Photo Credit: photos.syracuse.com
The exciting feature of lacrosse gear that sets it apart from other sports is the broad availability.
Many varsity NCAA teams get outfitted quite elaborately through team sponsors and athletic departments. On the other hand, many club teams pay out of pocket expenses. Lacrosse gear is customizable and available at prices appreciable to both college programs and individual student players.
With that said, Syracuse is one of the biggest names in NCAA lacrosse, making them highly marketable for manufacturers all around. This year, the varsity and club teams are padded up awesomely.
Syracuse Varsity
In their exciting upset against UNC, the Orange were decked out by Nike, STX, and Cascade.
Nike’s home uniforms were white with orange seem lines. Navy blue numbers were outlined with orange, while the boldly printed SYRACUSE above them were orange outlined in navy blue. Blue streaks ran down the sides of the white shorts (complimentary with an orange S on the right leg.
STX provided Syracuse with their Assault gloves customized with navy blue fingers and thumbs, white backhand with an orange streak. The cuff is white is orange S’s printed randomly throughout.
The uniforms make a bold statement that, “We’re here. We come to play. Do you?”
Players wore the Cascade R with a navy blue shell, orange S decal, and silver chrome facemask. Athletes wearing these new helmets almost seem to streak down the field at top speeds. When Syracuse dons their orange helmets, they’re like orange lightning.
Syracuse Club
I had the privilege of competing against the Syracuse Club lacrosse team while in college at SUNY Oswego. They paid high team fees that allowed them to conveniently travel, compete and gear up.
I could not find a recent picture of their team, but when I played them two years ago they had loud uniforms.
White with orange argyle and navy blue dotted-lines that were reversible to navy blue with orange argyle. They had orange Cascade CPX-Rs with navy blue and white plaid headwraps encompassing the majority of their shells. They chose to wear individual gloves at the time.
SUNY Oswego Varsity
Photo Credit: oswegonian.com
The past few years, the D-III program has stuck to simple uniform designs. Provided by Nike, the uniforms are either white (home) or green (away) with yellow numbers outlined in green and a small LAKERS above the numbers. No seem lines or anything that sticks out.
However, they have Brine King IV gloves customized so sick! They wear green fingers and thumbs, white backhand, and yellow seem lines and inner padding/mesh.
The helmets are Cascade CPXs (I believe) with green shells, yellow chin plastic and silver facemasks.
SUNY Oswego Club
Photo Credit: Sean Parrington
Having founded this team, I wanted gear that would make a popping impression. Quite frankly, I think this current team is better outfitted than the varsity team.
Players use individual helmets and gloves, but team orders provide black Warrior T-II’s with green chrome facemasks.
We also had Brine King IVs that were customized very similarly to the varsity team’s. However, the varsity gloves had randomly placed green print king logos over the white areas. Our club offers were simpler, sticking to solid yellow, green and a small amount of white. The yellow cuff had a green O embroidered on it.
The uniforms this year are dirty and the young guys have become very creative. The reversible pinneys are green for home and gray for away. Both have black/silver streaks running down the sides of the top and shorts.
Shorts pop with a big white O on the right leg and a yellow player number on the left. Green. The green away pinney has a yellow player number with a white O outlined in yellow; gray side is a white number outlined in black. The back of the jersey sports a big LAKERS printed below the number in yellow.
Both Oswego Club Lacrosse and Syracuse Club Lacrosse compete in the NCLL.
Lacrosse is a game that has a unique style and culture developing around it. Other sports are starting to take notice, as well. Tune in next week to see which sports are modeling after lacrosse, and who the teams I use as examples are!
If you want your team’s gear highlighted, reach Ian at @IanNeadle on Twitter or the Facebook page!
