Ever since the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team walked off Massachusetts’s Garber Field on May 15, 2005, after a one-goal loss to UMass in the first round of the NCAA tournament left SU out of the final four for the first time in 22 years, there have been moments when the Orange has flirted with a return to its designation of prominence.

There was the seven-game winning streak to end the 2006 regular season. That run carried into the postseason with two wins – including a quarterfinals upset over Johns Hopkins – to send SU back to the final four. But that was followed by a disappointing loss to Virginia.

There was the ever-needed victory over No. 2 Albany last April, keeping SU in postseason consideration and symbolically maintaining speed with the Great Danes and Cornell, Central New York teams uncharacteristically at the top of the rankings. But that was followed by two straight losses to finish the season and left the Orange out of the postseason for the first time in 25 years.

But no moment is perhaps more significant than Monday, when SU reached the elusive No. 1 ranking for the first time since winning the national championship in 2004 and for the first time in the regular season in 2003. It was then when SU had its aura of invincibility. They might have off years, but never bad years. Like Duke in basketball and Notre Dame in football, Syracuse lacrosse is a nationally acclaimed program that has watched its cache erode in recent seasons.

Because of the recent struggles, Monday’s No. 1 ranking is so significant. It is impressive to look at the program’s milestones – both good and bad – during these past three seasons and understand the gravity of its return to the top of the rankings.

After that May afternoon in 2005, when the bitter rivalry with UMass intensified to then-unseen proportions, there was a clear slash in SU’s otherwise invincible armor. At the preseason media day the following year, the mission was clear – redemption for the following season. They had a heralded freshman class, highlighted by the trio of Pat Perritt, Dan Hardy and Kenny Nims – the three of whom posed on the cover of Inside Lacrosse before ever playing the game.

The opening to the season was disastrous, with SU losing four of its first five games and two of its top players. Relying more than they expected on its talented freshmen – eerily similar to the Orange’s basketball team this season – the embarrassment reached its boiling point when Hobart, of all schools, trumped SU on the Carrier Dome turf. Watching from the press box above the field, I still vividly remember the sight of Steve Panarelli throwing his helmet and breaking his stick out of frustration.

Whispers circulated among lacrosse fans around the country. [ITALICS]Is their reign as an elite team up? Should they join a conference? Have they scheduled themselves out of dominant seasons?[/ITALICS]

The season ended like a hackneyed movie script. A players-only meeting was held, and the players were reminded of what it meant to play Syracuse lacrosse. Panarelli got a tattoo on his back after the game, hoping to start fresh. They responded by winning out the regular season, including a three-game stretch in which SU won all each of its games by one-goal. The Cornell game stands out in particular, when SU beat the No. 4 Big Red on a Tuesday night in Ithaca thanks to a Perritt goal in the final seconds. The sheer emotion the Orange displayed was an indication of how important it was for them as a program to remain at the top.

When SU beat Hopkins a few weeks later to advance to the final four, there was a sense of relief. Even after the Orange lost to UVa. in the final four, the postgame locker room was filled as much with pride in getting that far as it was disappointment in the run ending. Nims and former midfielder Craig Hammond were both especially forthcoming about returning order to a program after the one-year hiatus.

Then last year happened.

SU was supposed to be loaded. Returning a young and talented team and an influx of injured players from the season before, the Orange was primed to capitalize on the previous season’s momentum. Problems with both discipline and defense held SU back. Even after the pivotal Albany win, the magic from 2006 seemed like a distant memory. A loss to UMass – of all teams – kept SU out of its first postseason in 25 years.

The same questions that arose after the Hobart loss in 2006 intensified at the end of last year. WAER’s postgame call-in show was dominated by SU loyalists dialing in with gripes about a fall from grace.

When the news circulated on Monday about the No. 1 ranking, one could have responded, this team has teased us before. Yet for however long it lasts, take this for what it is. Syracuse lacrosse is back at the top, and order has been restored.

Zach Berman is the featured sports columnist for The Daily Orange, where his columns appear weekly. E-mail him at zberman@syr.edu.

Published on April 1, 2008 at 12:00 pm