A day after losing its first Big East game since the conference formed for lacrosse two-plus years ago, Syracuse dropped to No. 14 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll on Monday. It is the program’s lowest ranking since 2007, when the Orange stumbled to a 5-8 record and missed the NCAA tournament.

SU (4-3, 2-1 Big East) entered the season with an inexperienced roster after graduating seven All-Americans, but the team said its goal was still to win a national championship. For the Orange, a lacrosse powerhouse, competing for national titles is expected. But this season, head coach John Desko’s new-look group is still searching for its identity and is not a national contender at this point.

The Orange’s three losses this season already surpass its total in each of the last four seasons, which saw the team go a combined 60-8 and win two national championships.

Desko has rotated goaltenders Matt Lerman and Dominic Lamolinara through the first seven games, as neither has established himself as the clear-cut starter. Faceoffs have remained a problem for the Orange, which is ranked 46th out of 61 teams in the nation with a 45.6 percent winning percentage. The futility in the X coupled with a lack of consistent scoring threats has kept the offense from earning enough opportunities to find the back of the net.

Syracuse suffered its worst loss of the season last Sunday, falling to Villanova 11-10 for its first Big East setback since joining the conference in 2010. The Orange had won its previous 14 conference games.

The road doesn’t get any easier for the Orange, as it faces No. 8 Duke on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. After the matchup with the Blue Devils, Syracuse’s schedule includes games against No. 11 Princeton, No. 4 Cornell, No. 20 Georgetown and No. 6 Notre Dame.

rjgery@syr.edu

Published on March 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu