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After beginning Atlantic Coast Conference play with a nervy, come-from-behind 12-10 win at Virginia on March 29, Syracuse enters the final stretch of its regular season, and it’s a gauntlet. SU’s final four opponents are all ranked in the top 12 of Inside Lacrosse’s Poll.

In Charlottesville, the Orange overcame faceoff man John Mullen’s worst performance of the season at X, at 9-for-22 (40.9%). They worked around a 5-2 first-quarter deficit. And they responded to UVA taking a 10-9 fourth-quarter lead with three straight goals.

The margin for error lessened as SU met Notre Dame Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome. The reigning two-time national champion Fighting Irish’s lone two losses of the season — 11-10 to No. 2 Maryland and 10-9 to No. 3 Ohio State — came consecutively. Syracuse, meanwhile, has put its two-game skid behind it, winning five on the trot — tying head coach Gary Gait’s best run in his four-year tenure.

After another slow start, the Orange exploded on an nine-goal run while holding Notre Dame scoreless for 40 minutes en route to an 9-3 advantage. Despite Notre Dame’s own 3-0 run preventing Syracuse from coasting to the finish, SU secured its first top-5 win of the season, stretched its winning run to six and all-but-sealed its place in the NCAA Tournament. Mullen rebounded at the faceoff X, going 16-for-23, while Joey Spallina led the Orange with four goals.

Here are some observations from No. 7 Syracuse’s (9-2, 2-0 ACC) 14-9 win over No. 5 Notre Dame (5-3, 1–1 ACC) Saturday:

Anderson starts again

After starting Payton Anderson for the first time this season at Virginia, Gait said SU “got exactly out of him what we thought we would.” The freshman scored two goals by dodging his marker to get downhill. Anderson produced a highlight-reel finish, diving into the crease to beat UVA goalie Matthew Nunes as the first quarter expired to trim SU’s deficit to 5-2. It also applied a jolt of momentum for Syracuse to score two straight goals to start the second.

Gait opted to start Anderson again Saturday versus ND over Trey Deere, who started three straight games after Finn Thomson suffered an injury at Utah on March 1. Thursday, Gait said Thomson is not yet ready to return, but added, “we’re trying to get him there.”

Anderson broke through for SU’s first goal of the game at the 4:09 mark of the first quarter, creating his opportunity with his adroit footwork to turn away from his defender and dive in front of the goal while directing his shot past ND’s goalie Thomas Ricciardelli.

Anderson was held largely quiet from there, but set up Wyatt Hottle for a vital fourth-quarter goal that extended the Orange’s lead to five with eight minutes left in the contest. He provided the assist to Owen Hiltz for their 14th goal in the waning minutes, pushing him to three points. And all were integral: one opened the floodgates for SU’s offense, and the other two closed the door on any ND comeback hopes.

Another early SU deficit

Against the Cavaliers, Syracuse allowed five goals in the first 11 minutes against Virginia. The Orange looked out of sorts offensively. Their faceoff unit couldn’t find its footing. SU was fortunate the Cavaliers could only muster five goals from their 19 first-quarter shots.

It was the same story Saturday against the more-ruthless Fighting Irish. ND scored three unanswered goals on its first three shots to hand Syracuse another early deficit. All the finishes were rather straightforward. Matt Jeffery roofed one wide open from just right of the goal. Devon McLane poked one home from a feed from X. McLane added his second and Notre Dame’s third less than four minutes into the game.

ND’s early advantage was gained through stultifying defense, shutting down any attacking angles for SU. The Orange were forced into multiple early-game, late-clock prayers that Ricciardelli repelled easily. At the faceoff X, Mullen was whistled for an early penalty and couldn’t assert himself against ND’s capable faceoff man Will lynch.

The Fighting Irish focused its defense on denying SU outlet passes and forcing the Orange’s ball carrier to beat them one-on-one. Anderson did that to put Syracuse on the board. And finally, after going scoreless for the opening 10 minutes, Sam English added a second goal 32 seconds later following rapid ball movement. The individual moments of brilliance and clean passing helped SU break through and consistently find the back of the net.

40-minute ND scoring drought

Following a poor start to the game, Syracuse flipped the script. The Orange scored eight unanswered goals. They held ND, which has the best offensive efficiency in the country, according to Lacrosse Reference, scoreless for 40 minutes.

Syracuse went from lifeless to vivacious; Notre Dame went from throwing haymakers to staggering to pick itself off the canvas. The result? The Orange turned a 3-0 deficit to an 8-3 halftime lead. SU’s onslaught started with its star attack Spallina. The junior flashed two shots at Ricciardelli to begin the quarter. Following Spallina’s second goal, Mullen won the faceoff and dove into an advertising board on the side of the field to keep the ball in play. Mullen then picked up a ground ball to maintain possession for Syracuse. He fed Spallina, who did the rest.

Consequently, the JMA Wireless Dome crowd picked up steam and served as the winds at the back of an Orange maelstrom of goals. The finishes came in a flurry. English cranked one in. Forty seconds later, Michael Leo ripped on the near side to make it 6-3. Then, short stick midfielder Hottle raced past his defender at X and converted on the run.

Syracuse caught a pair of lucky breaks, as two Notre Dame goals were annulled due to entering the crease and offside, respectively, but the Orange hardly put a foot wrong in the second quarter. They won 5-of-6 faceoffs and converted six of its nine shots on target to goals.

English conducts midfield

Gait called sixth-year midfielder English a “Virginia killer” for his decisive performance against the Cavaliers that included the game-tying goal, an assist on the winning score and taking the shot that led to the insurance goal.

The head coach added English “does everything” for Syracuse, and it showed Saturday. Against a fearsome ND, English looked cool, calm and collected. He finished with aplomb, ending with two goals. He dictated the offense with better moves than a chess grandmaster, masterfully cradling the ball around the onrushing Fighting Irish defenders, then leaving them in his wake. His passing was pinpoint too, allowing the Orange to switch the point of attack and release the pressure of ND’s ride.

According to Gait, English covers the most ground of anyone on SU. He added he has one of the highest maximum speeds on the team and is running at that pace the most of anyone on SU. That endless motor, as if English has a third lung, was a constant support board for Syracuse Saturday.

Published on April 5, 2025 at 4:37 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal