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Halfway through Syracuse’s biggest game of the season, it entered the locker room pleased. The Orange hadn’t just hung with No. 1 Notre Dame, they had the upper hand. They exploded for a four-goal run in the second quarter, answered each ND finish and sat ahead 8-7 at halftime.

SU had just completed its most impressive half of the season in enemy territory at Arlotta Stadium, a place it hadn’t won since 2017. It was the most goals the normally vacuum-tight Fighting Irish had shipped in a first half all season.

Then, out of the break, everything changed. Notre Dame kept scoring. Syracuse couldn’t keep up. The Fighting Irish compiled five straight goals and built a lead they never relinquished. Though SU got within one at the beginning of the fourth quarter, ND replied with four consecutive scores to end the game.

“We had a great first half, but I think we went in at halftime, and (our players) felt really good about the way they were playing and kind of took the foot off the pedal,” SU head coach Gary Gait said postgame. “And Notre Dame, they were down by a goal at the half, and came out and said, ‘Let’s do something about it,’ and they did.”

Gait pinpointed three main culprits for his team fading after the break: lost faceoffs, turnovers and general mistakes. Those factors cost SU a chance at the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and a chance at the No. 1 overall ranking.

Here’s a closer look at No. 1 Notre Dame’s (10-1, 3-1 ACC) 5-0 third-quarter run that sealed its 16-11 win over No. 6 Syracuse (11-4, 2-2 ACC) Saturday:

Will Maheras wastes little time leveling the score

Faceoff woes — one of the areas Gait highlighted — got Syracuse off to a rough start to the second half. Orange faceoff man John Mullen, whose winning percentage plummeted from 63% last year to 52.6% this season, started early on the first draw of the third quarter. ND was awarded possession.

The Fighting Irish entered their offensive scheme. After tossing the ball around the outside of the attacking zone, attack/midfielder Will Maheras drove toward the net. The senior’s speed was too much for SU, racing past midfielder Tyler McCarthy. Then, before recovering defender Chuck Kuczynski could slide, Maheras tattooed his finish into the roof of Jimmy McCool’s net.

Just like that, 25 seconds into the third verse of this rollicking game, Notre Dame tied it for the first time since 12 minutes into the second quarter.

A Syracuse turnover turns into a Notre Dame lead

We saw evidence of the first symptom of Syracuse’s sapping — faceoff woes — on Maheras’ crackling goal. Now, here’s the next: turnovers.

The Orange’s Payton Anderson was trying to carry the ball out of their half, but he was dispossessed. ND attack Brock Behrman checked his stick, jarred the ball loose and picked it up. The Fighting Irish were on the attack in favorable field position.

Behrman, who logged two goals Saturday, slowed the pace, cutting to the left wing of the attacking zone. He passed the ball to freshman midfielder Dylan Faison, who sidled down the left alley.

The midfielder turned on the jets once he reached goal-line extended, twisting his marker, Syracuse short-stick defensive midfielder Dante Bowen. Faison cut inside once, losing Bowen, and stung another shot past McCool.

Twenty-five seconds after Anderson coughed up possession, Faison restored the Fighting Irish’s lead.

2 wraparounds from X bolster Notre Dame’s lead

Turnovers continued for SU. It was fortunate Notre Dame couldn’t capitalize on the ensuing two possessions. However, the Orange’s luck only lasted so long.

Once again, in its offensive set following a Michael Leo turnover, ND midfielder Max Busenkell traipsed down the right wing. Busenkell found freshman attack Teddy Lally at X. Lally set course for the goal, wrapping around the net and evading onrushing Orange defenders.

A Busenkell screen afforded Lally more space, and he whipped his shot past defender Cam Ryan to add to ND’s advantage.

Now down two goals and scoreless for the first nine minutes of the third quarter, Gait and Syracuse took a timeout. It didn’t work.

The Fighting Irish found the net again, running their offense through X after an SU turnover. With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, ND’s Jalen Seymour carried the ball on the left flank before passing it to Lally at X. Lally tried to score off the wraparound like he did three minutes earlier, but two Orange defenders converged on him. Instead, he tossed a pass back to Luke Miller. Miller then threaded a pass to Busenkell at X.

It was Busenkell’s turn to score from the spot. He darted around the left of McCool’s goal, outrunning Bowen. Then, his turnaround shot bounced below Syracuse’s netminder. A three-goal lead. Things keep unraveling for the Orange.

Matt Jeffery pings one more to complete the run

The final goal in Notre Dame’s decisive run, like the last two, began from X. A McCool save tipped the ball out of bounds behind the goal, and Miller restarted play from there. He threw a pass to Lally on the right wing. Lally quickly played a feed to Matt Jeffery just outside the restraining line.

Jeffery, who’s also a wide receiver on the Fighting Irish’s famed football team, showcased evasive speed. Jeffery got a step on Syracuse defender Vincent Bolognino and rocketed a shot past McCool while on the move.

That goal put Notre Dame up 12-8 and proved to be the game-winner in the 16-11 result. Although SU tacked on three successive goals and thickened the plot in the final quarter, that near-13-minute 5-0 run was the catalyst for the Fighting Irish’s triumph.

“We hung around for a while, but unfortunately, they took control in the second half, made plays when they needed to and came out on top,” Gait said. “Tough one for us. We learn and get better and move forward.”

Published on April 27, 2026 at 9:13 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal