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After splitting its slate at the ACC/Ivy League Challenge, Syracuse enters a rivalry clash. The Orange were blitzed 11-7 at No. 3 Princeton Friday and looked destined for a third straight loss at No. 18 Penn. But SU embarked on a 5-0 run starting with three minutes left in the third quarter and completed the comeback when Michael Leo scored 36 seconds into overtime.

The Orange can’t rest on their laurels for long. They remain on the road for a fourth consecutive game and travel to the home of a bitter rival and a hallowed stadium in lacrosse. It’s Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field. The Blue Jays made a statement of their own last weekend, rallying from down seven goals to defeat No. 17 Virginia 14-13 Saturday.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 10 Syracuse (4-2, Atlantic Coast) will fare at No. 11 Johns Hopkins (4-1, Big Ten) Saturday:

Zak Wolf (4-2)
Home-sweet-wood
Syracuse 14, Johns Hopkins 12

This is the third straight season Syracuse is facing Johns Hopkins at a crucial point of its season. In 2024, the Orange were 5-2 but didn’t have a solid win on their resume. Last year, SU was 4-2 and faced the same predicament. In both scenarios, Syracuse won, and Saturday won’t be any different.

The Blue Jays are riding high after a stunning comeback win over Virginia. But I think John Hopkins is closer to the team that trailed 11-4 in the third quarter than the one that stormed back. Syracuse is way better defensively than UVA, which bleeds goals for fun.

That’ll be the difference here. SU’s defense held Penn scoreless over the final 19 minutes last week. Yes, Johns Hopkins’ offense is way more explosive, but with how well Jimmy McCool’s playing, it’ll be tough for the Blue Jays to be more potent. Meanwhile, JHU is dealing with its own goalie troubles.

Dash Lamitie was pulled after allowing four goals in the first quarter against UVA without making a save. Oran Gelinas provided stability, saving 12 shots on 21 total attempts. Still, he’s only started seven games in his career, six of which he lost.

Even though Syracuse’s offense sleepwalked through six and a half quarters last weekend, it’ll wake up for this rivalry matchup. I see no way SU’s attack remains as dormant as it was at times. Pair it with the Orange’s defensive stability, and they’ll find success in Maryland Saturday.

Nicholas Alumkal (3-3)
Life begins at Johns Hopkins
Syracuse 12, Johns Hopkins 10

My tagline has a double meaning. “Life begins at Johns Hopkins,” donned a onesie and tote bag my family was gifted when I was born at the university’s hospital at 11:21 a.m. EDT on July 13, 2005. But 7,542 days after my birth, when Syracuse plays the Blue Jays in men’s lacrosse at Homewood Field, that message will be applicable. I think a win over JHU will spark a key winning run for SU leading into ACC play. In other words, life for Syracuse begins at Johns Hopkins.

Right now, the Orange aren’t quite comatose, but their vital signs may be fluctuating. They’ve plummeted from the high of No. 1 in the nation achieved after vanquishing then-No. 1 Maryland on Feb. 13. Losses at No. 4 Harvard and No. 3 Princeton followed. Then, SU revived itself just in time to down No. 18 Penn in overtime Sunday. Sure, those results came against capable opposition, but if Syracuse wants to contend for a national title, it needs to beat fellow contenders and dispatch inferior opponents with ease. Recently, the normally energetic and adept Orange have looked under the weather.

Did someone say weather? SU doesn’t want to hear those words. It hasn’t won an outdoor game in February since 2003. In those aforementioned recent losses, faceoff man John Mullen’s average has dropped to 47.3%. Syracuse’s dynamic attack has cooled off in the gelid conditions. The weather has slowed the Orange’s pace of play and sharpness.

In Baltimore, in the heat of the historic rivalry with Johns Hopkins, those instincts will return. The proverbial unconscious and uncharacteristic Orange will go away. A new lease on life will begin.

Mauricio Palmar (3-3)
Magic in Maryland
Syracuse 13, Johns Hopkins 12

Syracuse/Johns Hopkins is Syracuse/Johns Hopkins. The rivalry is always going to be intense, and it’s always going to be a tight contest. These two squads are 2-2 in their last four matchups, and all of them have been decided by three goals or fewer. If you’re hoping to see a blowout from either side, I’d recommend you recalibrate your expectations.

Luck has been on the Blue Jays’ side recently. Somehow, Johns Hopkins escaped Virginia’s Klockner Field with a 14-13 win, despite trailing 11-4 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Hunter Chauvette exploded for six goals, powering the Blue Jays to an inconceivable 10-2 run to close the game.

And see, that’s all fine and dandy. But SU doesn’t need luck to win. It just needs magic.

That’s really the only word I could conjure up to describe Leo’s goal on Sunday, which capped off a shocking five-goal run to help the Orange snatch an overtime victory from the jaws of defeat against then-No. 19 Penn. Yes, of course, JHU’s run against Virginia was similarly otherworldly. But after watching what SU did on Sunday, something tells me there’s no way the Orange will walk out of Homewood with a loss.

Call it intuition. Call me a clairvoyant. Call me Harry Houdini, if you must. But there seems to be some supernatural force guiding the Orange right now, and I don’t feel like picking against it.

Published on March 4, 2026 at 10:26 pm