Syracuse men’s lacrosse falls to No. 11 in IL Top-20 Poll
Syracuse's loss to then-No. 12 Duke led to its four-spot drop in the Week 11 Inside Lacrosse Poll on Monday. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (9-4, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 11 in the Inside Lacrosse Week 11 poll, the publication announced Monday. The drop follows the Orange’s 11-7 defeat at then-No. 12 Duke Saturday.
SU’s offense fell silent for long stretches against the Blue Devils. It didn’t score until the 11:05 mark of the second quarter, when it trailed 4-0. Then, after the Orange narrowed their deficit to 5-4, they went scoreless for the final five minutes of the second quarter and in the entire third quarter. The seven-goal tally was tied for the lowest in head coach Gary Gait’s four-year tenure.
Defensively, SU also struggled to contain a revamped Duke offense. Despite the Blue Devils losing 224 points with their attacking trident of Brennan O’Neill, Dyson Williams and Josh Zawada heading to Premier League Lacrosse, they ran roughshod on the Orange’s backline. Maryland graduate transfer Eric Malever led the way, registering a career-high five goals, while Andrew McAdorey added one goal and two assists.
Despite SU suffering its second straight loss Saturday — following a 17-12 defeat to No. 1 Cornell on April 12 — it’s still likely in the NCAA Tournament Field, according to Lacrosse Reference. Syracuse can boost its resume in its regular-season finale against No. 8 North Carolina Saturday. If the Orange beat the Tar Heels, they’ll be the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. A loss drops SU to the No. 3 seed.
