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Syracuse’s win over Maryland proved it’s the best team in college lacrosse. After 15 years of pain and suffering at the hands of UMD head coach John Tillman, the Orange finally got one over on the Terrapins.

Not only did SU beat Maryland for the first time in nine tries, it did so comprehensively. Syracuse trailed for less than five minutes and was in complete control. It was a total 180 from its Final Four loss to the Terrapins nine months ago. Friday’s win marked the Orange’s first over a No. 1 team since 2011, when they took down Virginia.

It’s only February, but SU proved it will be a force to be reckoned with, as the Orange search for their first national championship since 2009.

No. 2 Syracuse’s (3-0, Atlantic Coast) 11-9 win over No. 1 Maryland (1-1, Big Ten) means it will bear the burden of being the top-ranked team in the nation once media polls are released Monday. There was already enough pressure riding on 2026. Friday’s victory amplified that. Now, SU’s the team to beat in college lacrosse, and it can’t rest on its laurels. The Orange have to live up to the label. If not, their time at the top will be brief.

SU’s guaranteed No. 1 ranking is uncharted territory for Gait. He’s been ranked No. 2 multiple times in the past few years, though never earned that honor. The last time the Orange held top spot was March 9, 2020. With then-head coach John Desko at the helm, Syracuse started 5-0, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down.

That stat is hard to believe considering Syracuse’s pedigree, but since Gait was hired it’s been building towards this moment. The Orange have been on the prowl over the past few years, acting as predators. Now, they’re the prey — and everyone will be going for the kill.

They’re well aware of the target on their back.

“Now we’re actually being chased,” SU midfield/attack Michael Leo said postgame. “So you got a lot more to do, a lot more pressure on us on the spot. I mean, we’re gonna take it. We all love each other, so I think we’re gonna handle it the right way and smooth out as a team. Eventually, it will take us in the right direction.”

So what does earning the No. 1 spot three games into the season signify? Just ask Joey Spallina.

“(It) means nothing. All the rankings mean nothing,” Spallina said emphatically, cutting off a reporter’s question to Gait about the ranking.

The head coach shared a similar sentiment.

“He knows me pretty well. It’s February. It doesn’t mean anything,” Gait said in a follow up to Spallina. “The goal is always to win the last game of the year, and that isn’t lost over a big win or big loss either. If it’d gone the other way, we would have refocused like we did last year. We had a couple losses, we buckled down and we went to work and we did what we needed to do to get back into championship weekend. So, we’re focused on winning the day, winning the week, and it all starts again for us Monday.”

Spallina had every reason to boast. He scored four goals while being guarded by Will Schaler, college lacrosse’s best defender. It was one of his best displays since arriving at SU. However, championships aren’t won two weeks into the season. They’re defined by performances in May.

Which might be why in the immediate aftermath of the win, Gait told ESPN sideline reporter Dana Boyle Syracuse didn’t even have its best game. Gait is right to an extent. The Orange had multiple opportunities to kill off Maryland early, including taking a 6-2 lead in the second quarter. The Terrapins hung around, cutting SU’s lead to one multiple times, including with 13 minutes left.

At that point, Syracuse had gone 15 minutes without a goal, until Bogue Hahn’s score gave it enough of a cushion.

Even though Gait thought it was an imperfect performance, Syracuse knocking off Maryland — a team it’s had monumental struggles against — is a big deal. The Terrapins only departure from its runner-up team in 2025 was goalkeeper Logan McNaney. Elsewhere, it added attacks Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons, along with faceoff man Henry Dodge, who led the nation in faceoff win rate (71%) in 2025.

Gait’s self-criticism is a sign of the expectations surrounding Syracuse this season. The Orange know it’s championship or bust with a senior-laden group. Gait said Syracuse “wants to be the best team they can be and execute at the highest level possible,” and improving everyday has been his message all year.

“We did well last year, but if you want to get better, you got to really focus, and you got to work at it every single day,” Gait said. “And you can’t sit back and pat yourself on the back … These guys are driven. They have a great culture going, and (I’m) just proud to be the coach right now.”

Syracuse’s next two games will show whether it can withstand the pressure of being the hunted. First is No. 12 Harvard, whose season came to an end at the hands of SU in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The same applies to No. 3 Princeton, which Syracuse beat to seal its first Final Four appearance since 2013.

The Orange don’t play a home game until March 22, with six straight road contests. Every one of those games has an extra weight to it now. Even past that, Syracuse plays five top-15 teams in its last six games.

It’s untenable to say the Orange will go undefeated based on their schedule, but they’re certainly capable of surviving this next stretch and beyond. Spallina is the best player in the country. Michael Leo is performing at an All-American level and so are defenders Billy Dwan III and Riley Figueiras. Not to mention John Mullen, who’s arguably the best faceoff specialist in the nation.

Syracuse is loaded with talent. Everyone knows it. Just ask Tillman.

The two-time national championship winning head coach referred to Syracuse as “the number one team in the country” multiple times postgame. One could say Tillman uttered that because of Friday’s result, yet it’s still significant.

Whether Syracuse continues to prove it’s the best team in the country remains to be seen.

Its triumph over Maryland was another major step for a program looking to reach the pinnacle of college lacrosse once again.

Now it’s up to the Orange to keep proving they’re the top dogs.

Published on February 14, 2026 at 8:23 am
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22