2010 Syracuse Lacrosse Media Day Highlights

The Syracuse men’s lacrosse team took back the Carrier Dome this week for a practice session and media event.  Below are some highlights from the media event.  For the complete article and more player quotes, click here.

Cody Jamieson, Senior, Attack

On the feeling being back:
“It is just a relief, last year I had all those troubles and it was kind of hard, it took its toll on me. Now that I’m here and I’m good it is just about trying to work hard and work with my teammates.”

On the BIG EAST Conference:
“It doesn’t affect (how we approach the season.) We get to play some new teams, but we’re missing out on a couple rivalries that we had. But we’ll see new teams. It will be good to be a part of a prestigious conference like the BIG EAST.”

On losing numerous starters from last season:
“We just have to keep playing lacrosse. Syracuse is a good program and they’re always going to be bringing in quality ball players. There isn’t anything we have to do in particular because we already have people waiting in the wings that were waiting behind those guys last year. There is always going to be somebody here to take a spot.”

On playing more road games this year:
“That is a little different, but to win a championship you have to win on the road. We haven’t hosted a national championship here (recently) and we’ve still been able to win on the road. We have great fans and we know we’ll have fan support no matter where we go.”

Stephen Keogh, Junior, Attack – (2009 D1 Leading Goal Scorer)

On the upcoming season:
“Everyone is very excited to be back. It is going to be a good year. We lost a lot of people, but we have other guys ready to step up. It is good to get back on the field.”

On losing key players from last season:
“There are going to be some guys who will step up big time, especially in the midfield. We lost a lot of depth there. Everyone is capable of stepping up and some of our young guys like Jeff Gilbert and Pete Coleman will have a big role for us.”

On the BIG EAST conference:
“We are going to go into it one game at a time. We have some new teams on our schedule. We’re really excited for Notre Dame and St. John’s, but it is just another game on our schedule.”

John Galloway, Junior, Goalie

On maintaining drive in the offseason:
“Being able to realize how enjoyable it is. The chance that we’ve had the past two years, how many players haven’t had that opportunity. We’re really understanding that now and showing the freshmen what it is like to have that excitement and that opportunity to do it again, to do it for them and to do it for the program. We never want to settle, that is why we’ve gotten to 11 and we’re looking for number 12 this year.”

On the 2009 national championship finish:
“It doesn’t take much for me to think about it because people are still bringing it up. I heard about it the past couple days from people that I haven’t seen in a couple months. It is always nice to be able to reflect on that and think about the amazing game that took place. We give credit to Cornell and the game they gave us. It is a great memory we’ll always have but now we need to move on and look forward to this year. This is going to be a very different season for us and we’re excited to have that chance.”

On the loss of Sid Smith
“There is no replacing Sid. He is just an unbelievable player that understood the game and really had a knack for the game of lacrosse. We have a lot of guys waiting in the wings to take that spot. There are guys that have been here and some that are just coming in who are excited to fill those shoes. It won’t be easy, but we are going to be a new defense. We are looking for new leaders, there are people who have been stepping up everyday and we’re excited to see who else will step up in the next few weeks.”