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When Owen Hiltz and Brendan Curry shoved Vermont goalie Ryan Cornell late in the third quarter, fans in the Carrier Dome climbed to their feet. Players on both benches held teammates back, and one fan yelled “Aw, does it hurt?” in Cornell’s direction.

Minutes later, another fan yelled “Let’s f*cking go,” when Syracuse attack Chase Scanlan charged Cornell again, and another taunted him by yelling “Where’s your hairline, bro?” when Cornell removed his helmet. 

The crowd’s volume peaked less than two minutes into the fourth quarter when Hiltz sprinted downfield on a breakaway, but that crowd only comprised 248 people — 0.5% of the Dome’s capacity, and 27.5% of Syracuse’s intended 900-student trial run. 

When Syracuse University reopened the Dome on Saturday — the first game in 370 days with fans — the stands were still largely empty.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Feb. 23 that indoor venues could start hosting a limited number of fans. But SU’s plan to allow fans back into the Dome wasn’t approved until Wednesday night.

SU emailed students who had season tickets last year on Thursday morning with detailed instructions of how to claim their ticket and the pregame testing procedures. Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s 17-13 win over Vermont was meant to serve as a “pilot” run following the state’s approval of SU’s plan to return fans.

Students attending the game had to take two COVID-19 tests: one 24 hours prior during a two-hour window on Friday morning, and another 15-minute rapid test on game day. 

Upon arrival at Gate N, students were sectioned into groups based on whether they were waiting on results or still needed to take their rapid test. Students sat in the upper decks of the Dome waiting for results before they could go to their pre-assigned seats. Once seated, they sat in pods of no more than four people, each spaced 9 feet apart in the lower section of the Dome. Masks were required at all times, and concession stands were closed, except for water.

“I know a lot of people that didn’t think the testing requirements were worth getting in for one game,” Otto’s Army President Jonathan Danilich said. “There were going to be people like that regardless.”

Danilich also said the poor attendance was due to the short notice. SU didn’t email students until two days before the game, meaning many already had plans or weren’t available in the five-hour window allotted for claiming tickets. Danilich himself wasn’t able to attend, as he had a prior commitment for a class.

Saturday was also the first time fans were allowed back in the Dome since it underwent a $118 million renovation project that included a new video board, improved accessibility and other modernizations. 

“We don’t really know lacrosse, but we had the chance to go to the Dome, so we went,” sophomore Julia Palazzo said. “It’s just a sense of normalcy.”

After two negative COVID-19 test results, attendees of Saturday’s games sat in pods in the stands. Will Fudge | Staff Photographer

Students rose to their feet as each player in the Syracuse starting lineup was announced pregame, stomping on the bleachers, slamming their hands on the empty seats to make it feel like the stadium was packed. The announcement to return fans came on too short of a notice for Otto’s Army to coordinate their typical student section cheers. No one made the “O” motion during the national anthem or stayed after the game to sing the fight song, either. But the fans still made their presence felt. 

“There were a couple boys in the crowd who were really juicing me up in particular,” Syracuse goalie Drake Porter said postgame. “So I Iike that. It’s always appreciated.” 

As Hiltz neared the crease for a fourth-quarter goal, students rose to their feet and erupted when he found the back of the net. They could only high-five the people in their pods but cheered in their small groups nonetheless. 

Every time a goal is scored, the player’s selected goal song gets blasted through the Dome’s speakers, something that SU has done for years. Palazzo said dancing to each song with her friends in her pod was one of the best moments of the in-stadium experience.

“The energy in the Dome is just different,” said sophomore Bradley Levine, who attended the game. “It’s something out of a movie.”

For junior Katie Lane, a typical Syracuse game day morning in 2019 meant “getting Orange-d up” with her roommates. They’d listen to “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates and head to the Dome to wait in line for tickets. But on Saturday morning, all of Lane’s roommates slept in as she headed over to the Dome, alone. Her roommates didn’t have season tickets and weren’t eligible to attend.

“I’m just excited to be surrounded by people as excited as I am to cheer on the Orange in person,” Lane said before the game. 

Some students experienced difficulties with the process, however, and were denied access. Rory Leeds, now a master’s student at SU, said he’s never missed a lacrosse game in the Dome. He used to sit at the 50-yard line in row G or H, where he had the row to himself.

Leeds got tested Friday morning and filled out the daily health screening form, just to make sure. He walked up expecting to be let in. Usually, he said, you don’t need a ticket for lacrosse games. But with the strict guidelines, Leeds was turned away and had to watch, once again, from home.

SUNY-ESF sophomore Jacob Morrison also had difficulties attending the game. Since Morrison isn’t an SU student, he didn’t receive the SU email and instead had to email the box office since he was a season ticket holder last season. 

While Morrison was able to attend, he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to bring his friends along with him, whom he sat front row with at almost every basketball or football game last year. 

Lane, who said Syracuse’s sports and school spirit initially drew her to campus, said she wished SU made tickets available to freshmen. Lane said it’s unfortunate that freshmen, including her brother, have never attended an in-person game and will have to wait longer to attend their first. Danilich echoed those sentiments, adding that he hopes people that weren’t season ticket holders last year will be able to get tickets.

“This past year has been really sad not having that campus climate,” Lane said.

Fans got suited up in their best orange and headed to the Dome Saturday morning, providing some sense of normalcy. Will Fudge | Staff Photographer

Syracuse wasn’t able to get approval from New York state in time to bring back fans for basketball season — SU’s final home game was Wednesday. An SU Athletics spokesperson said that the university supplied “the information it needs” to the necessary governing bodies that would need to approve the plan, but didn’t receive approval until late Wednesday night. 

Though SU just missed out on basketball season, sophomore Anthony Tricarico, who attended the game, said that having a men’s lacrosse game as the first one back was a great decision because of the caliber of No. 6 Syracuse. 

“When we’re winning, there’s no better student section, there’s no better fans,” Tricarico said. “Obviously it’s tough when you’re losing, but when we’re winning, this is definitely one of the best stadiums in the country.”

For seven months, COVID-19 safety reminders have echoed through a Dome that’s been empty, except to the media and teams. They reminded fans — who weren’t present — to be mindful of the density around concession stands, time their trips to avoid a halftime rush and remain 6 feet apart. They reminded fans to wear masks and to only eat in their seats, too.

For seven months of fanless run-throughs, it’s as if Syracuse was planning and rehearsing for fans’ inevitable return. Saturday, though, there was one distinct change during the postgame announcements.

“A very special thanks to our students for attending today’s game and supporting Syracuse men’s lacrosse.”

— Asst. copy editor Anthony Alandt, asst. sports editor Allie Kaylor and asst. digital editor Anish Vasudevan contributed reporting.

Published on March 8, 2021 at 12:20 am