Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse got the better of rival then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins 13-10 on March 9 after scoring three goals in just over 50 seconds late in the third quarter. At the midway point of their season, the Orange avoided their third loss, which would’ve jeopardized their NCAA Tournament hopes. It instead boosted their resume with their first top-10 win.

Following its victory over the Blue Jays, SU had eight days without a game. The time allowed Syracuse to recover from injuries and set its sights on a gauntlet back half of its schedule.

SU commences the second half of its regular season by hosting Manhattan Tuesday before concluding its schedule with five ranked opponents. The Jaspers enter with the 11th-worst faceoff win percentage in Division I at .423, while the Orange boast the sixth-best at .610.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 10 Syracuse (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will fare versus Manhattan (4-3, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic) in Tuesday evening’s showdown:

Cooper Andrews (4-3)
The Odierna Bowl
Syracuse 18, Manhattan 4

SU defensive coordinator John Odierna built his defensive philosophy as an assistant at Manhattan — where a quote from the 2008 comedy “Step Brothers” spurred his defensive mantra. In his third game with Syracuse after leaving Manhattan before the 2024 season, Odierna helped punish the Jaspers as the Orange blew them out 16-3.

Odierna knows his former program too well. Without even taking the obvious talent discrepancy into account, SU is overly prepared to face Manhattan. Tuesday’s matchup won’t be close. The Orange will embarrass the Jaspers behind a ferocious defensive unit.

Close defenders Billy Dwan III and Riley Figueiras, along with long-stick midfielder Michael Grace, lead Syracuse’s strong back-end group. The Orange have allowed double-digit goals in just three of seven games and currently rank 11th in the nation with a 24.2% adjusted defensive efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference. Grace’s 17 ground balls lead the team, besides John Mullen’s 64, while Dwan and Figueiras have combined for 21 caused turnovers.

Sophomore attack Connor Engel — who’s totaled 20 points through seven games — poses a threat, but Syracuse should shut him down easily. Manhattan doesn’t have much depth to contend with SU’s tenacious defense. Odierna’s guys will execute in dominating fashion to seal a lopsided victory.

Zak Wolf (6-1)
Last cupcake
Syracuse 19, Manhattan 5

This is likely the easiest game on Syracuse’s schedule this season, and it will have no problem cruising to a win in its final cupcake game. After this, the Orange’s schedule is a gauntlet, with matchups against No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 North Carolina and No. 7 Notre Dame. A better-quality opponent could maybe catch SU by surprise, though Manhattan isn’t nearly talented enough to compete.

There’s no real rhyme or reason why Syracuse will blow Manhattan out other than the talent discrepancy. SU has proved this season that when it has the advantage in that department, it has no problem. Joey Spallina will lead Syracuse out to a rapid start, and it won’t have to stress much in the second half as opposed to its last game against Johns Hopkins.

Without Finn Thomson, this is a perfect game to get a guy like Trey Deere going after being thrust into a bigger role. I think Deere will get on the scoresheet a couple of times, which will give him some momentum heading into the second half of the season. I’d be surprised to see Syracuse’s starters in the second half of this one, and it will pick up its third straight win.

Nicholas Alumkal (4-3)
What is a Jasper?
Syracuse 20, Manhattan 3

Amid a grueling schedule, Syracuse enjoyed a rare eight-day respite of not playing any games last week. Now, the Orange are bursting at the seams, eager to unleash their pent-up energy. Unfortunately for Manhattan, it stands directly in the blast zone of what should be an SU offensive onslaught.

With a glaring mismatch at the faceoff X, Mullen is poised to feast, facing a Manhattan unit as outmatched as a toddler in a heavyweight boxing match. In last year’s 16-3 demolition of the Jaspers, the Orange’s offense was as relentless as gale-force winds, with 11 different players finding the back of the net. Expect another diversified scoring spectacle, as SU will have scoring chances up the wazoo.

Spallina, who torched the Jaspers for 10 points last season, will glide through their paper-thin defense like a fox in a henhouse. Sitting eighth nationally in points per game, he’s playing with the precision of a knife-thrower at the circus — lethal, calculated and utterly unstoppable.

Facing his former team, Odierna will smother a Manhattan attack ranked in the bottom 20 in efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference. It’ll be the perfect tune-up for the Orange to shake off any rust and prepare for the season’s crucial stretch.

Published on March 17, 2025 at 11:25 pm