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There it is. Just as quickly as it arrived, Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s season is reaching its denouement. What’s that saying? Time flies when you’re having fun?

SU has had a lot of it. Thirteen games in, the Orange have somehow managed to escape their brutal schedule with 10 wins, placing themselves third in the nation’s Ratings Power Index standings and virtually sealing a third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.

Syracuse will play its penultimate regular-season contest on Saturday, closing out its nonconference slate with a matchup against Colgate. No one would mistake the Raiders for SU’s strongest opponent to date, and yet, Colgate will stroll into the JMA Wireless Dome sporting a four-game win streak after a brutal 1-6 start.

Even the “easy” wins aren’t all that easy on this schedule. Nonetheless, the Raiders represent a golden opportunity for a tune-up before SU’s marquee matchup against Notre Dame.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 5 Syracuse (10-3, Atlantic Coast) will fare against Colgate (5-6, Patriot) Saturday:

Zak Wolf (11-2)
Record breaker
Syracuse 18, Colgate 12

If you’re a history nerd, I’d recommend being in the JMA Wireless Dome at 5 p.m. sharp Saturday. Barring a stunning turn of events, Joey Spallina will become Syracuse’s all-time points leader, passing Mike Powell. Spallina doesn’t care about individual accolades in pursuit of a national championship, but even this will be hard for him to downplay. When Spallina gets two points, he’ll sit alone atop the Syracuse record books. He’ll also lead SU to its 11th victory.

Like any player, there’s a chance Spallina has an off day. But SU’s recent games versus Colgate would suggest otherwise. Spallina tallied nine points in 2024 and a career-high 11 last year. To put it simply, Spallina likes playing the Raiders, and if I were a betting man, I’d put money on the record being broken in the first quarter.

Colgate’s defense is porous, allowing 12.73 goals per game, which ranks 62nd in the country. Syracuse’s offense in the Dome is a recipe for disaster for the Raiders, especially since the Orange don’t want to hurt their NCAA Tournament resume.

Syracuse will win relatively easily, but don’t count out Matt Karweck’s group to cause some chaos. Colgate loves the 10-man ride and causes chaos in the middle of the field. The Raiders take chances on offense and have nothing to lose, which can be a dangerous proposition.

Colgate’s leading scorer Casey Quinson (32 goals) and point leader Hunter Drouin (40 points) might give Syracuse some problems, but like every mid-major that comes into the Dome, the Raiders won’t overcome the bright lights. Syracuse will win its final nonconference game and head to South Bend.

Mauricio Palmar (10-3)
See you in South Bend
Syracuse 19, Colgate 10

Quite literally. My fellow scribe Nicholas and I will be making the trek to South Bend, Indiana, for SU’s highly anticipated matchup against No. 1 Notre Dame next week. So yes, we will be seeing you in South Bend.

But my tagline isn’t actually referring to the physical act of sight. If anything, it’s just a clever way of saying that Syracuse might as well fast forward to 10 days from now, because the Raiders aren’t going to pose that much of a threat.

If this were on the road, maybe I’d spot the Raiders more of a fair shot at making this interesting. But there’s a gulf of talent separating these two teams — SU just had five Premier Lacrosse League Draft selections, Colgate had zero — and opponents’ deficiencies get put under a microscope in the Dome.

Virginia — a team that defeated Colgate handily — came into the Dome riding hotter than ever last Saturday, and walked out holding a 14-9 loss. It feels like someone on the Orange says it after every single home game, but it’s true: There’s truly no place quite like the Dome.

Colgate is 2-5 on the road. Syracuse is 6-0 at home. I don’t necessarily need to see home and road records to decide that this one would tilt in SU’s favor. The Orange are just in a different league entirely. But that factoid certainly doesn’t help the Raiders’ case.

Let’s be honest here. Syracuse could sleepwalk its way to South Bend.

Nicholas Alumkal (9-4)
Raining goals vs. the Raiders
Syracuse 17, Colgate 9

Syracuse can score, and Colgate struggles to stop the flood of goals. It’s as simple as that. Just look at the Raiders’ dates with Power Five opposition this season. Seventeen goals against Harvard. Eighteen against Penn State. Nineteen in Virginia. I expect the Orange, who hold a top-20 scoring offense nationally, to tattoo the net versus a Colgate defense that sits in the bottom 15 in the country.

Call it a confidence-boosting game, as Syracuse uses its off week in ACC play to build assurance heading into the final chapter of its season — one Gary Gait’s squad hopes stretches all the way to Memorial Day in Charlottesville.

My fellow scribe Zak mentioned it. The likely story in this one will be Spallina setting the program points records. Reminder: he only needs two to surpass Powell. So, fans shouldn’t want to miss any of this game. Taking into account that No. 22 opened the floodgates with a career-high 11 points when SU met Colgate last season, he could be atop the program points pedestal in the blink of a bee’s eye. From there, he and the Orange will turn up the style.

Goals will flow. Horns will sound in the Dome with each one. Cheers will reverberate. It’ll be two hours of sweet music to the ears and a feast for the eyes for all associated with Syracuse. It’ll be the final home game until the NCAA Tournament, where Lacrosse Reference gives Syracuse a 100% chance of a seed and hosting a game.

A loss to Colgate would ostensibly put a dent in the Orange’s resume. But that won’t happen. Shake the thought from your head. Focus on the accomplishment Spallina will likely achieve. With the heedful, headlong speed of SU’s attack, don’t drop your head or turn your head away. You just might miss it.

Published on April 16, 2026 at 1:22 am