Syracuse rises to No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s latest Top 20 Poll
Syracuse men’s lacrosse rose one spot to No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s Top 20 Poll, which released Monday. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (10-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) rose to No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s latest Top 20 poll, which was released Monday. The Orange rose one spot following their 14-9 victory over then-No. 9 Virginia.
SU returns to the top five after dropping three spots last week, following its loss to then-No. 2 North Carolina. The Tar Heels rose to No. 1, but after a 10-5 defeat to second-ranked Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish have reclaimed the top spot. If Syracuse gets by Colgate this weekend, it’ll have a shot at taking down its second No. 1 team of the season when it plays the Fighting Irish in two weeks after beating then-No. 1 Maryland earlier this season.
After a defeat in Chapel Hill, the Orange bounced back to remain undefeated at the JMA Wireless Dome this season. Joey Spallina recorded five points after getting shut out versus North Carolina. He’s now two points away from breaking Mike Powell’s all-time points record at SU. Despite getting benched against UNC, goalie Jimmy McCool responded with a stellar performance. McCool recorded 18 saves and denied 66% of UVA’s shots on goal.
“(SU’s defenders) were giving their goalie shots that he could save,” UVA coach Lars Tiffany said postgame. “And boy, did he.”
McCool helped keep a red hot Virginia offense at bay. The Cavaliers entered winners of four straight, including key victories over then-No. 1 Notre Dame and then-No. 7 Duke. Syracuse held McCabe and Brendan Millon to a combined three goals, while UVA was kept to three second-half goals.
Meanwhile, Syracuse’s offense got back into rhythm. Spallina orchestrated attacks, while Luke Rhoa showed off his shooting prowess with a hat trick along with Wyatt Hottle. Billy Dwan III and Chuck Kuczynski each tallied pole goals to keep Syracuse in control.
The Orange will take a break from the ACC when they face Colgate next week before their trip to South Bend closes out the regular season.
