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It’s arguably the most storied collegiate lacrosse rivalry. It features the two most successful schools in the sport. Nearly 60 combined national championships spanning the pre-NCAA and NCAA era. Orange and Heritage Blue.

Is the visual starting to form? The grainy ESPN feeds. The Air Gait goals. The Paul Rabil masterclasses.

It’s coming into your mind, right? Syracuse and Johns Hopkins. Well, the two vaunted brands meet for the 64th time and the 53rd time in 43 years Saturday. The venue is the hallowed grounds of Homewood Field in Baltimore.

Both squads have had their position atop the collegiate lacrosse world questioned. The Blue Jays haven’t won a national championship since 2007. The Orange haven’t triumphed on Memorial Day since 2009. Winning in this historic rivalry will be a step toward reaching the summit again.

Here’s everything you need to know about No. 11 Johns Hopkins’ (4-1, Big Ten) derby with No. 10 Syracuse (4-2, Atlantic Coast):

All-time series

Johns Hopkins leads the series 32-30-1.

Last time they played

Syracuse notched its first top-10 win of the 2025 season, overcoming then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins 13-10 on March 9. After falling to then-No. 6 Maryland and then-No. 15 Harvard, the Orange’s victory against the Blue Jays was the first sign they could make a Final Four run.

In the win, Owen Hiltz led the way with four goals, and SU outgritted JHU with a 32-20 ground-ball disparity. But the most memorable moment was Syracuse attack Joey Spallina executing a hidden-ball trick that bamboozled the Blue Jay backline and the broadcast crew. The crafty finish capped a three-goal third-quarter run that handed the Orange a 9-8 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

HIDDEN BALL TRICK ALERT 🪄🤯

Joey Spallina and Sam English just fooled EVERYONE at The Dome!!

(via ESPNU, @CuseMLAX pic.twitter.com/2a1y8PFmVT

— TLN 🥍 (@LacrosseNetwork) March 9, 2025

The Blue Jays report

After losing its final six games in 2025, going 0-5 in Big Ten play and missing the NCAA Tournament, Johns Hopkins returned its top three point-getters this season.

Attack Hunter Chauvette led the way with 23 goals in 2025. Inside Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention Matt Collison added 21 goals and 12 assists. Brooks English, former Syracuse midfielder Sam English’s brother, pitched in with 26 points on a team-high 18 assists.

On the defense end, short-stick defensive midfielder Reece DiCicco has forced 2.4 turnovers per game, tied for seventh in Division I.

The biggest loss for the Blue Jays was faceoff specialist Logan Callahan, who won 60.8% of his draws, 11th in the nation a year ago. After gathering 70 caused turnovers, second in program history, defender Scott V. Smith also graduated.

In Callahan’s place, Johns Hopkins has struggled at the faceoff dot, winning 47.8% of its draws. But the Blue Jays have performed well to start the campaign. They defeated Towson — which received votes in the latest Inside Lacrosse Poll — 13-11.

Despite a 17-9 setback against No. 5 North Carolina, JHU collected its marquee win of the season so far Saturday at Virginia. Down 11-4 at the 9:22 mark of the third quarter, Johns Hopkins embarked on a 10-2 run the rest of the way to come away with a 14-13 victory at Klöckner Stadium.

How Syracuse beats Johns Hopkins

When Syracuse has had success this season, it’s started at the faceoff X. John Mullen proved last year he’s one of the best faceoff men in the country, and his ability allowed the Orange to win repeated faceoffs and start scoring runs. However, he’s won a mere 47.2% in the last three games.

When Mullen can’t win draws, SU’s explosive offense is held in check. But when SU has the ball, its defense needs to be more clinical. A .175 shooting percentage at Princeton Friday and Spallina’s third-career game without a point proved that. SU’s disappeared in the biggest moments.

The inverse occurred two days later, when the Orange scored five straight goals across the fourth quarter, and Michael Leo capped the comeback with the overtime winner after Mullen won the decisive faceoff. SU needs that kind of production if it wants to beat Johns Hopkins.

Stat to know: 13.00

Johns Hopkins and Syracuse both take care of the ball well, committing just 13 turnovers per game each. That tally is tied for fifth in the country.

Saturday’s game may come down to who causes more turnovers. In that respect, the Blue Jays have the upper hand. JHU forces 9.4 giveaways in each contest on average, 19th in D-I. SU only forces its opposition to cough up possession 7.83 times per game, which is 40th nationally.

Player to watch: Matt Collison, attack, No. 16

The lefty attack did something at Johns Hopkins that hadn’t been done since Rabil represented the Blue Jays. Collison was the first JHU player to earn USILA All-America honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

Despite a down year in 2025, Collison remained a steady presence. He scored at least a point in each game, totaling 33 in 14 games. So far this season, in five games, the senior has logged 18 points.

Published on March 4, 2026 at 10:28 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal