After weeks of hype and speculation, Michael Powell finally debuted The Move.

The Syracuse men’s lacrosse team’s attackman followed through on weeks’ worth of promise in the waning moments against Massachusetts in SU’s 17-10 victory over the Minutemen on Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

On an in-bounds play deep in UMass territory, Powell jogged a few steps forward, flipped in the air, landed and fired a rocket at goal. The ball was deflected out of play by a UMass defenseman’s helmet, but the shot on goal still made for a memorable moment as the crowd went into a frenzy.

Powell said the flip was just a result of his style of play.

‘I try and do stuff that nobody does every game,’ Powell said. ‘(The flip) was one that takes a lot of guts just to try. I just wanted to show the Syracuse fans that they put their heart and soul into me, and I can give it back.’

The move capped a superb day for Powell, who tallied a career-high six goals and added an assist in his last-ever regular-season home game.

Midfielders Sean Lindsay and Steven Vallone contributed three goals and three assists, respectively, but it was Powell’s day.

The departing senior received the loudest standing ovation in pregame ceremonies and continued drawing applause all game.

Despite Powell’s performance, the attempted flip-shot may end up the most lasting memory from Saturday’s victory. The crowd brewed with anticipation each time Powell received the ball and finally got what they asked for when he went air-bound.

Head coach John Desko could only hope for the best when Powell decided to attempt his Ringling Brothers routine.

‘I just waited for him to come down and keep running and be doing fine,’ Desko said. ‘The fans expect certain things, but as a coach, all you can ask for is that he doesn’t get hurt.’

The move didn’t please everybody, though.

UMass attackman Tony Ventiquattro was visibly upset over Powell’s antics.

‘I took a lot of offense to it,’ Ventiquattro said. ‘Who wouldn’t be offended by it? It’s disappointing that he did that to us late. But what can you do? He did it and it’s done.’

Powell anticipated that his move would generate some animosity and planned accordingly.

Desko removed Powell immediately after the shot to evade any retaliatory action by the Minutemen, and Powell said he saved the move for the end of the game to avoid any retaliation.

‘I’m sure they didn’t like it too much,’ Powell said. ‘But I’m out of here, so there’s nothing they can do about it now.’

UMass head coach Greg Cannella didn’t appreciate Powell’s efforts, saying the move was unnecessary and doesn’t make Powell any better of a player.

Cannella did acknowledge, though, how great Powell already is, particularly in terms of being both a scoring and passing threat.

‘With him,’ Cannella said, ‘it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Pick your poison. Whatever clich you want to use, he’s that good of a player.’

The game was decidedly physical. The teams combined for 17 penalties and a total of 13 penalty minutes. Lindsay said the reason for the physical play was the amount of trash talk exchanged between the Minutemen and Orangemen.

Frustration set in for UMass in the third quarter. The Minutemen could muster only one goal on three shots, turning SU’s three-goal lead at halftime into a six-goal advantage by the end of the third.

But the story of the day was The Move.

Powell said he had been waiting to unleash the flip for a long time. He got the idea at a young age, when he trained as both a lacrosse player and gymnast. After unveiling the move in a game in Lake Placid a few years ago, Powell said he could not wait to try it for Syracuse.

Judging by crowd and teammate reaction, saying the move went over well would be an understatement.

But while most everyone in attendance left the game with visions of a flipping Orangeman in their minds, one person wasn’t quite as pleased with The Move as everybody else – Powell.

‘It didn’t go in,’ Powell said. ‘That was part of the move. The Move’s not cool unless it’s successful.’

Published on April 30, 2004 at 12:00 pm