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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Last season, Jimmy McCool was unexpectedly thrust into Syracuse’s Atlantic Coast Conference semifinal matchup. With the Orange struggling, trailing 8-2 to Duke and starting goalie Will Mark posting an abysmal 11.1% save rate, head coach Gary Gait hoped to ignite the Orange by tossing McCool into the game.

None came. McCool surrendered 10 goals with just a 37.5% save percentage in the lopsided loss, though Gary Gait praised his performance in relief.

“It’s tough to get thrown in there, and I thought he played pretty well,” Gait said of McCool. “Which is good for a guy that hasn’t had much game experience. So we were happy about that.”

Fast forward one year, and the picture couldn’t be more different.

Now SU’s full-time starter, McCool has anchored the Orange in net all season. Aside from a benching against Harvard early in the season, the redshirt sophomore has delivered consistently strong performances. His play earned him ACC Goalie of the Year honors this week, due to a conference-best 14.5 saves per game and a .567 save percentage in league play.

On Friday, back in the same high-stakes ACC semifinal setting that once overwhelmed him, McCool didn’t just redeem himself — he dominated. In No. 4 seed Syracuse’s (10-5, 2-2 ACC) upset 14-12 ACC Tournament semifinal win over top-seeded Notre Dame (8-4, 3-1 ACC), McCool was electrifying, turning in a career-high 20 saves and a .625 save percentage. His shot-stopping exploits contributed to SU’s first win at the ACC Tournament since 2017, setting up a championship matchup with No. 3 seed Duke Sunday.

“Last year didn’t go as I would have liked it to, so coming into this, I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to prove myself,” McCool said postgame.

McCool proved himself, and then some, against the Fighting Irish. He made saves with his feet, glove, stick — whatever part of his body he could get in front of the ball. And he even played a role in the Orange’s clearing, coming out of the cage to help them post a 19-for-22 clearing clip in the victory.

The netminder’s magnum opus, though, was a double save with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, repelling ND’s two-men-up desperate attempts to chip into SU’s then-four-goal lead. Notre Dame’s Will Angrick had a clear look at goal from the right side, but McCool was ready for it, using his right leg to deflect the shot out of play.

But he wasn’t in the clear yet. SU regained possession and tried to find McCool behind the net. But once McCool received the ball, he hit the grass and was swarmed by two Notre Dame defenders. He remained unfazed, getting back to his feet and corkscrewing free from ND’s pressure.

Yet in the process, he spilled the ball, and it was picked up by Jeffery Ricciardelli. McCool scampered back to the net just in time to get his right leg between a Jake Taylor howitzer.

Down a man, Syracuse and McCool remained under duress. But he remained undeterred. Devon McLane unleashed an open shot from just left of the net. McCool covered his near post, getting his stick up to deflect the high shot away.

Just like that, McCool had weathered three Notre Dame efforts while Syracuse was down players. Its four-goal lead stayed intact until the final 30 seconds, when ND cashed in two cosmetic finishes after the game had devolved into chaos.

McCool said it was one of the wildest stretches of his time playing college lacrosse, aptly describing it as “pretty crazy.”

Amid his career-best performance, McCool heaped praise on the defense in front of him. The Orange had stifled Notre Dame in their first meeting earlier this year, holding the Fighting Irish scoreless for 40 straight minutes, and Syracuse’s backline was locked in out of the gate.

McCool tracked ND’s star attack Pat Kavanagh as he wrapped around X midway through the first quarter and denied his close-range shot. But Syracuse’s defense quickly unraveled, as a 3-0 lead morphed into a 4-4 tie. On the Fighting Irish’s third goal, McCool denied the first effort but couldn’t gather the ball, sending it skyward right in front of the cage. ND’s Brock Behrman pounced like John McEnroe at net, volleying home the bid.

To close the first half, McCool helped Syracuse carry a 8-6 advantage into the break with three more stops. He deflected a Taylor shot high, showcasing his rapid reflexes. Then, he got his glove on a diving Christian Alacqua bid. And as the quarter ended, he saw through a forest of Fighting Irish players to scoop up a long-range Ben Ramsey shot.

Despite the 50-minute weather delay, he didn’t miss a beat. Ricciardelli found an opening on SU’s man-down unit, but McCool tipped his effort wide. The goalie diffused another two-men-up Notre Dame opportunity with a catch on a McLane shot with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter.

Entering the fourth quarter, where a win would all but assure Syracuse’s spot in the NCAA Tournament, McCool stepped up to secure a vital victory for the Orange. He got his body in front of a Kavanagh bid, and then caught a Jordan Faison shot in quick succession. When the pressure was highest, the netminder lived up to his name. He stayed cool.

It’s a long way from a year ago in the same position. But Gait said that experience, as horrendous as it was, was integral to return to the same game this season. And with his performance — his saves, his clearing, his composure — he exorcized his 2024 performance against the Blue Devils.

After Friday, we have a new, much more complimentary, association with McCool in the ACC semifinals. Gait can praise him again. But the statistics speak for themselves. McCool was once again a bright point for the Orange on Friday. But this time, his performance placed SU on the cusp of its first ACC Tournament title since 2016.

“I think he must have learned from it, because he came out today and played outstanding,” Gait said. “He was awesome. So I’m just happy for him.”

Published on May 2, 2025 at 11:35 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal