Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s roadmap to winning its first ACC Tournament since 2016
Syracuse was the only ACC team to defeat Notre Dame in the regular season. To claim their first ACC title since 2016, the Orange have to beat ND again in the conference tournament's first round Friday. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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On April 5, Syracuse was riding high. It just defeated then-No. 5 Notre Dame 14-9 and was firing on all cylinders. Attack Joey Spallina carved up the Fighting Irish defense up like it was corned beef, totaling five points. SU’s faceoff man John Mullen went 16-for-23. And the Orange’s defense stonewalled Notre Dame, holding it scoreless for 40 minutes, while goalie Jimmy McCool notched 10 saves.
The win was Syracuse’s sixth straight — the longest stretch under fourth-year head coach Gary Gait. It was playing its best lacrosse entering the home stretch of the regular season.
Since, it’s been all downhill for the Orange. They’ve lost their last three games and their last two Atlantic Coast Conference matchups. First, SU couldn’t slow down No. 1 Cornell and Tewaaraton frontrunner CJ Kirst, falling 17-12 on April 2. Next, at then-No. 12 Duke, Syracuse tied the fewest goals scored in Gait’s tenure, dropping its second straight 11-7.
Syracuse returned to the JMA Wireless Dome for its regular-season finale versus then-No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday. The stakes were clear. Win, and it’s the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Lose, and it’d drop to the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. For the third consecutive outing, the Orange lost — 14-12. The Tar Heels pulled away early in the fourth quarter, while a late SU explosion was solely cosmetic to the scoreline.
Now, the Orange limp into the ACC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, which would’ve seemed unthinkable less than a month ago. Plus, SU’s NCAA Tournament chances have dwindled, though most projections have it still in the field.
Here’s No. 12 Syracuse’s (9-5, 2-2 ACC) path to its first ACC Tournament championship since 2016:
Semifinals: No. 1 Seed Notre Dame
Syracuse’s first opponent in Charlotte is the one it had its best performance against this season. SU meets ND again on Friday. Yet, since that five-goal win, SU hasn’t won since. The Fighting Irish, however, won their final two ACC contests against Virginia and North Carolina by a combined score of 24-13. Also, ND’s only two losses besides its defeat to the Orange were to Maryland and Ohio State by just one goal.
Against SU, the Fighting Irish had an off day. Their faceoff unit, which posts the 17th-best winning percentage in Division I (56.4%), was outclassed by Mullen. ND’s usual watertight defense — which allows the sixth-fewest goals per game at just 8.55 — conceded a season-high 14 goals, one of just two games this season it’s surrendered more than 10. On offense, the two-time reigning national champion’s leading scorer Chris Kavanagh was held to two goals and three assists, while fellow star attack Jake Taylor only mustered one goal.
Another weak point SU exposed against Notre Dame was its man-down defense. The Fighting Irish are tied for the 23rd-worst man-down unit in the country, letting in a goal 60% of the time. The Orange went 2-for-2 on extra-man opportunities in the two teams’ first meeting. ND’s man-up offense doesn’t stand out either, slating at 48th among 71 D-I squads, while SU’s is the eighth-best nationally.
Both squads don’t commit many turnovers. Syracuse averages just 13.21 giveaways per game, second-best in the country, while Notre Dame’s 13.91 clip ranks seventh.
Two Fighting Irish players were listed on the 25-man shortlist for the Tewaaraton Award on April 17: Kavanagh, who averages the 10th-most points per game at 4.82, and defender Shawn Lyght, who’s considered one of the best lockdown defenders in the nation.
The Fighting Irish have won the last two ACC Tournaments before claiming their consecutive national championships. Syracuse, on the other hand, hasn’t won a game in the tournament since 2016. Friday’s matchup could continue Notre Dame’s dominance — or be a long-awaited turning point for the Orange.
Finals: No. 2 Seed North Carolina or No. 3 Seed Duke
If the Orange can beat Notre Dame twice this season and reach their first ACC Championship finals since 2016, they’ll seek to avenge their loss to a Tobacco Road squad on Sunday.
Both of the losses are recent. No. 3 seed Duke downed SU on April 19, when the Orange’s offense committed a season-high 18 turnovers and scored a measly seven goals. Syracuse’s defense also couldn’t stall the Blue Devils’ Eric Malever, who poured in a career-high five goals. Similarly, when SU met No. 2 seed UNC on Saturday, Tar Heels attack Dominic Pietramala ran rampant. The sophomore torched Syracuse for six goals on 20 shots, launching relentless attacks with ease.
The Blue Devils’ attacking trident of Brennan O’Neill, Josh Zawada and Dyson Williams all graduated — part of a combined 224 points and 148 goals Duke lost — which is 52.3% of their total production last season. It stumbled to begin ACC play, dropping its first two matchups 14-7 at Notre Dame and 8-7 to North Carolina. Yet, the Blue Devils closed conference play with two straight wins over the Orange and in a 10-9 overtime thriller at Virginia booked their ticket to the ACC Tournament.
Maryland graduate transfer Malever leads the Blue Devils’ offense, totaling 30 goals and 28 assists, part of a more diverse attack this campaign, with five players recording at least 20 points. Tewaaraton-shortlisted midfielder Andrew McAdorey has pitched in 17 goals and 19 assists, while short stick midfielder Aidan Maguire and midfielder Benn Johnston join him.
A weak spot for Duke is clearing, where it sits 19th-worst in the country with a 83.1% clip. SU also has a clear advantage over the Blue Devils at the faceoff X. Duke’s Luke Engelke has the 29th-best winning percentage in the country, while Mullen has the eighth highest. Mullen beat Engelke 12-10 in the teams’ first matchup.
North Carolina is experiencing a resurgent season and is on track to make its first NCAA Tournament since 2021. The only blemishes on the Tar Heels’ record are a two-goal loss to No. 2 Princeton, a one-goal defeat at No. 4 Army and a 12-6 walloping versus Notre Dame.
UNC’s sophomore attacking duo of Pietramala and Owen Duffy pilot its defense, who’ve combined for 73 of its’ 175 goals. Defensively, North Carolina holds its own, ranking seventh best with 8.69 goals allowed per contest. Princeton transfer goalie Michael Gianforcaro has spearheaded the success as he boasts the 11th-best goals-against-average in D-I.
UNC’s faceoff man Brady Wambach is the nephew of former U.S. women’s soccer national team great Abby Wambach. He’s making a name for himself with a faceoff skillset that rivals his aunt’s legendary heading ability. Brady has won 64.8% of his faceoffs — fourth-best nationally.
The last time the Orange won an ACC Tournament, they beat North Carolina in the semifinals and Duke in the finals. If Syracuse wants to claim another conference championship, it’ll have to beat one of them in the final.
