, Syracuse men’s lacrosse head coach John Desko clarified what motivation his team would have when it plays its first futile game in a quarter century.

‘It’s our last game. It’s at home and it’s Senior Day,’ Desko said. ‘We’re playing for some pride.’

Play for pride.

It’s what Leveille had whispered under his breath. It’s what Hardy could not articulate. It seemed the players never imagined their season could end so abruptly. With the Syracuse lacrosse legacy, it seemed the results of this season couldn’t happen in a million years. Especially not in 25 years.

No. 19 Syracuse will take on No. 16 Colgate in the Carrier Dome at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The contest will be SU’s first since 1982 that the Orange has no chance of qualifying for the postseason. Syracuse was eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday at the hands of a 9-7 defeat by UMass.

Syracuse will no longer need to handle the pressure of trying to qualify for the playoffs with its back against the wall. It has hit the wall. And perhaps the thud was somewhat liberating.

‘Have fun. Dominate them,’ said defenseman Kyle Guadagnolo when asked about his plans for the Colgate matchup.

The Orange has historically controlled the series against intra-state foe Colgate (10-5). This season, however, the Red Raiders look to be in the opposite direction of the Orange. Colgate holds its highest ranking ever (No. 16). A win would allow the Hamilton, N.Y., school to tie its highest win total in school history.

For the Syracuse seniors who will play their final game in the Dome this weekend, a Colgate victory would provide the most bitter of endings.

Seniors like Steve Panarelli, Danny Brennan and Jon Jerome joined Syracuse in 2004. By the end of their freshman season, the players were national champions.

Four years later, the seniors will leave the program during one of its worst seasons ever.

Graduate captain Greg Rommel turned down an offer to attend graduate school at the University of California San Diego at the end of last season. Instead Rommel, who sat out the 2006 season with a thumb injury, decided to come back to Syracuse and not waste his eligibility.

‘It was really no decision,’ Rommel said. ‘Once I realized I had the opportunity to get the redshirt, it was a real easy decision.’

Rommel will earn his masters at SU next fall. But Rommel noted a couple weeks ago, for him and the other players in their final year of eligibility, the season has had its surprising share of disappointment.

Ironically, Syracuse plans to commemorate its lacrosse legacy against Colgate with a day that has been dubbed the ‘Celebration of Champions.’ The Orange will honor coaching legend Roy Simmons Jr. and past Syracuse lacrosse stars.

The atmosphere might seem tongue-in-cheek with the downturn of the Syracuse season. Still the team knows although the season will not conclude with a playoff appearance, this year’s season finale will not be meaningless for the team.

‘The season’s not over yet,’ Leveille said. ‘The seniors – we still have to play for them. They have one more game, their last home game in the Dome. We’re just going to try to stick together and have as much fun as we can. As a team in our last week, we worked hard all season. And now Saturday we don’t want to let it down for seniors.’

Published on May 6, 2007 at 12:00 pm