Previewing No. 1 Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s matchup vs. No. 14 Harvard
Syracuse's first matchup as Inside Lacrosse's No. 1 team comes Saturday against No. 14 Harvard, which opened its season with wins over Providence and Colgate. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Soak it in. For the first time since the COVID-abridged 2020 season — where Syracuse started 5-0 — the Orange are No. 1 on Inside Lacrosse’s rankings.
To be the best, you have to beat the best, and SU understood the memo Friday. Facing off against then-No. 1 Maryland, Syracuse got off to an early 6-2 second-quarter advantage and never relinquished it down the stretch. Sure, Eric Spanos and Elijah Stobaugh made it close for the Terrapins late, but the Orange defense held strong to prevent a late collapse.
Phew, curse broken. Check that off the list. Right now, SU is the team to beat in college lacrosse. It’s up to the Orange to defend their crown, but with a road matchup against Harvard on deck, it won’t be easy. Their last two matchups have been rather dramatic affairs, so Syracuse will likely look to dispatch the Crimson more convincingly this time.
Here’s everything to know about No. 14 Harvard (2-0, Ivy) before it hosts No. 1 Syracuse (3-0, Atlantic Coast) Saturday:
All-time series
Syracuse is 19-1. Its lone loss came in the 2025 regular season, where SU’s 5-0 lead evaporated late in a 15-14 defeat.
Last time they played
Picture the inverse of that aforementioned loss. That’s what went down on May 11, 2025, when the Orange topped Harvard 13-12 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson came out of the gates ready to run SU out of the JMA Wireless Dome, with a dominant 8-2 halftime lead. It looked as if Syracuse’s postseason, yet again, would end prematurely.
John Mullen had something to say about that. The faceoff man won 24-of-28 battles in the contest and essentially played make-it-take-it to help Syracuse erase a 10-5 fourth-quarter deficit in a five-minute span. Forced into overtime with a 12-12 deadlock, Owen Hiltz came through with a game-winner to end an instant classic.
The Crimson report
The Orange can rest easy knowing that, when they roll into Cambridge Saturday, Sam King won’t be on the other end tormenting them.
The former Harvard attack led the Crimson in points for two consecutive seasons, notching 73 in 2024 and 66 in 2025. He’s since graduated, leaving the scoring output up to Teddy Malone and Jack Speidell. Through two games, it doesn’t seem like the tandem is having much trouble adjusting to King’s absence.
Malone, in particular, has jumped out to a scorching start, notching six points in Harvard’s season opener against Providence and putting six goals past Colgate Tuesday. The senior has quickly established himself as the Crimson’s primary attack, and if he keeps up this pace, he could easily find himself in line for his first All-American honors this season.
Defensively, Harvard has a somewhat new cast of characters. Quinn Kelly — a Christian Brothers Academy graduate — has been a revelation as a freshman long pole, while Joost de Koning seems to be breaking out in his first year as Harvard’s longstick midfielder. They each have six ground balls, and de Koning has three caused turnovers. His mark leads the Crimson.
How Syracuse beats Harvard
Lock up the Crimson, and throw away the key. Heading into the season, Syracuse’s defense didn’t receive many plaudits from pundits. Billy Dwan III was really the only SU defender to consistently be in the conversation for preseason accolades. On Feb. 4, Inside Lacrosse published its top five defensive units list — Syracuse wasn’t even an honorable mention.
Number one on that IL list? Maryland, the unit SU’s defense just outclassed for 60 minutes last Friday. Now, the Orange are starting to get attention. Dwan and Riley Figueiras have been playing some of their best lacrosse to date, with Figueiras even taking ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Terps.
Syracuse hasn’t allowed double-digit goals to an opponent yet. It won’t be easy, with Malone and Speidell still wreaking havoc in the Crimson attack, but if the Orange can continue that trend Saturday, its offense should do the rest.
Stat to know: 74.1
The scariest thing about Harvard’s attack is its ball movement. The Crimson don’t play iso-ball very often, and it helps them involve a variety of offensive options.
Syracuse doesn’t roll the same way. The Orange have scored 44 goals this season, and only 18 of them have been assisted. That’s good for a 40.9% assisted-goals percentage. The Crimson, on the other hand, have assisted 20 of their 27 goals through two games — a 74.1% assisted-goals percentage.
Is it good or bad? Not necessarily. But that disparity is certainly something to notice when watching these teams’ offensive approaches Saturday.
Player to watch: Jack Speidell, attack, No. 4
Malone’s certainly hot right now, but Speidell is just as — if not a more — important attack for Syracuse to key in on.
His impact hasn’t really been felt too heavily on the scoreboards just yet; he only has three goals through the Crimson’s first two games. Yet, he still ranks second on the team with nine points, leading the way with six assists. It’s almost a complete role reversal from his freshman campaign, where he led Harvard with a whopping 46 goals.
If Speidell becomes more of a feeder — like he has thus far — against SU, it might bode well for the Orange. But if he starts doing both at a high level, it might be tough for Syracuse’s defense to stop him.
