Syracuse men’s lacrosse drops 1 spot to No. 12 in IL Top-20 Poll
Syracuse's 14-12 loss to North Carolina Saturday not only dropped it to the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament but to No. 12 in the Week 12 Inside Lacrosse Poll. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (9-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) dropped one spot to No. 12 in the Inside Lacrosse Week 12 Top-20 Poll, the publication announced Monday. The Orange’s fall follows a 14-12 loss to No. 8 North Carolina, where a late SU comeback effort fell short.
SU scored four goals between the 2:24 and 37-second mark of the fourth quarter and looked to have drawn within one when attack Finn Thomson touched his shot home, but the goal was called back since Thomson fell into the goalmouth.
Despite its furious comeback attempt, Syracuse was outmatched for most of Saturday’s meeting with UNC. The Tar Heels’ faceoff man Brady Wambach won 16-of-27 against SU’s John Mullen. The Orange also went a woeful 10-of-17 on clears. And they lost the ground ball battle 36-29.
The defeat to the Tar Heels was SU’s third straight, as it staggers into the ACC Tournament as the No. 4 seed. It could’ve clinched the top seed by beating No. 9 Duke on April 19 or UNC Saturday, but it faltered in both contests.
As a result, the Orange will face No. 1 seed Notre Dame in Charlotte Friday in the ACC Tournament Semifinals. Syracuse played its best game of the season against the Fighting Irish on April 5, downing them 14-9 and holding them scoreless for 40 minutes.
Syracuse also dented its NCAA Tournament resume with the loss. The Orange fell three spots in the rating percentage index to No. 11. The 18-team NCAA Tournament is composed of 10 automatic qualifiers and eight at-large teams, so SU is currently on the outside looking in at the tournament but can bolster its case with a win in the ACC Tournament.
