After its most stunning home loss in six years Saturday, the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team gathered in the locker room to survey the damage.

Captain Sol Bliss scanned the room and saw confusion in his teammates’ eyes. After all, the No. 4 Orangemen had just lost, 12-11, in overtime to No. 10 Rutgers before 6,083 at the Carrier Dome.

Bliss’ controversial penalty at the end of regulation left SU (7-3) shorthanded in overtime. Scarlet Knights’ midfielder Jeff Duca scored with 3:03 left in the extra session, giving Rutgers (9-2) its first win at the Dome.

“You can blame the game on the ref as much as you want,” Bliss told the Orangemen in their locker-room meeting. “But what it comes down to is that we put ourselves in that situation.”

Indeed, SU botched several easy first-half passes. Bliss’ penalty, though, sealed the Orangemen’s fate.

After a goal by SU attacker Mike Springer tied the game at 11 with 45 seconds left in regulation, Bliss, a defender, attempted a full-field inbounds pass.

But he swung his stick at a 45-degree angle, and the ball hit Rutgers attacker Leif Blomquist. Bliss was flagged for a one-minute unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.

“(Blomquist) knew I didn’t do it on purpose,” Bliss said. “I knew I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Said SU head coach John Desko: “The referee assumed we did that on purpose. We thought we were just trying to send it the length of the field.”

After Duca capitalized on Rutgers’ fifth extra-man chance of the game, the Scarlet Knights rushed the field, tossing up their sticks and gloves. Amidst the scrum, Duca managed to grab the game ball.

“This is the best thing we’ve done here in four years,” Rutgers midfielder Ken Springer said. “We’ve had upsets before — but nothing like this.”

The Orangemen’s loss — their most shocking at home since they fell, 20-12, to Brown in 1998 — characterizes their rocky season. SU’s three home losses this year are its most since it started playing its home games at the Dome in 1981. And SU’s three regular-season losses are its most since it dropped four in 1999, Desko’s first year as head coach.

“We’re just a little confused as to why we’re playing like we are,” Bliss said. “I just don’t think we understand why we haven’t played to our potential yet. It’s not really that we’re worried or nervous about not doing what we want to do this year, we’re just confused about when it’s going to happen. It’s got to happen soon.”

While pointed, Bliss’ postgame reflections were much more subdued than his post-penalty reaction.

After the referee tossed the flag, Bliss threw up his arms in protest. Fellow defender Donn Vidosh restrained linemate Dan DiPietro from confronting the official.

“We were all pretty heated,” Bliss said. “Right after something like that happens, I wanted to rip the guy’s head off, too.”

The Scarlet Knights didn’t just stumble upon good fortune at the game’s end; they contained SU’s attackers throughout. The Orangemen’s 11 goals were its second fewest of the season, and Rutgers held SU midfielders Sean Lindsay and Steve Vallone, the Orangemen’s third- and fourth-leading scorers, to zero points.

Mike Powell led SU with four points. Duca, Springer and attacker Jamie Lovejoy had four points apiece for Rutgers.

“We knew we couldn’t cover (SU’s midfielders) individually,” Rutgers coach Jim Stagnitta said. “So we forced them to the inside.”

Said Bliss: “You can see it throughout the whole game that we didn’t play very well. What it comes down to is that we played a game we should’ve lost.”

Published on April 13, 2003 at 12:00 pm