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In its third season under head coach Gary Gait, Syracuse faced pressure heading into 2024. After missing the NCAA Tournament for two straight years, a potential third straight absence from the postseason loomed large — something that’s never happened in program history.

After two mediocre seasons under Gait, the Orange have rebounded in 2024. Joey Spallina has shined in his sophomore campaign, leading a dangerous attack while a revamped faceoff unit has propelled SU to a likely NCAA Tournament bid — its first since 2021.

The Orange began the season with three routine wins before suffering their first setback, a controversial loss to Maryland. Syracuse suffered another overtime defeat two games later against Army but responded with five straight wins, including victories over top-five opponents Duke and Johns Hopkins. Then to close the season, back-to-back losses against Notre Dame and Cornell were followed by one-goal wins over Virginia and North Carolina.

SU’s three conference wins helped it seal the No. 2 seed in its first ACC Tournament appearance since 2019. The Orange now look to make last-second improvements to their NCAA Tournament resume.

Here’s No. 3 Syracuse’s (11-4, 3-1 ACC) roadmap as it looks to win its first ACC Tournament championship since 2016:

Semifinals vs No. 3 seed Duke

Syracuse faces Duke in the ACC semifinals Friday at 8 p.m. The Blue Devils are coming off a 15-12 loss to North Carolina in one of their worst performances of the season. The Tar Heels entered the contest winless in the ACC and as losers of five straight games, but led by as much as nine goals against Duke. After scoring the last six goals, the Blue Devils made the game closer on the scoreboard than it was on the field.

Earlier this season, Syracuse took down then-No. 4 Duke 10-4 in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Blue Devils came in with the top-ranked offense in the country, but SU’s defense had its best performance of the season. Boosted by Will Mark’s season-high 77.8 save percentage and 13 saves, the Orange held Duke to just four goals, its lowest-scoring total since 2012. Reigning Tewaaraton winner Brennan O’Neill shot just 1-of-11, registering just two points — his second-lowest total of the season.

But Duke’s offense is much more than O’Neill. Dyson Williams has 44 goals, like O’Neill, while five other Blue Devils have scored at least 15 goals on the season. When Duke’s attack is in a groove, not many defenses can stop them. Though in all of its losses this season, the Blue Devils have been held to 12 goals or fewer.

While Duke’s attack is its strong point, freshman goalie Patrick Jameison has been stellar in net. Jameison leads the ACC in goals allowed (9.5) and save rate (56%) while holding teams to single digits eight times this season. Mark and Jameison could very well be the deciding factors with how dangerous Syracuse and Duke’s offenses can be.

The last time Syracuse won an ACC Tournament game was in 2016, when it defeated Duke 14-8 in the ACC championship. The Orange get a chance to break a three-game losing streak in the conference tournament when they take on the Blue Devils Friday.

Finals

If Syracuse reaches its first ACC title since 2016, it faces either top-seeded Notre Dame (10-1, 4-0 ACC) or No. 4 seed Virginia (10-4, 1-3 ACC) at noon on May 5.

Following its loss to Army, SU rattled off five straight wins and earned a No. 3 ranking in the Inside Lacrosse poll — its highest ranking under Gait. The Orange traveled to South Bend, Indiana to face the Fighting Irish, who’d outscored them by 55 in the previous five matchups.

A blowout wasn’t on the cards, but Syracuse was outmatched by the defending national champions. SU won just 9-of-29 faceoffs and three straight goals from ND in the third quarter gave it a lead it never relinquished. Syracuse trailed 13-7 in the third quarter and although it scored five of the game’s last six goals, the Orange couldn’t overcome their earlier deficit, falling 14-12.

Since losing to Georgetown on Feb. 25, Notre Dame has won eight straight games. Syracuse’s two-goal margin was the closest any ACC team came to beating ND, while Cornell only fell to the Fighting Irish 18-17 on a late goal from Ben Ramsey.

It’s hard to find a weak point in Notre Dame’s roster. Led by the Kavanagh brothers, Chris and Pat, the Fighting Irish are one of the deepest teams in the country. The duo has combined for 96 points in 10 games while secondary pieces like midfielders Eric Dobson and Jordan Faison are major weapons.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Editor

If Notre Dame were to lose its first ACC game of the year, Syracuse would face Virginia in the final. SU’s final regular season game came against the Cavaliers, where it eked out an 18-17 win.

After a back-and-forth first half, Syracuse gained a three-goal lead in the third quarter. Then, a 7-1 run from UVA gave it a 17-14 advantage. Yet Syracuse scored four goals in a row down the stretch including an acrobatic finish from Billy Dwan and Sam English’s game-winner.

Virginia’s loss to Syracuse was sandwiched between defeats to Duke and Notre Dame, handing the Cavaliers their first three-game losing streak since 2014. Prior to its recent skid, UVA rattled off seven straight wins after losing to Johns Hopkins on March 2.

Despite its recent slide, Virginia still holds one of the most dangerous attacks in the country. Spearheaded by three-time First Team All-American Connor Shellenberger, the Cavaliers average just under 15 goals per game. Fellow attack Payton Cormier leads the country in goals scored (52), while freshman McCabe Millon deepens the unit.

UVA’s weakness is its lack of firepower from the midfield. Its attack carries the load, but a lack of depth has hurt it in recent weeks. Goalie Matthew Nunes has also struggled over the last few games. Against Duke, Nunes let in the first seven shots on goal he faced in the first quarter, leading UVA head coach Lars Tiffany to pull him.

Nunes’ troubles carried over to the Syracuse game, where he didn’t register a save until 6:59 left in the first half — by that time SU fired eight past him. Even though Nunes bounced back with 15 saves, he still let up 18 in the loss.

If Syracuse were to reach the ACC Championship game, it would be no easy task. SU hasn’t defeated Notre Dame since 2018 and has only beaten UVA once under Gait. But that’s who would be standing between Syracuse and its first ACC Championship since 2016.

Published on April 29, 2024 at 8:38 pm

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