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Syracuse’s six-game win streak came to an end on Saturday when it fell 17-12 to No. 1 Cornell. The Orange hadn’t lost in nearly two months, but the Big Red ended their run. CJ Kirst completely took over, recording five goals and three assists, cementing himself as the Tewaaraton Award favorite. Despite turning the ball over 19 times, Cornell’s offense remained explosive, exceeding its season average by one goal.

Cornell led by as many as six goals in the second and third quarters, but Syracuse cut that down to two both times. The Orange didn’t make enough plays to defeat the Big Red for the first time since 2019.

Syracuse looks to get back on track against Duke in its final road game of the season. The Blue Devils have been up and down all season after losing Brennan O’Neill, who recorded 307 career points. Without O’Neill, the Blue Devils’ offense isn’t nearly as explosive, averaging just seven goals per game in their two Atlantic Coast Conference games.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 7 Syracuse (9-3, 2-0 ACC) will fare versus No. 12 Duke (9-4, 0-2 ACC):

Cooper Andrews (9-3)
Durham Dub
Syracuse 14, Duke 8

My brain was in a blender after seeing Syracuse’s three-spot drop in the Inside Lacrosse top-20 rankings. Yes, No. 1 Cornell ravaged the Orange at times in last Saturday’s five-goal loss. But SU’s offensive runs kept things competitive. Syracuse, which let Kirst pick it apart as if he was playing a flawless game of Operation, didn’t play that poorly. It simply ran into a juggernaut.

Falling three notches in the national rankings was undeserved. Especially while North Carolina simultaneously rose from No. 7 to No. 5 after barely beating No. 12 Duke 8-7. UNC’s win wasn’t impressive. I’d even argue Syracuse showed more in defeat than the Tar Heels did in victory.

That’s why I think the Orange will resoundingly respond to their Long Island loss with a much better performance against the Blue Devils than UNC could.

Riley Figueiras and Billy Dwan III will rebound from last week, where Cornell rapidly slithered the ball around and found open cutters for easy goals. An O’Neill-less Duke is a lot less scary than a Kirst-led group. Eric Malever, who leads the Blue Devils with 51 points, poses a major threat, but other than Max Sloat and Andrew McAdorey, the rest of Duke’s offense features one-dimensional goal scorers. It’ll struggle to move the ball against Syracuse, while the Orange’s offense will stay the course in a convincing win.

Zak Wolf (9-3)
In need of O’Neill
Syracuse 11, Duke 9

Saturday will not be a walk in the park by any means. Yes, Duke isn’t as strong as in years past, but the Blue Devils are still desperate to make the NCAA Tournament. A win over Syracuse would majorly boost their resume. Despite Duke’s recent struggles, the Orange still have to be careful in Durham. I do think Syracuse will escape with a win, but it’ll have to work for it.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know Duke’s offense isn’t nearly as potent without O’Neill. The Blue Devils also lost Josh Zawada and Dyson Williams — who combined for 143 points in 2024 — which resulted in an average of two fewer goals. Still, Duke’s defense is stout. For the seventh time this season, they kept their opponent under 10 goals, by allowing seven to a potent North Carolina attack last week.

To unlock Duke’s defense, I expect Syracuse to use Joey Spallina at X much more than it did last week. The junior had success against Notre Dame, scoring four goals but was held to just one last week. SU offensive coordinator Pat March will ensure the ball is in Spallina’s hands often Saturday, and SU’s offense will benefit as a result. This likely won’t be the prettiest game due to Duke’s physicality, but SU’s attacking quality will do just enough.

Nicholas Alumkal (8-4)
Diminished Duke
Syracuse 15, Duke 10

So, here I am, bringing up the rear of our beat writer predictions. I’m not going to break ranks and look for an upset to potentially pull ahead, because this Duke team isn’t on the level it’s been at before. Syracuse will remain undefeated in ACC play with a victory in Durham Saturday. O’Neill, the Blue Devils’ former top option is gone, and their offense has gone from slicing through defenses like a hot knife through butter to poking and prodding like a fencer with a pool noodle.

The Orange can halt quality offenses. Don’t let their loss to Cornell make you forget they held Notre Dame, which has the sixth-best scoring offense in the nation, scoreless for 40 minutes. Stopping Kirst is like trying to wrestle with a ghost — it’s nearly impossible. He’s the Tewaaraton frontrunner for a reason, and Duke has no one close to his level.

One obstacle the Orange may have to overcome is at the faceoff X. SU’s faceoff man John Mullen has been lighting it up all season, except the one game he played on grass at Virginia’s Klöckner Stadium, where he posted a 40.9% winning percentage. Bad news for Mullen: Duke’s Koskinen Stadium is also grass, so we’ll see if his outing at UVA was an anomaly or if he struggles against Duke’s Luke Engelke, who has the 23rd-best winning percentage in Division I.

Still, SU should have enough to defeat a diminished Duke with its offensive pyrotechnics and defensive tenacity.

Published on April 16, 2025 at 11:07 pm