Syracuse men’s lacrosse rises to No. 7 in IL Top-20 Poll
Syracuse moved from No. 8 to No. 7 in the Week 8 Inside Lacrosse Poll after its comeback win over Virginia Saturday. Meghan Hendricks | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (8-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) moved from No. 8 to No. 7 in the latest rankings from Inside Lacrosse, which were released Monday.
It’s the second straight week and the third time this season the Orange have risen in the poll. Monday’s improvement follows a come-from-behind 12-10 road win over Virginia in SU’s ACC opener, and after two teams previously ranked above Syracuse — Penn State and North Carolina — lost over the weekend.
The Orange started horribly in Charlottesville Saturday. They fell behind 5-2 after one quarter, and the damage could’ve been worse if it weren’t for goalie Jimmy McCool’s heroics in net and Payton Anderson’s buzzer-beating airborne goal. Against UVA, McCool tallied a .630 save percentage and stopped 17 shots, while Anderson scored two goals in his first-career start.
SU recovered slightly in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 6-4 heading into halftime, but it was Syracuse’s lowest-scoring first half of the season. Though out of intermission, the Orange found their footing, and it was sparked by Michael Leo. The junior blitzed the Cavaliers with three goals in under four minutes — part of four unanswered SU goals to begin the third quarter.
UVA regained the lead in the opening minutes of the fourth, but SU had the final say with three straight finishes — capped by a pair of Owen Hiltz goals in the final two-and-a-half minutes — to escape Klöckner Stadium with a win for the first time since 2021.
After falling to No. 11 in the IL Top-20 Poll in late February following losses to No. 2 Maryland and No. 11 Harvard, SU has won five straight — its longest winning streak of fourth-year head coach Gary Gait’s tenure.
The schedule only gets tougher from here, however. All four of Syracuse’s remaining regular-season opponents are ranked, starting with No. 5 Notre Dame, which it plays Saturday.
The Orange also venture away from the JMA Wireless Dome for two of their remaining games. First, they face No. 1 Cornell on Long Island on April 12, then travel to Durham, North Carolina, to meet No. 12 Duke on April 19. Syracuse concludes its regular season against No. 8 North Carolina on April 26.
