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Lack of turnovers was supposed to be Syracuse’s strength. So far this season, the Orange weren’t just good at taking care of the ball — they were great. They entered Saturday’s contest at Duke averaging the fewest turnovers per game in Division-I at 12.58 per game — .6 higher than the second-place team.

But when SU ran into the Blue Devils, it went from ball security to ball insecurity — forcing rushed passes and making uncharacteristic mistakes. The result was a disastrous 11-7 loss at Duke Saturday.

Why was it disastrous, you ask? The seven-goal tally tied the fewest finishes Syracuse had mustered in head coach Gary Gait’s four-year tenure. The Orange’s 18 turnovers tied a season high set at Utah on March 1. And five of those giveaways directly led to Blue Devils goals — the difference in the two teams’ score.

Despite the defeat, the Orange are still likely to make the NCAA Tournament, according to Lacrosse Reference, and can still clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament No. 1 Seed with a win over No. 8 North Carolina Saturday. But a second straight defeat signals SU is sputtering at the very moment teams need to surge. Most telling? Its signature trait became the architect of its own undoing.

Here’s a breakdown of some of No. 11 Syracuse’s (9-4, 2-1 ACC) key turnovers in its 11-7 loss at No. 9 Duke (10-4, 1-2 ACC):

1st quarter, 6:36 — Late shot-clock Leo giveaway

Much like its game at Virginia on March 29, where SU fell behind 5-1 in the first quarter, the Orange got off to another slow start Saturday in Durham. But this time it was worse. Syracuse trailed 4-0 after one quarter and didn’t score until the 11:05 mark of the second.

That partly came down to its five first-quarter giveaways. On the second of the day, Michael Leo tried to make something happen from X as the shot clock dwindled toward 10 seconds. Though, the junior walked into a Duke double team and was dispossessed by Connor Nolen.

Duke, for its part, has forced the most turnovers in the ACC at 131, and it flashed its defensive brilliance Saturday versus the Orange, closing passing lanes and imposing its physicality.

1st quarter, 4:02 — Anderson coughs one up, and Duke scores on other end

In his fourth straight start of the season, freshman attack Payton Anderson didn’t register a point and recorded a team-high four turnovers. Early in his career, the Orange trusted Anderson to create chances, like when he ended a scoreless first 11 minutes against then-No. 5 Notre Dame and jump started a 9-0 SU run versus the Fighting Irish.

Syracuse turned to the greenhorn against the Blue Devils, but Anderson couldn’t make a play. He received a pass from midfielder Tyler McCarthy in the right alley and accelerated toward the net. He wrapped around the cage at X, then looked for any Orange cutters. There were none.

Anderson then tried to make the play himself, cutting to the left of the goal, but Duke defender Cole Krauss met him. Krauss checked Anderson hard, dislodging the ball and picking it up to start the Blue Devils’ transition.

On the other end, defender Henry Bard fired a shot wide of the mark. But off the restart, Duke’s Eric Malever got a favorable matchup against Syracuse’s short-stick midfielder Wyatt Hottle, who couldn’t substitute out after the turnover. Malever wrapped around the cage and converted his second of an eventual career-high five goals to make it 3-0.

2nd quarter, 9:01 — Hottle hiccup leads to Blue Devil’s 5th goal

Syracuse had regained its bearings. Attack Joey Spallina drove home his 28th goal of the season and set up English in under 30 seconds to trim the deficit to 4-2, and the Orange had just forced a Duke shot clock violation. They looked to continue the momentum early in the second quarter.

But another careless mistake occurred. As Leo carried the ball across midfield into the offensive zone, Hottle hadn’t crossed to the defensive zone. SU was called for offside, and the Blue Devils began their attack quickly while Syracuse attempted to make substitutions.

It couldn’t regather itself in time. Duke short-stick middie Aidan Maguire marched unmarked past the restraining line and stepped into a rippling shot that found the top corner of the net before SU’s Billy Dwan III could close down.

3rd quarter, 13:04 — Duke yard sales Spallina, begins to pull away

The third quarter is often where Syracuse has won games this season. But that’s where it unraveled against Duke, putting it in a deep hole. Part of that came down to six turnovers in the quarter — the most of any frame in the game — as Duke outscored Syracuse 4-0 in the frame, resulting in an 11-4 deficit entering the fourth.

Trying to chisel away at Duke’s three-goal advantage, Spallina went to work at X. But defender Charlie Johnson checked him cleanly from behind, sending Spallina’s stick to the grass — known in lacrosse parlance as a yard sale. The Blue Devils’ Jake Wilson picked up the ground ball and pushed it upfield to Maguire.

Maguire did the rest, taking the ball down the teeth of the Orange defense and unleashing a left-handed blast that beat Jimmy McCool in net to make it 8-4.

3rd quarter, 6:42 — Tyler McCarthy can’t corral pass

Trailing 10-4, as the sand flowed through the hourglass signaling Syracuse’s dwindling chances of winning, it cleanly worked the ball around, until it again turned it over.

After some quick-fire passes, SU slowed it down with Hottle just behind the restraining line and then fed it laterally to Anderson. The freshman dished to Owen Hiltz on the right wing, and Hiltz flung a pass inside to McCarthy, but he couldn’t handle it. It was SU’s 12th turnover of the day.

Even with more than 20 minutes left in the game, Syracuse stringing together any miraculous offensive run wasn’t likely. Each time it seemed to find a semblance of rhythm, a turnover followed.

When your calling card becomes your Achilles’ heel, wins slip through your fingers — just like the ball did on Saturday. Syracuse didn’t just lose possession; it lost its identity. In a game that magnified mistakes, the Orange unraveled in the area that previously defined their success. Now, with the postseason looming, SU stands at a crossroads. If it can’t reclaim its ball security, its once-promising season might end, not with a roar, but with a whimper.

Published on April 21, 2025 at 11:14 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal