The hints have been there since the fall. He started all three games at the Lacrosse for Leukemia Tournament in Baltimore. He played against the toughest team at the Pumpkin Stick Out on Coyne Field.

And this spring, they only continued. Syracuse head coach John Desko said while he had deficiencies clearing the ball, he was the better shot-blocker. Then he started the final scrimmage in Maryland on Feb. 17.

So it really wasn’t a surprise when Pete Coluccini and not Jake Myers trotted out to man the goal for the No. 5 team in the country on Saturday. Neither was it a shock the first two shots whizzed by the admittedly nervous redshirt freshman. But Coluccini soon settled down and turned in a solid career-opening performance with nine saves in Syracuse’s 14-10 win over No. 15 Army at the Carrier Dome.

‘I thought he had some moments out there,’ Desko said. ‘He started out a little cold, but the placement of their shots – they had Peter reaching to his weak side – were very good, especially early in the game. He made some good saves. He let a couple go I think he’ll get later in the year.’

Desko said he told Coluccini his decision on Thursday, ending speculation of who would start that began when last season concluded. The coach said the plan was to play the sophomore Myers but the opportunity never presented itself.

Volunteer coach Jeremy DaRin, who’s been working with the goalies, told Desko at halftime a switch was unnecessary. By that point, Coluccini had put aside the early 2-0 deficit and allowed the Orange to capture a 6-5 advantage.

‘I knew that goals happen, and you can’t put your head down,’ Coluccini said. ‘You’ve got to look forward and wait for the next shot to come.’

One of those next shots was courtesy of John Walker, who entered the game second among all active players in goals scored with 109. He fired a one-time shot past Coluccini for a hat trick, tying the game at 6-6, but he failed to tickle the twine thereafter. Several of Coluccini’s best saves were shields of Walker bullets from the outside.

It was SU’s offense that bailed Coluccini out with the decisive three goals midway through the fourth quarter to give the Orange a 12-9 lead. Considering two of Army’s goals came on man-up situations – a high-percentage scoring opportunity in lacrosse – Coluccini can certainly take solace in a sturdy debut. But it almost wasn’t enough.

Desko couldn’t recall how he compared to Pfeifer’s first game four years ago or maybe he just didn’t want to place pressure on Coluccini. The similarity is there: Pfeifer also allowed 10 goals in a win over Army.

Apparently the game had to be out of reach one way or the other for Desko to try Myers, which isn’t to say circumstances won’t change as soon as the next game. Nothing is final.

‘It’s too bad we didn’t get Jake in the game,’ Desko said. ‘But in a game that’s so close, it’s pretty difficult to switch goaltenders and put one in cold in a tie game or a one-goal game.’

Helping Coluccini’s cause for the future was an improvement in clearing the ball Saturday, a point of concern from Desko throughout fall ball and spring practice.

Still, it will come back to his strength – stopping shots. And he’ll need to be better Saturday when Syracuse visits Virginia, the No. 3 team in the country and possessors of a potent attack. Coluccini said himself giving up 10 goals was unacceptable. His teammates were less overbearing.

‘Well I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shutout in lacrosse,’ Bucktooth said when asked of Coluccini’s early jitters. ‘I think goals are going to happen. We’ve seen these goalies get scored on lots of times and they also make great plays and saves for us. I don’t think any of us lost confidence in our goalies.’

Published on February 26, 2006 at 12:00 pm