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DURHAM, N.C. — Rating Percentage Index, better known as RPI, is pretty much all that matters when it comes to NCAA men’s lacrosse postseason qualification.

A high RPI means you’ve beaten solid opponents and won a few difficult matchups. A low RPI either means you’re a bottom-tier program or your victories were empty calories: taking care of business versus bad teams and struggling against upper-echelon squads.

Other than its upset win over then-No. 5 Notre Dame to open April, Syracuse’s first eight triumphs were mostly just empty calories. Beating Virginia doesn’t move the needle. Faltering against Maryland and Harvard doesn’t help, either.

The NCAA Selection Committee released its initial top 10 Saturday approaching May’s tournament. The Orange slotted in at No. 9, the same as their current RPI ranking, which would put them on the road in round one.

If SU wants to secure a home matchup to begin the NCAA Tournament, it must improve its RPI. Saturday’s road battle at Duke provided it a welcome chance to.

Yet, the Orange got shut out in the first quarter for the first time in an Atlantic Coast Conference game since April 2, 2022 against Notre Dame. SU’s early struggles on Saturday led to one of its worst outings in head coach Gary Gait’s tenure, as the Blue Devils dealt the Orange a significant blow to their RPI.

Here are some key observations from No. 7 Syracuse’s (9-4, 2-1 ACC) lopsided 11-7 defeat to No. 12 Duke (10-4, 1-2 ACC) Saturday at Koskinen Stadium:

Sloppy Syracuse

Across its first nine games, SU turned the ball over just 12.58 times per game. By the end of the first quarter against Duke, however, the Orange were on pace to nearly double their average turnover output.

Five first-quarter giveaways set the stage for Syracuse’s sloppy offensive performance Saturday. Errant passes. Unnecessary between-the-legs shots. Getting swarmed by long poles near the cage. The Orange did not play clean lacrosse all day long, and the scoreboard reflected that.

Duke head coach John Danowski essentially locked SU’s offense in a dungeon. He packed his defenders tight toward the middle of the field and didn’t display an aggressive ride, forcing methodical possessions from the Orange. That made it difficult for Syracuse to find open cutters, as it statically moved the ball around the yard.

Syracuse gave the ball up 18 times against Duke and took just 20 shots on goal — its second-worst single-game total of 2025. Its sloppiness snowballed because of low-percentage shots and plain inaccurate passing. There were countless examples.

Late in the first quarter, midfielder Sam English took a between-the-legs shot with his back facing the cage. It didn’t end up on target. Joey Spallina began the second quarter, with SU down 3-0, by taking a behind-the-back shot that sailed high and wide. And at the 9:01 minute mark of the second, after Spallina cut Syracuse’s deficit to 4-2, midfielder Wyatt Hottle lost the ball on a clear. Duke’s Aidan Maguire scored 14 seconds later to destroy the Orange’s momentum.

The Orange kept shooting themselves in the foot Saturday in a rinse, repeat style. That can’t happen again if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.

Oh Thomson, where art thou?

Finn Thomson entered the playing field Saturday in full uniform for the first time since March 1, when he suffered an injury during Syracuse’s blowout over Utah. An SU Athletics spokesperson said Thomson practiced with the team Friday and would be a game-time decision before opening faceoff.

Thomson tallied 14 goals through the Orange’s first six games, which ranked second on the team at the time. It seemed like the crucial offensive weapon would return Saturday; he performed pregame reps with SU’s first team. Thomson didn’t start, but with the Orange down 3-0 12 minutes in, he charged out onto the Koskinen Stadium grass.

His burst — where he didn’t receive the ball and attempted an aggressive ride on Duke’s ensuing clear — was short-lived. He didn’t see the field again until there were fewer than six minutes left in the second quarter. Thomson meandered around the field looking for an opportunity to cut toward the cage, but the possession ended in an Owen Hiltz turnover.

Thomson’s return featured a few cameos but didn’t result in anything significant. The junior attack ended with two registered shots. However, the fact that he’s playing is a welcome sign for SU going forward.

Michael vs. Malever

Eric Malever is Duke’s best attack by a wide margin. He entered Saturday’s contest with 51 points, 18 more than the Blue Devils’ next-closest player (Max Sloat, 33).

You’d think Syracuse would throw a close defender like Riley Figueiras or Billy Dwan III, who Gait considers his best two covermen, on Malever. The Orange instead opted to match long-stick midfielder Michael Grace against Malever. The plan immediately went awry.

Malever unleashed four first-half goals, equaling SU’s output across the first 30 minutes. Grace struggled to stay in front of him. Malever spun to escape the defender’s grasp for his first goal, and he lost Grace on a wraparound for another. Grace also lost track of his assignment before a couple Duke transition scores, of which Malever was the beneficiary.

Figueiras and Dwan contained the Blue Devils’ attacking depth well. However, Syracuse sticking with the former Division III standout in Grace rather than a more established long pole proved to be a questionable decision.

Malever finished with a game-high five goals in one of his best showings of the year.

Just give the ball to Joey

Sometimes, it seems Syracuse isn’t aware it has No. 22 on this roster. Spallina’s been the victim of lengthy stretches where the Orange simply don’t allow him to run the offense. Good things happen when Spallina cradles the ball in his stick. Saturday reminded SU of this, when the star attack scored or assisted on all of the Orange’s first four goals.

Spallina mostly worked from X or at the left flank and had success in the second quarter as the primary distributor for Syracuse. He scored a pair of goals on quick releases and nabbed two assists off clean feeds to Hiltz and Luke Rhoa.

But Spallina’s four-point outburst turned out to be brief. He finished the day with just four shots, garnered one more assist and never tallied another goal the rest of the way.

It’s not that Duke put extra pressure on him, or Spallina was being aggressively face-guarded; neither of those things are true. He simply was not a focal point down the stretch, which cost SU.

In a tough spot

This loss was a brutal one for the Orange. Their NCAA Tournament hopes took a major hit. Their RPI will certainly decline, too. Syracuse was supposed to win this game. Duke didn’t elicit as much fear as it usually does.

Yet, SU couldn’t replicate its high-octane brand of lacrosse in another consequential moment.

Syracuse is in a precarious position going forward. Its April 26 contest versus North Carolina at the JMA Wireless Dome is now an absolute must-win. Success in the ACC Tournament will also be huge for Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament chances, which wasn’t necessarily the case before Saturday.

Beating Duke would have virtually sealed the Orange’s postseason qualification. Now, that reality is no longer safe.

Published on April 19, 2025 at 4:19 pm
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews