Hobart–Syracuse lacrosse rivalry

The Hobart–Syracuse lacrosse rivalry is an intercollegiate lacrosse rivalry between Hobart Statesmen and Syracuse Orange. The two programs, both based in Upstate New York, developed one of the most historically-relevant rivalries in lacrosse. The rivalry trails only the Cornell–Hobart and Johns Hopkins–Maryland rivalries as the third-oldest series in lacrosse.[1] The Statesmen and Orange have combined for 32 national championships, with the two maintaining annual nature of the rivalry, even after the NCAA split into separate divisions.[2] During the 1970s through the 1990s, Hobart competed in Divisions II and III, while Syracuse competed in Division I. Both programs dominated their respective divisions during this period, with Hobart capturing 15 national championships during this period and the Orange claiming 6. In 1995, Hobart promoted its team from Division III to Division I to preserve the series with the Orange and its other upstate rival Cornell. In 2008, the annual rivalry was jeopardized when Hobart's Board of Trustees voted to reclassify its lacrosse program back to the Division III level. After an emotional reaction from the alumni community, however, the decision was reversed on May 1.[3] Syracuse leads the series, described as a classic "David versus Goliath" contest,[4] 78–26–2 through 2020.[5]

Hobart–Syracuse lacrosse rivalry

Hobart Statesmen Syracuse Orange
First meeting	April 29, 1916 Hobart 9, Syracuse 1
Latest meeting	February 28, 2020 Syracuse 21, Hobart 13
Trophy	Kraus-Simmons Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total	106
All-time series	Syracuse leads, 78–26–2
Largest victory	Syracuse, 16–0 (1928) Hobart, 23–7 (1975), 24–8 (1977)
Longest win streak	Syracuse, 19 (1987–2005)
Current win streak	Syracuse, 7 (2014–Present)

Series History

Early Years (Pre-1970s)

The series dates back to April 29, 1916 with a Hobart victory over the Orange.[6] After three consecutive victories by the Statesmen, Syracuse asserted dominance over the rivalry, with only one Hobart victory breaking up a 21 game unbeaten streak. The two would trade blows from 1937 to 1951, with Syracuse taking eight of sixteen matchups during this stretch. Another string of Orange victories with 11 straight victories was ended by an 11–10 Hobart win, the first of four straight victories for the Statesmen. Syracuse would follow with their own four game streak, ending in 1972.[5]

Divisional Golden Years (1970s to 1990s)

The introduction of the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship in 1971 changed course for the rivalry. Syracuse remained in Division I, while the Statesmen began competing at the Division II level in 1974, before eventually moving to Division III in 1980.[7] With Jerry Schmidt at the helm, the Statesmen would embark on the beginning of its greatest era in program history. In 1972, Hobart would rout the Orange 18–7 in Geneva, en route to their first ever national championship, claimed after prevailing in the USILA playoffs.[8] That victory marked the first of eight consecutive triumphs in the rivalry, with only one game coming within six goals. Five Hobart's victories came with Syracuse ranked, including twice when the Orange were in the Top 10. Hobart would win two more national championships under Jerry Schmidt, accompanied by three title game runner-ups during this period.[9]

In 1980, Syracuse would regain momentum. After their first NCAA tournament appearance the previous year, the #4 Orange got payback for Hobart dominance, winning 22–13. At the Division III level, new head coach Dave Urick led the Statesmen to their first of 12 consecutive national championships, beginning with the 1980 season.[10] A thrilling contest the following year result in an overtime victory for the Orange. A Hobart win in 1982 was followed by Syracuse's 17–10 victory in '83,[11] as the Orange won their first national championship since 1957.

The Kraus-Simmons trophy was introduced in 1986, named for two Hall of Fame coaches, Roy Simmons Sr. for Syracuse and Babe Kraus for Hobart.[1][12] The 1986 game was a watershed for the rivalry, as the Statesmen upset the #1 Orange 16–13 in Geneva.[13] The game took place before a crowd of 8,450 at Boswell Field, despite it only officially seating 4,500.[14] Hobart completed its best season record-wise since the undefeated 1977 campaign, finishing at 15–1 and winning a seventh consecutive Division III title.

In the following years, Syracuse would continue its dominance of Division I while Hobart held put in the lower division. In 1987, Syracuse would avenge its upset from the prior year with a five goal differential. This would be the first of a series-record 19 straight victories for the Orange, as they captured five more championships under Hall of Fame coach Roy Simmons Jr.[15] The Statesmen would be unable to compete with the Orange, losing by 14 in 1994. That season would be Hobart's last in the lower divisions, as the program reclassified to Division I in an effort to preserve its rivalries with Syracuse and Cornell, though it would become one of the few non-Division I teams to play at the level without the use of athletic scholarships.[16]

Recent Years (1995 to Present)

Under coach B.J. O'Hara, the Statesmen would begin their first season in Division I in 1995 with three more championships in tow after the departure of Urick. The 1995 game featured renewed energy and fervor, as the #4 Orange nipped the #18 Statesmen 18 to 17 in what would be the highest scoring game until the 2020 edition.[17] The game would be a ranked affair for four of five meetings, highlighted by another narrow Syracuse win in 1997, an overtime result. Nonetheless, Hobart was unable to knock off the Orange during this stretch, as they made their first four appearance in the Division I tournament.

Syracuse edged past a ranked Hobart yet again in the 91st meeting but the following year, the Statesmen would snap the streak on the road, pulling out a 9–8 victory, their first since 1986.[18] Two years later, in 2008, the annual series was almost cancelled by a decision from Hobart's Board of Trustees, which voted to reclassify back to Division III. Emotional resistance from alumni halted the process and Hobart chose to remain at Division I in men's lacrosse.[3]

Hobart would again defeat Syracuse in 2013,[16] the 99th meeting in the rivalry's storied history.[19] The Orange would go on to finish the season as the national runner-up. However, the 100th[20] would go the way of Syracuse. Five years later, the game would be a ranked matchup again,[21] with Syracuse topping the Statesmen 17 to 5. Since Hobart's most recent victory in 2013, Syracuse has won the last seven to extend its series lead to 78–26–2. Nonetheless, the game usually remains a competitive fixture, as current Orange coach John Desko describes it as a "throw the records right out the window [type of game.] They always play well against Syracuse."[16]

Rival Accomplishments

The following summarizes the accomplishments of the two programs.[2][22]

Team	Hobart Statesmen	Syracuse Orange
Pre-NCAA National Titles	1	5
NCAA National Titles	15^	11*
NCAA Final Four Appearances	20^	27*
NCAA Tournament Appearances	26^	38*
NCAA Tournament Record	55–11^	68–27*
Conference Tournament Titles	1	4
Conference Championships	3	5
Tewaarton Award Recipients	0	3
Lt. Raymond Enners Award Recipients	0	7
Consensus First Team All-Americans	13	100
All-time Program Record	788–512–20	917–352–16
All-time Winning Percentage	.605	.720

• ^21 of Hobart's NCAA tournament appearances and all 15 titles came at either the NCAA Division II or III level
• Due to NCAA violations, Syracuse was forced to vacate its 1990 NCAA title and tournament appearance.

Game Results

Hobart victories

Syracuse victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 1916 Syracuse, NY Hobart 9–1 2 1916 Syracuse, NY Hobart 14–0 3 1919 Geneva, NY Hobart 6–1 4 1919 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 3–2 5 1920 Syracuse, NY Tie 2–2 6 1921 Geneva, NY Syracuse 6–0 7 1922 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 3–2 8 1923 Geneva, NY Syracuse 7–0 9 1924 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 6–5 10 1925 Geneva, NY Syracuse 7–4 11 1926 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 4–3 12 1927 Geneva, NY Tie 4–4^OT 13 1928 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 16–0 14 1929 Geneva, NY Hobart 5–2 15 1930 Geneva, NY Syracuse 6–1 16 1931 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 9–1 17 1932 Geneva, NY Syracuse 11–0 18 1933 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 15–0 19 1933 Geneva, NY Syracuse 10–5 20 1934 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 10–2 21 1934 Geneva, NY Syracuse 10–5 22 1935 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 11–3 23 1935 Geneva, NY Syracuse 17–4 24 1936 Geneva, NY Syracuse 16–11 25 1937 Syracuse, NY Hobart 12–7 26 1938 Geneva, NY Hobart 9–7^OT 27 1939 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 14–7 28 1940 Geneva, NY Hobart 14–8 29 1941 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 17–8 30 1942 Geneva, NY Syracuse 12–7 31 1946 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 10–7 32 1946 Geneva, NY Hobart 8–5 33 1947 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 9–5 34 1947 Geneva, NY Hobart 10–5 35 1948 Geneva, NY Syracuse 13–11 36 1949 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 15–2 No. Date Location Winner Score 37 1950 Geneva, NY Syracuse 15–1 38 1951 Syracuse, NY Hobart 15–7 39 1952 Geneva, NY Syracuse 15–7 40 1953 Geneva, NY Syracuse 12–7 41 1954 Geneva, NY Syracuse 18–11 42 1955 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 15–14 43 1956 Geneva, NY Syracuse 18–10 44 1957 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 16–4 45 1958 Geneva, NY Syracuse 16–1 46 1959 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 11–9 47 1960 Geneva, NY Syracuse 15–11 48 1962 Geneva, NY Syracuse 13–9 49 1963 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 15–7 50 1964 Geneva, NY Hobart 11–10 51 1965 Syracuse, NY Hobart 14–8 52 1966 Geneva, NY Hobart 13–8 53 1967 Syracuse, NY Hobart 11–8 54 1968 Geneva, NY Syracuse 16–4 55 1969 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 21–5 56 1970 Geneva, NY Syracuse 12–7 57 1971 Syracuse, NY Syracuse 12–11^OT 58 1972 Geneva, NY Hobart 18–7 59 1973 Syracuse, NY #12 Hobart 20–7 60 1974 Geneva, NY Hobart 22–7 61 1975 Syracuse, NY Hobart 23–7 62 1976 Geneva, NY Hobart 18–15 63 1977 Syracuse, NY Hobart 24–8 64 1978 Geneva, NY Hobart 15–9 65 1979 Syracuse, NY Hobart 16–4 66 1980 Geneva, NY #4 Syracuse 22–13 67 1981 Syracuse, NY #3 Syracuse 12–11^OT 68 1982 Geneva, NY Hobart 11–8 69 1983 Syracuse, NY #1 Syracuse 17–10 70 1984 Manhasset, NY Syracuse 15–10 71 1984 Geneva, NY #1 Syracuse 16–12 72 1986 Geneva, NY Hobart 16–13 No. Date Location Winner Score 73 1987 Syracuse, NY #7 Syracuse 20–15 74 1988 Syracuse, NY #1 Syracuse 16–8 75 1989 Geneva, NY #2 Syracuse 17–8 76 1990 Syracuse, NY #1 Syracuse 23–9 77 1991 Syracuse, NY #8 Syracuse 22–8 78 1992 Geneva, NY #1 Syracuse 17–13 79 1993 Syracuse, NY #3 Syracuse 22–8 80 1994 Syracuse, NY #4 Syracuse 28–14 81 1995 Geneva, NY #4 Syracuse 18–17 82 1996 Syracuse, NY #7 Syracuse 13–7 83 1997 Syracuse, NY #4 Syracuse 16–15^OT 84 1998 Syracuse, NY #6 Syracuse 18–5 85 1999 Geneva, NY #5 Syracuse 10–7 86 2000 Syracuse, NY #1 Syracuse 18–6 87 2001 Geneva, NY #2 Syracuse 13–5 88 2002 Syracuse, NY #1 Syracuse 19–4 89 2003 Geneva, NY #5 Syracuse 15–12 90 2004 Syracuse, NY #3 Syracuse 16–10 91 2005 Geneva, NY #8 Syracuse 13–12 92 2006 Syracuse, NY Hobart 9–8 93 2007 Syracuse, NY #7 Syracuse 13–11 94 2008 Geneva, NY #2 Syracuse 13–5 95 2009 Syracuse, NY #2 Syracuse 13–4 96 2010 Geneva, NY #2 Syracuse 9–8^OT 97 2011 Syracuse, NY #4 Syracuse 13–7 98 2012 Geneva, NY #15 Syracuse 13–12 99 2013 Syracuse, NY Hobart 13–12 100 2014 Geneva, NY #4 Syracuse 15–9 101 2015 Syracuse, NY #4 Syracuse 18–5 102 2016 Geneva, NY #10 Syracuse 13–6 103 2017 Geneva, NY #2 Syracuse 17–11 104 2018 Syracuse, NY #8 Syracuse 11–4 105 2019 Geneva, NY #11 Syracuse 17–5 106 2020 Syracuse, NY #3 Syracuse 21–13 Series: Syracuse leads 78–26–2 Source:[23]

References

1. "Five Things to Know: #3 Syracuse vs. Hobart". Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
2. "Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
3. "It's Official--Hobart Staying...Plus the Smell of Lake Trout in the Morning... - The Fastest Blog on 2 Feet -". voices.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
4. magazine, From Inside Lacrosse. "'David vs. Goliath' matchup still resonates for Syracuse, Hobart". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
5. "Hobart Lacrosse All-Time Records - Hobart and William Smith Colleges". hwsathletics.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
6. "Syracuse and Hobart to Battle for Kraus-Simmons Trophy Wednesday". Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
7. "DII Men's Lacrosse Championship History | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
8. "Hobart Lacrosse Year-by-Year". hwsathletics.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
9. "DII Men's Lacrosse Championship History | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
10. "DIII Men's Lacrosse Championship History | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
11. Forbes, John B. (1983-05-01). "Little Hobart Big in Lacrosse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
12. Demling, Tanner (2019-11-27). "Diving Into College Lacrosse's Many Rivalries". Lacrosse Bucket. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
13. Ap (1986-04-20). "Hobart Downs Syracuse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
14. Wallace, William N. (1986-04-27). "COLLEGE SPORTS '86: LACROSSE; Modest Hobart Program Succeeds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
15. "DI Men's Lacrosse Championship History | NCAA.com". wwwcache.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
16. "Rahme: Hobart vs. Syracuse Rivalry Outweighs Records". insidelacrosse.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
17. [email protected], PETE LAMBOS. "MEN'S LACROSSE: Statesmen fall to Orange in wild game". Finger Lakes Times. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
18. "Hobart reclaims Kraus-Simmons Trophy". Hobart and William Smith College Athletics. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
19. Holding, D. "NCAA Lacrosse: Hobart Rallies to Upset No. 5 Syracuse". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
20. [email protected], JOSHUA DeSAIN. "COLLEGE LACROSSE: The rivalry continues — Hobart set to face No. 4 Syracuse for the 100th time". Finger Lakes Times. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
21. Jastrzembski, Chris (2019-04-02). "Syracuse men's lacrosse: Orange back on the road against Hobart for Kraus-Simmons Trophy". Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
22. "2020 Hobart Lacrosse Quick Facts". hwsathletics.com. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
23. "Syracuse Lacrosse 2020 Media Guide". Retrieved 23 March 2019.