DO-OR-DIE

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t finally hit Billy Dwan III in early April. Sitting in class, he realized there were only three weeks of school left. Finn Thomson had a similar epiphany when Riley Figueiras brought up how many guaranteed practices Syracuse men’s lacrosse had left.

Other SU seniors haven’t thought much about it. Joey Spallina and Michael Leo try not to get wrapped up in the emotions. They know their college lacrosse careers could end at any moment, but they’re not entertaining the idea.

Their only focus is winning a national championship. If Syracuse’s senior-laden roster falls short, there’s no moral victory. The soon-to-be-graduates have constantly talked about bringing SU its first title since 2009. With one more loss, those dreams vanish.

“For us, (it’s about) just taking in the little things and being together and taking every single last moment we have together,” Dwan told The Daily Orange.

Syracuse’s 2022 recruiting class — highlighted by Spallina, Leo, Dwan, Figueiras, Thomson, Luke Rhoa and Jimmy McCool — was the highest-rated in the country. Ten four or five-star recruits formed a compelling class. Pressure was on before stepping on campus.

In 2022, Syracuse finished 4-10 for its worst season in modern history. That grew to an 8-7 record in 2023 before an NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal berth in 2024 and its first Final Four appearance since 2013 in 2025. This year is the grand finale. There’s a championship or bust mentality.

That’ll be tested in No. 6 seed Syracuse’s first-round matchup with Yale Sunday. A potential third meeting with North Carolina awaits in the quarterfinals, as well as a second with Notre Dame in the Final Four.

“We’re all hungry,” Leo said. “We all came here to do two things: win an ACC Championship and a national championship, and we’re going to keep on doing it until we win.”

Finn Thomson makes a pass during Syracuse’s ACC Tournament loss to North Carolina. Thomson, a senior attack, ranks third on the Orange with 46 points this season. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor

The Orange won their first Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament since 2016 last year, and despite losing to UNC in the semifinals this season, they have bigger aspirations. For a group that hoped to restore a winning culture at Syracuse, a national title would be a storybook ending.

A rebuild wasn’t on the cards when the 2022 class committed to SU in 2020. Syracuse had a few mediocre years under former head coach John Desko, but its brand remained strong. Desko retired after a first-round tournament exit in 2021, and current head coach Gary Gait’s four-win debut season set the program on the wrong track.

“It went from, ‘Oh, I’m excited to commit to play college lacrosse’ to ‘OK, we want to change something. We want to do something special,’” Dwan said.

When these seniors arrived on campus, the culture wasn’t up to their standards. Spallina can’t pinpoint exactly why. Veterans like Cole Kirst and Alex Simmons guided the inexperienced freshmen, but a winning mindset was absent.

“When you have a bad year, your culture tends to lack, and you just end up not doing the things you’re supposed to,” Spallina said.

Spallina wasn’t a vocal freshman, but he initiated a culture shift by doing little things like shooting before and after practice and lifting extra weights. The routine didn’t yield instant results. Spallina said Syracuse’s youth was “thrown into the fire” in 2023 but showed growth in the following years.

SU’s 44 wins in the seniors’ four years mark its best stretch since winning 49 from 2014-17. Spallina’s evolved into arguably the best player in the country. Leo, Thomson and Rhoa developed into elite attacking options, and Dwan, Figueiras and McCool have held down the fort defensively.

While at SU, Leo said the seniors’ bonds grew because they were all “lax rats,” who hated losing. It’s why there’s sometimes chipiness during the final seconds of Syracuse losses. Look at the scuffle two weeks ago versus Notre Dame. Same with SU’s brouhaha with Princeton in February. Spallina attributes that to Syracuse’s competitive edge, saying they’re “kind of a—holes on the field” but added that’s “what makes us, us.”

“Nice guys don’t win,” Spallina said. “You have to be mean to win. (Lacrosse is) just a violent sport, so to go out there and be soft and just prance around, I think you’re doing a disservice to yourself and your team.

“From the outside we might be (a—holes), but I think it’s just because we care, and we just want to win.”

Having an edge is good, but fighting after games can come off as entitled, especially considering SU’s seniors haven’t won a national title. It doesn’t help SU’s regularly in the spotlight because of its distinguished history. Spallina often compares the Orange to the New York Yankees because neutrals love seeing them lose.

“All of these seniors came into this program with an old school mindset, and that was that they’re here to win a championship,” Gait said after Syracuse beat Colgate on April 18. “They brought that attitude back to the program… I think the only thing they would call successful this year is if we finish it.”

The championship-or-bust mentality has been the theme of Syracuse’s season. Figueiras and McCool will return in 2027 after redshirting as freshmen, along with junior faceoff man John Mullen and sophomore attack Payton Anderson. But with the other seniors graduating, this could be its best shot to win it all for a while.

That’s why Gait constructed a mammoth schedule. SU faced seven NCAA Tournament teams and 11 of the top 20 teams in the Ratings Power Index to prepare it for the postseason.

The Orange have had mixed success. Their February win over then-No. 1 Maryland — their first over the Terrapins since 2009 — was a milestone despite UMD missing the NCAA Tournament. SU later no-showed against Princeton and North Carolina in the regular season. It also faltered late versus Notre Dame last week and couldn’t close against UNC in the ACC Tournament Friday.

For a team as experienced as Syracuse, it hasn’t played a full 60 minutes enough this year.

“It’s all mental,” Gait said last Tuesday after the ND loss. “You gotta put yourself in a mindset where you’re hungry, you’re energized, you’re willing to execute and leave it on the field…and as coaches, we try and motivate them.”

Michael Leo (7) celebrates a goal in Syracuse’s ACC Tournament matchup against North Carolina. Leo finished the evening with three goals, but the Orange crumbled late en route to a 12-10 loss. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor

Now it’s do-or-die. Yes, winning it all is on SU’s seniors’ minds, but Rhoa and others said they’re taking it one day at a time.

Right now, it’s about making the most of every second they have left together. That means enjoying the chaos-laden Clarendon Street, where most players reside. One house is home to Dwan, Spallina, Figueiras and senior Dylan Sageder. In another is Thomson, Leo, McCool and Ohio State transfer Dante Bowen.

Thomson said his house has a lot of variety, while the other has “plenty of shenanigans.” The close proximity allows for team bonding. It could be a bonfire at one house one day or a movie night at the other.

With how driven Syracuse’s seniors are, it’s hard not to think about lacrosse 24/7. Mundane tasks like getting food together at Varsity Pizza on Marshall Street, the Erie Boulevard Chipotle or a Texas Roadhouse on Sundays relieve some stress.

“(I) definitely wish I remembered a little more for the memories and just for my own personal nostalgia,” Thomson said. “I wish I could go back, but I can’t.”

Time flies, but May isn’t the time to be sentimental. Syracuse’s next month is its most pivotal in years, and the Orange are coming for it all.

Everything’s been building to this moment. The disappointment of missing the tournament in 2023, to Leo’s tearful guarantee of a national championship after losing to Denver in the 2024 NCAA Quarterfinals. To the heartbreak and slumped heads following last season’s Final Four loss to Maryland.

Those memories are omnipresent in SU’s senior’s minds. Veterans are heavily relied on this time of year, and SU has an edge with plenty of them. But the most talented teams don’t always win it all.

But if the Orange are at their best, not many squads can compete with them. Syracuse can prove that with four more wins.

“We’re a group that’s not satisfied at all,” Figueiras said. “We didn’t come here to make the Final Four.”

The only way SU’s hunger ceases is by hoisting a trophy at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Memorial Day.

Collage by Abigail Aggarwala | Digital Design Director, Photos by Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor

Published on May 5, 2026 at 12:49 am