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PRINCETON, N.J. — Syracuse’s frustration was palpable as time wound down on its second straight defeat of 2026. First came an unnecessary upward slash from Ryder Ochoa, drawing a flag with 3:45 remaining. Then, Billy Dwan III wanted some action, punishing Tucker Wade on a late hit after the midfielder released a shot from distance.

Chuck Kuczynski decided to join Dwan in the box after tripping Chad Palumbo. The anger was understandable. SU trailed by five goals in the dying moments of a contest where it was thoroughly outplayed. The Orange were well past their boiling point and things were getting out of hand.

The final act of the penalty-laden conclusion came as Riley Figueiras wrapped his stick around Peter Buonanno’s helmet. Buonanno had just got up to his feet after Dwan forced him to the ground. The Orange defender took a couple hacks of his own, which you guessed it — ended up with some yellow laundry on the turf.

Tempers flared and all hell broke loose. Colin Vickrey came to his teammates aid, sprinting towards Figueiras and shoving him.

Vickrey was ejected. Dwan and Figueiras ended up on one knee inside the penalty box as Carl Davis’ 1974 slam hit “Kung-Fu Fighting” played in the background.

Davis’ tune was poetic. It begged the question: Where was that fight during the first 57 minutes?

The easy answer? Nowhere. That was evident as No. 6 Syracuse (3-2, Atlantic Coast) fell 11-7 to No. 7 Princeton (2-1, Ivy) in a wire-to-wire defeat. For the second straight week, a program which had its season ended by the Orange last year in the NCAA Tournament exacted their revenge.

Everything went wrong for SU. Joey Spallina was held without a point for the third time in his career, despite pouring in eight against the Tigers last year. John Mullen had a career-worst performance, winning 6-of-16 faceoffs. Oh and yeah, Syracuse dug itself a 6-0 hole which it never got out of.

“Tough game,” Gary Gait said postgame. “(That’s a) good Princeton team that came out and played their butts off and took it to us from the opening whistle. So we’ll regroup and get back at it ready for Sunday.”

Coaches don’t put too much stock into the “revenge game” narratives. Following Harvard’s 13-12 triumph over SU last week, head coach Gerry Byrne downplayed the rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament First Round game where SU won. Princeton’s Matt Madalon aired a similar sentiment — despite Syracuse beating Princeton 19-18 in the 2025 NCAA Quarterfinals — saying they try to “flip the switch and take it one year at a time.”

As for the players … well that’s a different story.

“Everyone knew this was a huge game, but we kind of spread the message throughout the week that this is the team that ended it all for our seniors last year,” said Princeton defender Jack Stahl, who was Spallina’s primary defender. “So it had a big circle around it, especially for the older guys.”

“It appears that way,” Gait said of the revenge factor. “Two teams we knocked out of the playoffs and we traveled to their home fields, and they’re fired up. And they played excellent, and they got us today, but we’ll regroup and come back and get better.”

There’s a stinging sensation when seasons end. It’s like an endless flow of rubbing alcohol on an open wound. Although the feeling might never cease, getting some early-season revenge eases the pain.

Syracuse experienced that when it took down then-No. 1 Maryland two weeks ago. The Terrapins defeated SU in last year’s Final Four, their eighth straight win over the Orange. Syracuse’s win gave it a label as the team to beat in college lacrosse, which its players downplayed.

Spallina said rankings mean nothing. True, February lacrosse is a long way from Memorial Day weekend.

However, there’s still a spotlight on the No. 1, which was shown by Michael Leo mere seconds after Spallina’s answer.

“Now we’re actually being chased,” Leo said. “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.”

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out Syracuse hasn’t handled the burden the right way. Sorry Leo. The Orange’s reign at the top lasted eight days, falling to Harvard. Friday provided a perfect bounce-back opportunity for them.

Yes, Princeton is an elite team, but so is Syracuse. At least on paper.

However, the Tigers completely outmatched SU from the jump. They sprinted out to a 6-0 lead and were toying with their counterparts in every which way.

Known quantities like Palumbo and Buonanno got in on the action, while supplementary options like John Dunphey, faceoff man Andrew McMeekin and Parker Reynolds added scores.

Meanwhile, every Syracuse possession looked labored. Simple passes went awry, leading to turnovers. Poor shot selection created easy Princeton runouts and miscommunications on defense allowed for easy looks for a deadly Tiger offense.

Syracuse looked like a regular mid-major program coming for a midweek contest against a bonafide national championship contender, rather than two heavyweight titans battling it out.

“We just couldn’t get it going,” Gait said of the slow start. “On the offensive end, face offs, a little bit everything. We just kept providing them with the opportunity. In the second quarter, they were up to almost 30 shots, and I was like, ‘Holy cow, we got a work cut out for us.’”

Gait’s team never recovered. Three different times in the second and third quarters Syracuse cut Princeton’s lead to four. It never got closer. Every point where the Orange had a chance to get back into the game, they tripped over their own feet.

Execution is a buzzword for Gait. Win or lose, he uses it as a defining factor for Syracuse. Over the past two games, its execution was subpar.

Tied 12-12 with Harvard last week, Syracuse was caught offside, allowing Nathan Cobery to score the game-winner. This week, the execution was poor from the opening faceoff. Princeton — a team which Syracuse scored 19 goals on last year with relative ease — packed it in defensively, keeping the Orange to low-percentage looks from long range.

Luke Rhoa had SU’s only semi-decent look in the first quarter when he fired a step down straight into Ryan Croddick’s face mask. Simultaneously, Finn Thomson lost his balance and stepped in the crease.

Earlier, Wyatt Hottle tried feeding Spallina at X, but Jackson Green got in the way. On another occasion, Spallina tried hitting Hottle on a difficult cross-field pass and Croddick, who finished with 14 saves, easily got his stick in the way for an interception

Numerous plays like that defined Syracuse’s night, and it was punished.

In 2025, Syracuse was 3-2 after losing to Maryland and Harvard. SU rattled off six straight wins to get back on track. It did lose three in a row to finish the regular season, but the Orange ended up with their first Final Four berth since 2013.

Whether Syracuse follows that path remains to be seen. A tricky matchup with No. 19 Penn awaits in less than 48 hours. Win and tensions will be calmed for a week. Lose and it could turn Syracuse’s season into a freefall.

That will be decided come high noon at Franklin Field Sunday.

Published on February 27, 2026 at 6:16 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22