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Syracuse men’s lacrosse is entering the gauntlet portion of its schedule. Over the next month and change, the Orange will engage in six marquee matchups across their final six regular-season games, mostly intraconference contests. Before SU begins its Atlantic Coast Conference slate, though, it takes on a formidable in-state foe in Colgate.

The Raiders are nestled within the Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Poll at No. 18 and are winners of five of their last six games — including ranked victories over Harvard and Villanova. While Colgate is a bottom-15 scoring defense (13.12 goals allowed per game) in the country, it houses the third-best scoring offense in the nation with 15.75 goals per game. The Orange, who tally 15.25 goals a contest, must fight fire with fire to stave off the fast-paced Raiders’ offense.

Here’s everything to know ahead of No. 10 Syracuse’s (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) battle against No. 18 Colgate (5-3, 2-1 Patriot League) Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 50-12-1.

Last time they played …

The Orange crushed the Raiders 18-10 on Feb. 5, 2024, in the Dome. Joey Spallina exploded for nine points in an all-out domination from X to lead Syracuse to its second win of last season. Colgate had defeated then-No. 4 Penn State a game prior, but SU handed it a reality check. Former Syracuse faceoff specialist Mason Kohn led the Orange to a 24-7 differential at the X.

The Raiders report

While Colgate’s adjusted offensive efficiency rate sits at 14th in the country, per Lacrosse Reference, it still has far and away one of the best attacking groups in Division I. Seventh-year head coach Matt Karweck’s group only scores less than Virginia Military Institute and Notre Dame. Lethal midfield distributor Liam Connor — who leads the team with 41 points and 23 assists — paired with two of the top-12 leading scorers in the nation, Rory Connor (24 goals) and Jack Turner (28 goals), creates a dangerous offensive unit.

The Connor brothers serve as the Raiders’ frontmen, but their tenacious defense also stands out. Even though Lacrosse Reference’s efficiency metrics pin Colgate’s defense as the 39th-best in the country, the Raiders’ 38.50 ground-ball pickups per game rank second in D-I. Five Colgate players have scooped more than 20 ground balls, including long sticks Max Yates and John Carrabine, who lead the squad with 35 and 31, respectively.

The Raiders aren’t a great scoring defense, though. They don’t have a true No. 1-attack stopper. And their starting goalie, Matt LaCombe, is vulnerable, allowing 11.75 goals per game and tallying a middle-of-the-road .492 save percentage.

How Syracuse beats Colgate

Two words: John Mullen. It’s becoming a weekly pattern. With how much he’s throttled opponents at the faceoff X, it’s never easy to imagine a Syracuse loss week in and week out. Even on days like against then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins, where Mullen struggled early but generated late bursts en route to finishing 13-of-23 on faceoffs, he was unstoppable.

Colgate’s two rotating faceoff men, Kyle Rummel and Johnny Hartzell, appear to be next in line to suffer Mullen’s wrath. Mullen leads the country with 118 faceoff wins. Rummel and Hartzel have only combined for 115. And both total a faceoff percentage below .500. The mismatch is abundantly clear, and Mullen has to take advantage for the Orange to come away victorious.

Stat to know: 1

Spallina is one point away from 200 career points. In 41 career games, the junior averages nearly five points per game with 90 goals and 109 total assists. He will hit the 200-point mark in his 42nd contest at SU, barring something unforeseen.

Currently, the attack ranks seventh in the nation with 5.38 points a game. His 26 assists rank third in D-I, remaining a constant force to rev Syracuse’s offense into gear. He should be in for a productive afternoon against Colgate, which ranks in the middle of the country with a 29.5% adjusted defensive efficiency rate, according to Lacrosse Reference.

Player to watch: Hunter Drouin, midfielder, No. 5

Hunter Drouin was a focal point of the Raiders’ offense last year. The offensive-minded midfielder ranked second on Colgate with 38 goals and second in points with 52. He fired 112 shots, the most on the team. He was a First-Team All-Patriot League midfielder. But this year, as a junior, Drouin isn’t experiencing the same success.

He’s scored 16 goals in eight games, much of which came in a six-goal performance to spur the Raiders’ victory over Harvard. Yet, he’s been inconsistent besides that. Regardless, Drouin rounds out an extremely deep Colgate offense and will give SU long-stick midfielder Michael Grace, the likely assignment he’ll draw, plenty of trouble.

Published on March 21, 2025 at 10:14 pm
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews