Syracuse men’s lacrosse rises to No. 4 in IL Top-20 Poll
Syracuse moved up three spots in the Week 9 Inside Lacrosse Poll Monday after handily beating then-No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (9-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) went from No. 7 to No. 4 in the latest rankings from Inside Lacrosse, the publication released Monday. The Orange are ranked in the top five for the first time since February, when they started the season as the No. 2 team in the nation, before losing to No. 10 Harvard and No. 6 Maryland.
SU’s rise stems from its 14-9 win over then-No. 5 Notre Dame. The Orange completely dismantled the two-time reigning national champions, holding ND scoreless for 40 minutes. During the Fighting Irish’s drought, Syracuse reeled off nine straight goals, turning a 3-0 deficit into a 9-3 lead.
Joey Spallina led the way with four goals, showing he’s impactful as an off-ball scorer. Spallina operated more from in front of the goal, due to the emergence of freshman Payton Anderson, who can dodge well from X with his speed and physicality. Spallina’s latest outing came after he recorded just one assist in SU’s 12-10 win over Virginia last weekend. Spallina’s 60 total points this season are the most in the ACC.
In addition to Spallina’s dominance, John Mullen continuously gained possession for Syracuse. He went 16-of-23 at the faceoff X, making Notre Dame’s Will Lynch a non-factor. SU also played lockdown defense, holding Jake Taylor to a single garbage time goal in the fourth quarter and Chris Kavanagh to a quiet four points.
The performance was Syracuse’s most complete in four years under Gary Gait. It also came at a significant point in the season, as the Orange look to cement their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Per Lacrosse Reference, Syracuse’s latest win puts its postseason chances at 99.4%.
Now the Orange look to finish the season strong in their toughest stretch of the season. SU’s matchup with ND was its first of four straight top-12 showdowns. The next occurs on Saturday, when Syracuse faces No. 1 Cornell. Then, it’ll wrap up the season with a road trip to No. 12 Duke and a home game versus No. 7 North Carolina.
