Everything to know about Syracuse’s Final Four foe Notre Dame
After beating UNC in their third meeting this year, Syracuse faces Notre Dame, which it lost to in the regular season, in the Final Four. Courtesy of Jacob Halsema | The Newshouse
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And then there were four. And Syracuse is the only one of those four to return.
The Orange have reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four, creeping closer to the elusive zenith that is a national championship. They’re the sole team to make Championship Weekend in 2025 and 2026.
However, SU meets Notre Dame, a team it already lost to this season, Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. Syracuse overcame a similar hurdle last Saturday in Long Island against North Carolina after losing to the Tar Heels twice this season.
“We were fat and happy last year (to be in the Final Four), and I feel like there’s just a lot on the bone that’s still there,” SU attack Joey Spallina said after winning and wowing on his native Long Island versus UNC.
Spallina and the vaunted 2022 recruiting class have had their minds set on a national title since SU’s defeat to Maryland on the same stage last year. In their senior season, they’re again two games away. The Fighting Irish are the penultimate obstacle.
Here’s everything to know about No. 2 seed Notre Dame (12-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) ahead of its Final Four clash with No. 6 seed Syracuse (13-5, 2-2 ACC) Saturday:
All-time series
The series is tied 12-12.
Last time they played
Like Syracuse’s recent meeting with UNC, Orange fans and players don’t have to go deep in their memory banks to recall the most recent meeting with ND. Unless, of course, due to the result, Syracuse fans buried that memory.
The Orange let an 8-7 halftime lead slip in a 16-11 loss in South Bend on April 25 in their regular-season finale. Then-No. 1 ND embarked on a 5-0 run to start the second half. In the fourth quarter, the Fighting Irish answered a three-goal Syracuse scoring spree with four successive goals to seal the win.
SU attack Joey Spallina, marked by fellow Tewaaraton finalist Shawn Lyght, had a hat trick at halftime, but the Orange star was held scoreless in the second half.
The Fighting Irish report
After defeating SU to conclude the regular season, Notre Dame made a quick trip to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament, where it lost 15-10 to Virginia for the second time this season. The Cavaliers are the sole team to beat the Fighting Irish this year.
Still, ND earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and has largely coasted through its first two games. It dispatched Jacksonville 18-5 in the first round before outscoring Johns Hopkins by six in the second half to win 15-9 in the quarterfinals Saturday on Long Island before Syracuse’s game against North Carolina.
In the postseason, the Fighting Irish’s top players have reached a new level. Versus the Blue Jays, graduate student attack and Air Force transfer Josh Yago had four goals and three assists. Plus, speedy midfielder Matt Jeffery — who also plays football for ND — had two goals and four assists. Before the NCAA Tournament, Jeffery never had more than three points in his Notre Dame career; he punched in five and six points in consecutive games.
However, ND’s identity stems from a spread-out offense and defense. In Inside Lacrosse’s anonymous coaches scouting report before the quarterfinals, coaches said the defense is “fundamentally sound,” and it won’t slide just to slide. The Fighting Irish’s midfield depth is terrific, with coaches highlighting seven fearsome attacking options in the midfield. In net, Thomas Ricciardelli stands out with the fifth-best save percentage in Division I at 57.6%.
How Syracuse beats Notre Dame
Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said losing to North Carolina twice allowed the Orange to craft a successful game plan to beat the Tar Heels on the third try. On Tuesday, Gait again said there are lessons to be learned in a second meeting with the Fighting Irish.
He pinpointed where ND overcame SU in the immediate aftermath of the Orange’s loss in South Bend last month. Gait bemoaned Syracuse losing faceoffs, a category where it was outdueled 18-13. Since then, Orange faceoff man John Mullen has picked up his form, winning 57.1%, but grass has been his weak spot. The Final Four venue, Scott Stadium, is grass. Gait called out his team’s turnovers. That issue persisted, with SU coughing up the ball a season-high 19 times versus UNC.
Yet Gait said Tuesday that his team’s best game of the season will come in the Final Four. He noted his team has hung with other squads — and even beaten some strong ones while not playing a full 60 minutes. If the Orange can deliver on Gait’s promise, they can overcome Notre Dame. They did it for a half in South Bend. Now, they have to do it for a full game.
Stat to know: 2-6
Syracuse has returned to the Final Four. That means the Orange will have to play — and attempt to win — on grass, a proven weak point for them.
In Gait’s five-year tenure, SU is a woeful 2-6 when playing on grass. Granted, ACC powerhouses North Carolina, Virginia and Duke all play on grass. Those are tough road games no matter the playing surface, but in Syracuse’s latest setback on grass — a 14-9 loss at North Carolina in April — Gait complained about the conditions.
“It’s tough to replicate a grass field,” he said. “(We) saw it throughout the game. The ball was jumping and popping, and it’s tough when there’s just nowhere to practice on grass, so you just show up and you try and make the plays and do your best.”
On Monday, Gait said SU won’t practice solely on grass because it takes two weeks to fully adjust to it. We’ll see if the preparation pays off in the high-stakes game Saturday.
Player to watch: Josh Yago, attack, No. 12
Yago has received as many headlines for his off-the-field exploits as he has on the field this season. Yes, he has a team-high 47 points. But the Air Force graduate student transfer is an active-duty second lieutenant in the Space Force, and it took until August for Yago to receive the green light to play lacrosse at Notre Dame.
However, his spot on the team comes with a stipulation. Due to his active-duty status, he can only leave his base in South Bend a certain number of times per year. He confirmed after the Fighting Irish beat JHU that he has enough days left to play in the Final Four, and his presence will be welcome for ND.
