The Top Five Non-Revenue Sports to Attend at Syracuse University

By Ben Glidden

Photo Courtesy of www.bigeast.org

We all know Football, Basketball and Lacrosse games are fun to go to. But have you ever been to a non-revenue sporting event at Syracuse University? Many people haven't and are missing out on some of the hidden gems of campus. Here are the top non-revenue sporting events to attend:

5. Syracuse Soccer - SU Soccer Stadium is a great venue for a soccer game, especially under the lights. Night soccer games make you feel like you're at a professional sporting event. There is a great fan base and soccer is an upbeat sport worth checking out. Bring your vuvuzelas. If you need more reasons, click here.

4. Syracuse Field Hockey - What many people don't know about this team is that they are really good. The past few years they have been one of the best teams in the nation and have battled in the NCAA tournament. The team plays at J.S. Coyne Field on South Campus, a venue that holds up to 2,700 spectators. Field hockey can be an extremely exciting sport once you figure out what all the whistles mean. I definitely recommend you check out one of these games this fall.

3. Syracuse Ice Hockey - Ice Hockey is one of the fastest and most exciting sports. I've been to a lot of Syracuse Ice Hockey games and they are a blast. While the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion may not be the ideal place to hold a hockey game, it still gets the job done. There isn't much room for spectators, which means the bleachers are packed for every game. The crowd gets loud and has hockey specific cheers that will provide you with a great fan experience.

2. Syracuse Women's Volleyball - Last year, the volleyball team started of its season 17-0. I had never been to a real volleyball game before going to my first Syracuse game and it was so much fun. The bumps, sets and spikes will definitely get you out of your seat and cheering. A lot of people show up to the games and they get loud. You'll definitely fall in love with the sport and the team after just one visit.

1. Syracuse Softball - The SU Softball Stadium is the place to be when spring comes around. The team is back-to-back Big East Champions and have performed pretty well in the NCAA Tournament the past couple years. These games are loud, fast paced and there is never a dull moment. While all the events are great to go to, the talent displayed on the softball field makes this the number one non-revenue sport to attend.

Disagree? Tell us why!

Orange Softball Headed to NCAA Tournament for Second Straight Year

By Conor Hurley 

The Syracuse University Softball team earned its second consecutive Big East tournament championship and also a second consecutive NCAA tournament bid with a 2-1 victory over Louisville on Saturday.

The Orange (44-11) are now set to play LSU (36-16) in the tournament in College Station, Texas this Friday. The tournament has 64 teams, consisting of 30 automatic, conference-winning bids and 34 at-large bids. There are 16 four-team regional rounds that are in double elimination format.

The Orange are not new to this format as they lost Oklahoma and Maryland in the 2010 regional round in College Park, Maryland.  

The goal for this year is to utilize last year’s experience to have a better performance this time around.

"With the experience we have with the upperclassman and the success that they've had, we are more comfortable in these situations,” SU Head Coach Leigh Ross said. “The team is getting used to winning. We know that LSU is going to be tough, but we faced them last year so we are kind of familiar with what they have."

One of the upperclassmen with success Ross speaks of is undoubtedly the All-Big East selection and conference Pitcher of the Year Jenna Caira, who has a program-best 34 wins this season.

Similar to how an NHL team’s success in the playoffs is very dependent on goaltending, a softball team’s success is dependent on pitching because one ace usually carries the pitching load for the team. If Caira is as terrific as she has been all season in this year’s tournament, the Orange have a legitimate shot to make a title run.

The Orange begin their title run this Friday at 5 p.m. vs. LSU. 

Syracuse Orange Softball: 2011 Big East Champions

By Ben Glidden

The Syracuse Orange Softball team beat Louisville for the second consecutive year to become the 2011 Big East Champions. It was a pitchers duel at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville as it only took one run for the Orange to put away the Cardinals 1-0.

The only run for either team came in the third inning. Kelly Saco got on base with a double and second baseman Stephanie Watts drove her in. The Orange had other opportunities to score but were thrown out at home plate twice by the Louisville center fielder.

The pitching for each team was the story in this game. Louisville starter Tori Collins had an incredible game, giving up just five hits and shutting down Syracuse with nine strikeouts. It was just one instance in the third inning when she showed weakness and the Orange capitalized.

Jenna Caira, the 2011 Big East Pitcher of the Year, didn't bring her best stuff into the game today. But when Caira doesn't bring her best stuff, she still does extremely well. During the game, Syracuse coach Leigh Ross said Caira was just fighting through some nerves. She only gave up five hits but had just four strikeouts.

The Orange won its second consecutive Big East Championship but hopes to perform better this year in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. After an early first round exit last year for the Orange, Syracuse wants to show the nation that the Big East can be a Softball Conference.

Since the Orange won the Big East Championship, the team receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse will find out when and where it plays Sunday night at 10PM during the Tournament Selection show on ESPNU.

Syracuse Softball Heads to Championship

By Ben Glidden

The #3 seeded Syracuse University Softball team scored two runs in the first inning and thats all it would take to beat the #2 seeded DePaul Blue Demons today at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville. The 2-0 victory propelled the Orange to the Championship for its second straight season and extended its longest win streak in program history to 13 games.

The first of the only two runs of the game came off back to back triples. First a lead off triple from second baseman Stephanie Watts and a RBI triple from Lisaira Daniels followed. The second run came off the bat of third baseman Haillie Gibbs, giving her RBI number 62 of the season.

The real story for the Orange was in the circle as starting pitcher Jenna Caira did what she has done all season. She pitched lights out and earned her 33rd win. She went all seven innings without giving up a run. She gave up just two hits on seven strikeouts to lead the Orange to victory.

Caira completely shut down DePaul's All-Big East First Team selection, Kirsten Verdun. Verdun's slugging percentage this season was .622 and she hit 11 home runs and had 42 RBIs but she was hitless today and stuck out once.

The Orange will face the winner of Louisville and Notre Dame tomorrow at 5PM on ESPN2. But the quest for a second straight Big East title wont necessarily come easy. Syracuse played three games against Louisville this season and won them all, however the Orange was winless against Notre Dame this season.

Orange Softball Survives Against Pitt in Tight One

By Conor Hurley

Just because this has been the best season in Syracuse University Softball's history doesn't mean the road to a Big East Championship or the NCAA Tournament is going to be easy.

The Pittsburgh Panthers cemented that fact in the first round of the Big East Tournament.

After being shutout in the first six innings and being down by one going into the bottom of the seventh, the Orange were lifted to victory via the bat of Junior Lisaira Daniels.

Daniels' single to left field in the bottom of the seventh drove home freshmen Shirley Daniels and Kealy McMullen, ending the game 2-1.

"It feels awesome just to know that I was in that situation to do that for my teammates," Lasaira Daniels said. "One thing about us is that we never give up, we never stop fighting."

The Orange will continue their journey to the Big East Championship in the semi-finals vs. DePaul.

Reigning Champs Primed to Win Another Big East Tourney

By Darius Joshua 

The Syracuse University Softball team (41-11, 15-5 Big East) finished up its remarkable season against the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday and are now ready for the Big East Tournament. 

Beating the Cardinals capped off the team’s best ever win streak of 11 straight games and helped solidify its best ever regular season with 41 wins. This season has been all about setting records for the softball team. The Orange was ranked nationally for the first time in program history in March. Syracuse also set records for biggest margin of victory (23-0), most runs in a contest (23), and most hits (19) all against Rutgers on March 26. 

The Orange won the Big East tournament last year by beating Louisville in the finals 2-1 and went onto the NCAA tournament. The team lost to Oklahoma 10-0 and then went on to lose to Maryland 4-1. 

The Orange are ranked third in the Big East Tournament behind the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the DePaul Blue Demons, respectively. The tournament starts Thursday, May 12th and ends on May 14th. Syracuse kicks off its tournament against the Pittsburgh Panthers (34-16, 13-8 Big East) at 10 a.m. on Thursday. The last time these two teams met was last season. They split a double header with the Orange taking game one, 8-0 and the Panthers taking game two, 4-0. The all-time series between the teams is 12-8 in favor of Syracuse. 

The winner of this game will face the winner of the game between the Blue Demons and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday.