Syracuse men’s lacrosse drops to No. 6 in latest Inside Lacrosse Top 20
After its upset loss at then-No. 14 Harvard Saturday, Syracuse men’s lacrosse fell five spots to No. 6 in Inside Lacrosse’s Poll. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s reign as the No. 1 team in the country lasted a week. Following a 13-12 defeat to then-No. 14 Harvard, Syracuse dropped to No. 6 in Inside Lacrosse’s latest Top 20 rankings. The ranking is SU’s lowest so far this season after starting the year as the No. 3 team in the country.
Following the Orange’s (3-1, Atlantic Coast) 11-9 win over then-No. 1 Maryland Feb. 13, they looked like they established themselves as the best team in the country. Defeating the Terrapins for the first time since 2009 put some added pressure on an already consequential season. SU attack Joey Spallina said the top spot meant nothing, same with head coach Gary Gait.
Michael Leo added that for the past few years Syracuse has been doing the hunting and its UMD win made them the prey for the first time in a while. SU hadn’t been ranked No. 1 since 2020 when it started 5-0 under John Desko. In their first game back at the top, the Orange faltered.
Facing Harvard — which SU beat in last season’s NCAA Tournament — Syracuse couldn’t get the job done. Syracuse led 4-1 after the first quarter, powered by two Luke Rhoa goals. Then a crazy back-and-forth affair ensued. The Crimson came alive, scoring five unanswered in the second quarter and took a two-goal lead into the locker room. SU regained the lead with three straight goals in the third quarter, though Harvard punched right back with four in a row.
Syracuse looked like it delivered a knockout blow with a 5-0 run, capped off by a Joey Spallina goal to make it 12-10 with 6:27 left. However, two goals in 17 seconds tied the game again, while Nathan Cobery scored the winner with under a minute left.
Rhoa’s hat trick wasn’t enough and neither was Leo’s one goal, four assist day while starting at attack. Jimmy McCool made 13 saves, but was bested by his counterpart, Graham Stevens, who had 14, including a key denial on Spallina in the final minute.
The challenges for Syracuse are coming thick and fast. Saturday was the first of a six-game road trip and next up is No. 7 Princeton, another team itching to get revenge on SU after it beat the Tigers in the NCAA Quarterfinals last season.
