Baldwinsville Product Pete Fiorini on his First Syracuse Goal: 'It Was Surreal'
The first player to score in an Orange uniform under Gary Gait's Syracuse men's lacrosse coaching tenure grew up watching SU at the carrier Dome with his dad.
Off a pass from Mikey Berkman behind the net, Baldwinsville native Pete Fiorini broke Syracuse's scoreless tie with Holy Crosse last Saturday. Fiorini pegged the top right corner with his left hand and punched his name into the Orange lacrosse record books; maybe even its trivia pages.
Fiorini, a former Under Armor All-American at C.W. Baker High School, is now in his fourth season with Syracuse. Last Saturday's opening goal was the first of his college career.
"It was surreal - Something I've been dreaming of for about four years now," Fiorini said. "It kind of all just happened so fast, and getting it from my roommate Mikey Berkman made it all much more special.
"I'll never forget that moment."
Fiorini said he had a group of family, including parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, watching from the Carrier Dome stands last Saturday. He added an assist in SU's 28-5 rout of the visiting Crusaders.
"My whole life I could remember coming up to the games with my dad," Fiorini said. "Probably just about every game up until I came here, all the ones I could make. And if I wasn’t there, I was watching on tv."
He watched players like Matt Abbott, who scored 67 points in 64 games for the Orange from 2006-2009. Fiorini noticed Abbott was a tall, lanky midfielder, who passed the ball well. He said he tries to open space and work the middle of the field as Abbott did.
Fiorini committed to and played under John Desko for his first three seasons at SU. He said, like other highly touted lacrosse recruits, he envisioned playing early in his Orange career.
"I kind of had to learn my role and work through those first few years," Fiorini said. "Now being able to step into this, I think I can be a lot more comfortable, with a little bit of experience.
"I don't think there's too many people who can say they played for coach Desko, (Kevin) Donaghue, now Gait. To be able to do that and be the first one for coach Gait and his era is pretty cool. I'll never forget that moment."
The ninth ranked Orange face #1 Maryland on Sunday at noon in the Carrier Dome.
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