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Gary Gait versus Lars Tiffany: a coaching matchup between arguably the sport’s best player and one of its most proven program leaders. While Gait still searches for his first national title as a coach, Tiffany already has two. But heading into the coaches’ fifth-ever meeting, their teams are in distinctly different places when it comes to their NCAA Tournament resumes.

Gait’s Syracuse is a lot closer to making a deep push in May, housing one of the most efficient offenses in the country. The Orange have won four straight games, in which attack Joey Spallina has taken his performance to a new level — currently ranking third in Division I with six points per game.

For Tiffany’s squad, the Cavaliers are having one of their worst years in recent memory. They’re floating one game above .500 and are struggling to maintain a top-flight offense without former star attackmen Connor Shellenberger and Payton Cormier. Though with this weekend’s matchup being the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play, both teams begin a mini-season of sorts to try and qualify for the postseason.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 8 Syracuse (7-2, 0-0 ACC) will fare on the road against Virginia (5-4, 0-0 ACC) Saturday in its conference opener:

Cooper Andrews (6-3)
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Syracuse 16, Virginia 10

I am 21 years old. And I am not cultured enough to have ever watched 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” So, here comes a ridiculous connection I’ll attempt to make sense of. Starting at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday, Syracuse will feast inside Lars Tiffany’s house — Klöckner Stadium — en route to an easy victory over Virginia. It’ll be a tasty late breakfast for the Orange.

Gait’s head-to-head record against Tiffany will move to 2-3. This isn’t the same Cavaliers team the lacrosse world is accustomed to. Their offense averages fewer than 12 goals per game, their scoring defense ranks toward the middle of the country and their goalie situation doesn’t exude confidence; Virginia switches between Matthew Nunes and Kyle Morris, who’ve both accumulated sub-.530 save percentages.

I’ll take the safe bet and assume the Orange won’t lay an egg Saturday. They’re better than that. Spallina’s having the best season of his career. They turn the ball over fewer than any team in the nation. John Mullen is all-out unstoppable at the faceoff X, leading the country with 136 faceoff wins. And Jimmy McCool has been reliable in the cage with a .590 save rate.

Syracuse is simply a nightmare for Virginia. I don’t envision UVA’s three-headed attack of McCabe Millon, Truitt Sunderland and Ryan Colsey matching the Orange’s unabating offense.

Zak Wolf (8-1)
Surviving a trap game
Syracuse 11, Virginia 9

Make no mistake, this is a down year for Virginia. The Cavaliers have struggled to replace Shellenberger and Cormier’s production, and they’re on pace for their worst record since 2017. That’s exactly why this is a trap game for Syracuse.

The Orange’s final four games are against ranked opponents, making it easy to look past Virginia due to its poor season. But no ACC opponent should be taken lightly, especially a desperate one with nothing to lose. Virginia’s also not void of talent. Just because it’s underperformed this season doesn’t mean Millon, Sunderland and Colsey aren’t talented. And don’t put it past Tiffany to concoct a stringent game plan against SU.

With that being said, Syracuse still wins this one, but it’ll have to sweat. The Orange just have too many ways to beat you. It starts at the faceoff X with Mullen’s ability to consistently get possessions. From there, Syracuse’s offense does the rest. Spallina and Owen Hiltz have been one of the deadliest one-two punches in the country this season, combining for 91 points, and their production will continue. Alongside them, I expect Michael Leo to have a big game after failing to record a point against Colgate.

Leo’s downhill speed and creativity will be important in what will be a tight game Syracuse ekes out.

Nicholas Alumkal (6-3)
Cavaliers can’t contend
Syracuse 13, Virginia 6

A year after making the Final Four, Virginia is one game over .500 and sits outside the top 30 nationally in scoring offense, scoring defense and faceoff-winning percentage. SU, which is in the top six in the aforementioned categories, will outclass UVA Saturday, showcasing its advantage in all three facets of the game.

On offense, lionize Spallina. My fellow scribe Cooper did, not just because of his tonsorial choice of a mullet resembling a mane, but for his historic scoring day versus Colgate, dispelling any apocryphal internet narratives about his big-game pedigree. Left open at X, he conducted the offensive orchestra and slammed the door on a mini-Raider comeback with a fourth-quarter dagger. Every pass and shot was calibrated down to a micron — a pixel-perfect symphony of destruction.

On defense, crown the Orange’s backline. They grounded Colgate’s high-flying offense, allowing just two first-half goals, helped by McCool’s career-high 18 saves. McCool showed he’s cooler than a bomb disposal expert under pressure, proving his benching against Harvard was an anomaly. UVA’s middling offense will be the latest to run into SU’s wall. And at the X, Mullen remains as reliable as a recliner. Every time he plants his foot to take a faceoff, it’s like stepping on the gas pedal of a Maserati, sending the Orange offense rocketing forward.

Try stopping him and the rest of the Orange, Virginia — you’ve got the same chance as a snowman in a jacuzzi.

Published on March 27, 2025 at 12:57 am