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Syracuse has one more regular-season game on its docket, and it may be the toughest one yet. The Orange travel to South Bend to take on No. 1 Notre Dame in Arlotta Stadium, a place they haven’t won since 2017. The recent history at the venue isn’t pretty for SU, as it’s been outscored by 35 goals in its last four games there.

The Fighting Irish have been in scorching form, rebounding from an 11-9 loss to Virginia to open Atlantic Coast Conference play with a win over then-No. 1 Richmond in a game ND led 8-0 by the end of the first quarter. That’s not enough to impress you? The next week, Notre Dame hosted another then-No. 1-ranked team in North Carolina. That day ended with a convincing 10-5 win over the Tar Heels.

Syracuse, for its part, has bounced back from a one-sided defeat at UNC, but hasn’t beaten anyone currently ranked above it. Saturday is its chance to do so and build momentum heading into the postseason.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 5 Syracuse (11-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) will fare against No. 1 Notre Dame (9-1, 2-1 ACC) Saturday:

Zak Wolf (12-2)
Luck of the Irish
Syracuse 8, Notre Dame 11

Arlotta Stadium has been a house of horrors for Syracuse over the last decade. That won’t change Saturday. The atmosphere is more intimate than the mammoth JMA Wireless Dome, and it’ll be the site for yet another letdown in a big road game for SU.

The Fighting Irish simply suffocate teams. Kevin Corrigan is a defensive wizard, and ND allowed 6.3 goals per game to Richmond, Duke and North Carolina. Shawn Lyght usually erases opponents’ best options, and though Spallina scored four goals on him last season, he might lack the same success. Spallina played well off-ball versus Lyght in two meetings last year, but I don’t think Syracuse is afforded that luxury. Yes, Spallina has shown he can be less ball-dominant, but SU is at its best when Spallina has the ball in his stick. Taking it out would be a mistake.

Defensively, I think Syracuse actually matches up well with Notre Dame. Corrigan has struggled to find a consistent player to run his offense. Sometimes it’s Luke Miller, other times it’s Matt Jeffery or Josh Yago. Elongated droughts have been Notre Dame’s downfall the past two seasons, but in this matchup, its defensive solidity provides cover.
It’s not just Lyght. Goalie Thomas Ricciardelli is a brick wall, stopping 71% of shots during Notre Dame’s win streak. ND gives Ricciardelli favorable looks, and he gobbles them up. If Syracuse wants to pull off an upset, it needs to be efficient, but Ricciardelli’s play doesn’t give me much confidence.

If this game were at a neutral site or in the Dome, I’d likely pick Syracuse. I know, very original. But the road struggles against elite teams are real for Gait, and Saturday will be another example.

Mauricio Palmar (11-3)
Hail Mary
Syracuse 10, Notre Dame 8

We’ve all played Madden. We’ve all run the play at one point or another.

It’s a one-score game. There’s about five seconds left on the clock. You’re down, and you’ve clawed tooth and nail over the past minute all to barely cross your own 30-yard line. You need a touchdown to win, and there’s no reasonable way for you to find one in the seconds you’ve been allotted. Time’s running out. You know what you must do.

Hail Mary.

That one last desperation heave, the one that seems so impossibly improbable, and yet has killed the hopes and dreams of so many Madden players and football fans in some form or fashion. I’m on an island here. It seems that both of my peers — sorry to spoil your pick, Nicholas — are favoring the Irish in this one. I couldn’t care less.

Screw it. Consider this my Hail Mary.

It’s ironic Syracuse is about to take on Notre Dame — America’s foremost Catholic university, and the one who coined the phrase to begin with — and I’m choosing this moment to toss my proverbial Hail Mary prediction. But I’m feeling good about this one. ND might be No. 1 on paper, but it doesn’t strike the same fear in my heart as North Carolina did before.

Yago is no Owen Duffy or Dom Pietramala. He’s certainly no Spallina, either. The Irish attacking unit isn’t as intimidating as Syracuse’s, and the way SU’s stout defense has been performing, I have no concerns about its ability to shut things down. It’ll be a low-scoring shootout, and I think the Orange have what it takes to come out on top.

I’ve been behind Zak on these standings since March 1, when Syracuse lost to Princeton. With this last-gasp effort, I’m evening the score to close out the regular season.

Nicholas Alumkal (10-4)
A(r)lotta horrors
Syracuse 7, Notre Dame 9

It’s no Estadio Azteca, but Arlotta Stadium has become Syracuse’s house of horrors recently. The Orange simply can’t win there — and frequently get overwhelmed whenever they’ve made a recent trip.

While I don’t expect a lopsided loss for SU, I do foresee another defeat in South Bend. The question of whether the Orange can beat anyone at the top of the rankings, and, as a result, compete for a national title, will remain unanswered. ND isn’t flashy, but it rarely makes mistakes and never lets opponents have it easy.

That’ll be the case Saturday. The Fighting Irish’s smothering defense will gum up the Orange’s offense. Lyght will quiet Spallina, raising the question of whether SU’s other offensive players can step up to pick up the scoring or dictate the offense.

Even if Syracuse can get past ND’s stifling defense, Ricciardelli stands in net. He’s been a brick wall recently. He’s been the difference-maker to propel Notre Dame to its three-game winning run, logging 16 saves against then-No. 1 UNC and 17 in a one-goal win at Duke. Across those wins, he has a 75% save percentage. That’s insane. He’s feeling his oats right now. Good luck to SU getting the ball past him consistently.

That’s why I see SU scoring well below its 13.21 goals per game. ND, for its part, won’t run the score much itself. It’s had trouble finding the No. 1 offensive option, with no player scoring over 20 goals 10 games into the season. But the Fighting Irish have enough and will do enough to secure supremacy of the ACC. For the Orange? There will be a lotta horrors at Arlotta.

Published on April 23, 2026 at 12:21 am