Syracuse remains No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s latest Top 20 Poll
Syracuse men’s lacrosse remained at No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s Top 20 Poll, which was released Monday. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (11-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) remained at No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s latest Top 20, which was released Monday. Despite SU’s 14-7 win over Colgate, the Orange didn’t improve their ranking, because Notre Dame, Princeton, North Carolina and Richmond won.
After losing to North Carolina on April 4 — which snapped Syracuse’s six-game win streak — it bounced back with a win over then-No. 9 Virginia and Colgate.
Saturday’s victory was highlighted by Joey Spallina setting SU’s all-time points record. He entered the contest one point shy of Mike Powell’s program-best 307 points. Spallina didn’t waste any time accomplishing that feat. He tied Powell in the first quarter after forcing a turnover on the ride. Minutes later, Spallina fired a behind-the-back feed to Michael Leo, who also whipped one around his back for a score.
“That was very much instinctive,” Spallina said of the assist postgame. “It’s not the first time that we’ve done it, but it just so happened that we did it on that goal. So it was awesome.”
The Orange didn’t play their cleanest game against the Raiders, but they got the job done in their final nonconference game. Spallina led the way with seven points (two goals, five assists), while Michael Leo and Finn Thomson tallied four goals each.
Syracuse led 5-2 in the first quarter, but couldn’t extend its margin by halftime. Colgate cut SU’s lead to two at the start of the second quarter, but a 3-0 run gave the Orange a cushion. The Raiders made one more run, making it 10-7 going into the fourth quarter, but three quick goals by Thomson put the game to bed.
Now, the Orange turn their focus to a massive showdown at No. 1 Notre Dame next weekend. SU hasn’t defeated the Fighting Irish at Arlotta Stadium since 2017, losing four straight contests by a combined 35 goals.
A win could propel Syracuse to a possible top two seed in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to the win over Colgate, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee released its top 10. Syracuse was ranked No. 4 and Notre Dame was No. 1.
