Everything to know about Air Force ahead of Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s visit
Syracuse takes its longest road trip of the season to Colorado for a two-game slate. The first matchup is against Air Force Thursday. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse heads to Colorado this week, and the team is excited.
“I’m pumped up, we’re going to the (National Hockey League’s Colorado) Avalanche game on Tuesday,” attack Joey Spallina said after the Orange’s 12-8 win over Johns Hopkins.
Spallina, arguably the best player in collegiate lacrosse, was thrilled to see one of the faces of hockey, Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. Head coach Gary Gait facetiously said the team would go skiing. Running up the stairs at Red Rocks Amphitheater was sarcastically mentioned. With the turning of the seasons, golf may also be on the table.
Oh, yeah, SU is also playing some lacrosse; that’s the main reason it’s heading to the Centennial State. The Orange’s two-game slate begins at Air Force Thursday, which has lost its last five games.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Falcons (1-5, Atlantic Sun) before their matchup with No. 8 Syracuse (5-2, Atlantic Coast):
All-time series
Syracuse leads 2-0.
Last time they played
You have to go all the way back to March 9, 2002, to find the most recent meeting between the Orange and the Falcons. In that clash, then-No. 1 Syracuse blitzed Air Force 20-8 in Denver. SU trailed 2-0 early, but roared back, pulled away and maintained its lead to start the season 3-0.
Michael Powell recorded six points in the win on three goals and three assists in a season that’d finish with a Tewaaraton Award for Powell and a national championship for Syracuse.
A similarity between that AF meeting in 2002 and this year’s matchup is that both are followed up by the Orange playing Denver. SU will meet the Pioneers on Monday.
The Falcons report
Despite currently languishing on a five-game losing run, Air Force lost four straight and three straight games last season and still rallied to win six consecutive contests to win the ASUN Tournament Championship over Utah and make the NCAA Tournament.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Falcons defeated Robert Morris in the opening round before being dispatched 13-5 by No. 2 seed Maryland. No shame in that; Air Force lost by just two more goals than Syracuse did when it faced the Terrapins in the Final Four.
However, AF’s success bred national powers to pick off its key pieces. Inside Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention attack Josh Yago left for Notre Dame. ASUN Tournament Most Valuable Player and goalie Jake Marek headed to Virginia.
The departures have hurt. Air Force beat Lafayette, which received votes in IL’s most recent Poll, but the Falcons have lost games to No. 13 Denver (10-2), No. 7 Ohio State (14-9), Siena (21-9), Marist (13-11) and No. 6 Duke (21-6). Still, they figure to be an ASUN contender this season and could pop into the NCAA Tournament again. If they do, they’ll be spearheaded by breakout freshman Christian Schweiger (13 goals, seven assists) and returning attack Caelen Driggs and defender Cole Cunningham.
How Syracuse beats Air Force
Admittedly, SU shouldn’t have to do much to hand AF its sixth straight loss. It’ll be about doing it in style. It’ll be about playing Syracuse lacrosse, as Spallina said postgame Saturday.
Thursday could also be a confidence-boosting game for SU across the board. Faceoff man John Mullen, who’s won 55% — far below his dominant 63% clip in 2025 — can regain some rhythm matching up with the Falcons faceoff unit that wins a measly 43.2% of draws.
How about the Orange’s offense, which hasn’t eclipsed 12 goals since Feb. 7? Expect the goals to come in bunches against the fourth-worst scoring defense in the nation that allows 15.17 scores a game. Lastly, the Orange’s top-10 scoring defense should be in for another productive outing — AF’s scoring offense is bottom 10.
Stat to know: -6.83
Losing five games in a row isn’t good for your statistics. For Air Force, its scoring margin has unsurprisingly suffered. It currently posts a -6.83 scoring margin, third-worst in Division I. That’s what happens when you lose to Duke by 15 goals and to Siena by 12.
Despite Syracuse’s recent loss at Princeton, its scoring margin sits at 3.86, 13th in the country.
Player to watch: Cole Cunningham, defender, No. 11
Cunningham is a ground-ball vacuum. The senior defender has grabbed 33 ground balls so far this season, fourth among non-faceoff men, and averages 5.5 per game.
Syracuse’s top ground ball grabber is faceoff specialist Mullen at 5.86, followed by Riley Figueiras at 2.86.
However, Cunningham isn’t limited to ground balls. After causing 17 turnovers in 2025, he already has 13 only halfway through this campaign. He’ll be a defensive force the Orange will contend with Thursday in Colorado Springs.
