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Syracuse is now the team to beat in college lacrosse. The Orange established that Friday, with their 11-9 win over then-No. 1 Maryland. It was SU’s first win over the Terrapins since 2009, having lost the previous nine meetings.

Gary Gait could not have asked for a better start to Syracuse’s season. Before its Maryland triumph, SU dispatched then-No. 17 Boston University and Saint Joseph’s. Joey Spallina is playing like a Tewaaraton Award winner, while the Orange’s supplemental options like Michael Leo, Wyatt Hottle and others are providing support.

On Monday, Syracuse earned its first No. 1 ranking in Inside Lacrosse’s Top 20 since 2020, when it started 5-0. But there’s still plenty of lacrosse left to be played. SU is preparing for a six-game road trip, including matchups against No. 14 Harvard and No. 12 Princeton. If the Orange can continue to ride their momentum, they could get through the stretch unscathed.

Here are five stats that have defined No. 1 Syracuse’s (3-0, Atlantic Coast) undefeated start to the season:

42.9% Adjusted offensive efficiency

Syracuse has the fifth most efficient offense in the country, per Lacrosse Reference, with a 42.9% adjusted offensive efficiency rating. The only team scoring at a similar rate is Richmond (43%).

SU’s stats back up the eye test. As mentioned before, Spallina is playing arguably the best lacrosse of his career, leading Syracuse with 18 points (11 goals, seven assists). That’s 10 more than SU’s second-most productive player, Leo.

But that’s what makes Syracuse so dangerous. It has numerous weapons and ways to attack. Whether it’s Leo, Hottle or Luke Rhoa dodging defenders from the wing, Spallina dissecting teams from X or Payton Anderson and Bogue Hahn’s precise distance shooting, the Orange are explosive. Seven players have at least three points this year, and the Orange have featured at least six goalscorers in every contest.

Syracuse’s efficiency is partially inflated by its performance against SJU, where it scored on 55.6% of its possessions, though its numbers are strong regardless. SU had a 39% offensive efficiency against Maryland, a drastic increase from its 25.9% clip in last year’s regular season loss to the Terps and 32.4% mark in its Final Four defeat.

In its 13 wins last season, Syracuse scored on 41.1% of its possessions, according to Lacrosse Reference. During the Orange’s six defeats, that figure dropped to 31.3%.

Joey Spallina’s 10 shots per game

Spallina is shooting the ball more than ever in his Syracuse career, with 10 attempts per game so far. It’s a small sample size, but the senior has never averaged more than seven shots per game. That could be due to the graduation of Owen Hiltz — SU’s leading scorer in 2025.

Previously, Spallina was more of a feeder. In 2024, he finished with 51 assists compared to 37 goals, and last season, he had 55 assists compared to 35 goals. It’s a stark contrast to his freshman production, where he had 36 goals but only recorded 32 assists.

By now, every opponent knows Spallina’s passing proficiency. He can find the smallest gaps and dissect defenses with his feeds. It’s why BU head coach Ryan Polley said he wanted to turn Spallina into a shooter during the season opener. The attack finished the contest with three goals on 12 shots, tied for his most tries since SU’s 2024 win over Colgate.

He added four tallies on nine shots against SJU before facing a monumental challenge in Maryland’s Will Schaller. The long pole, in Spallina’s words, is “probably the best defender in the country.” Yet, Spallina ate him alive, tallying four goals after totaling just five points across their two matchups last season.

Critics have accused Spallina of disappearing in big games, but he dispelled that narrative Friday. Spallina isn’t forcing more shots. But he’s taking more of them, which is significant.

“I’m doing whatever I have to do to win the game,” Spallina said after beating Maryland. “And, hey, if that’s me sitting on the crease and shooting the ball, I’m all for it.”

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John Mullen’s 62.5% faceoff win-rate

John Mullen is arguably the best faceoff specialist in the country. Just check his 62.5% faceoff win rate through three games. That may be slightly lower than his 63% efficiency last season, Mullen was above 50% against Maryland’s Henry Dodge, who led the country by winning 71% of his reps with Vermont in 2025.

Mullen started Friday’s contest hot, winning nine of his first 10 faceoffs. Despite winning two of his next 11, his early spark allowed Syracuse to build a 6-2 lead.

“We’re fully confident (in Mullen),” Leo said of Mullen postgame. “When we score, we get it back. It just gives our offense another chance to go put them in the back of the net.”

By season’s end, Mullen and Dodge might battle it out for the label of best faceoff man in the country, along with North Carolina’s Brady Wambach, who was 64.3% at the X last season.

5.66 goals allowed per game

Syracuse’s offense typically gets all the plaudits. Yet, its defense has also been airtight this year. SU is allowing 5.66 goals per game after holding Maryland to nine scores, its lowest tally against the Orange since 2011.

Billy Dwan III and Riley Figueiras head SU’s stout defense. Together, they form one of the best long pole duos in college lacrosse. Figueiras’ on-ball defense is pristine, while Dwan has excellent instincts. Jordan Beck was Syracuse’s third close defender for its first two games, but Gait moved Chuck Kuczynski down from long stick midfielder due to certain matchups he saw against UMD. The move paid off.

Though Dwan and Figueiras playing well isn’t surprising, the performance of Syracuse’s short stick defensive midfielders has been a plus.

Gait felt the unit was a question heading into the season after losing Carter Rice and key two-way midfielder Sam English. However, the addition of Ohio State transfer Dante Bowen and Jake Spallina’s progression have been notable.

Even if Syracuse’s defense gets beat, it can rely on Jimmy McCool as the last layer of defense. McCool was the ACC Goalie of the Year in his first season as a starter, and he may have taken it up a level in 2026. He’s denied 64.6% of the shots he’s faced, the fourth-highest rate in the country and the best of any power conference goalie.

McCool only made 11 saves against Maryland, but made two crucial stops in the fourth quarter to keep UMD scoreless for the final 13 minutes. With McCool playing at an All-ACC level again, while Dwan and Figueiras make things difficult for attacks in front of him, Syracuse’s defense will continue to be formidable.

+29 ground balls

Ground balls are a simple stat. But they typically paint a good picture of which team is exuding better effort. So far, Syracuse is winning ground balls over its opponents by a hefty margin of 29.

The Orange were an eye-popping plus-13 in the ground ball battle against Maryland. The Terrapins are usually feisty and always do the little things to systematically break down their opponents. On Friday, that wasn’t the case.

Mullen leads SU with 18 ground balls, while Dwan and Figueiras have eight and nine, respectively. Even Spallina has seven, and tied a career-high with five against UMD.

If Syracuse wants to win a national championship, doing the little things — like scooping up ground balls — will be crucial.

Published on February 18, 2026 at 12:02 am
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22