Syracuse men’s lacrosse drops to No. 6 in Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Poll
Syracuse men’s lacrosse fell to No. 6 in Inside Lacrosse’s Week 12 Top 20 Poll, which was released Monday morning. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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After two consecutive weeks at No. 5, Syracuse men’s lacrosse (11-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 6 in Inside Lacrosse’s Week 12 Top 20 Poll, which was released Monday. The Orange dropped below Cornell, which was ranked No. 6 last week and defeated then-No. 10 Harvard Saturday.
Three weeks ago, SU was riding hot with a six-game win streak. But it’s since dropped two of four matchups, the most recent a 16-11 loss to No. 1 Notre Dame at Arlotta Stadium. The defeat concluded Syracuse’s regular-season slate.
SU was firing on all cylinders early on. Facing Tewaaraton-contending defenseman Shawn Lyght, Joey Spallina netted a first-half hat trick to spur the Orange to an 8-7 lead at the break. But ultimately, Lyght won the matchup when it mattered. Spallina was held without a point in the second half, and Syracuse’s offense was outpaced 9-3 over the game’s final two frames.
“We lacked the possessions in the second half,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said postgame. “And when we did get possessions, we gave the ball back with the turnovers.”
Now, the Orange enter the ACC Tournament as a No. 3 seed, looking to defend their title after making a championship run as a No. 4 seed last season. On May 1, Syracuse treks to Charlotte to square off against No. 2 seed North Carolina, which defeated the Orange 14-9 on April 4.
But no matter what happens against the Tar Heels, SU’s NCAA Tournament status is stamped. Lacrosse Reference’s most recent bracketology gives Syracuse a 100% chance of making the tournament as an at-large squad.
