#7 Syracuse men’s lacrosse hosts its biggest test of the season in #5 Notre Dame
By Josh Richardson | @joshrichy_04
Seventh ranked Syracuse men’s lacrosse has played some stout competition already this season. With top 20 tilts against Towson, Maryland, Johns Hopkins and more, the strength of schedule for the Orange is one of the highest in the country. Down this final month stretch of the regular season, it doesn’t get any easier, in fact the opposite. The final four games for Syracuse come against #1 Cornell, #12 Duke, #8 North Carolina…… and tomorrow against #5 Notre Dame; The reigning back-to-back national champs of college lacrosse. SU is 0-7 since 2019 against ND with three losses coming at home. The Orange have a chance to break that spell against the Fighting Irish tomorrow at 2. So what can Syracuse do to top Goliath?
Win the Second Half
Syracuse head coach Gary Gait has said every week that he wants to see a stronger second half from his team. SU has jumped out to leads in a majority of its games this year. Some have ended in wins, and some in losses. The Orange led 8-2 at the half against Colgate and only won by 2. SU led 5-1 over Harvard late in the first quarter and lost 15-14. Winning the third quarter is crucial and that’s why teams have beaten Notre Dame this year. In both its losses this season, Maryland and Ohio State outscored ND 4-1 in the third frame. Keep it close in the first half, make the necessary adjustments in the locker room, and explode and catch the Irish off guard enough to expose some flaws. This isn’t the same team that Notre Dame had last year. Take advantage of that and overpower it.
No Silly Mistakes
When Syracuse lost to Harvard, the Orange committed 11 second half turnovers. SU lost the turnover battle against Maryland as well. In order to beat good teams, you have to be sharp. It’s one thing not to convert on good opportunities that you develop, it’s another to not even get those opportunities because of careless mistakes. Notre Dame is a championship level team, and if it ever smells blood in the water tomorrow, it won’t hesitate to take advantage of SU’s mishaps.
Play Your Game
Syracuse has dominated at X all season. Sophomore Johnny Mullen is among some of the top faceoff men in the country. SU has won games this year because of the amount of possessions and opportunities that he generates after stoppages of play. If the Orange can play make-it-take-it lacrosse for at least a quarter of the game and trade shots and scores the rest of the time, that can be enough to win. But you have to generate possessions to have a chance. Get the ball. Be careful with it. And make the most of each shot on goal.
When two top teams play, it’ll always be a thriller. SU and Hopkins earlier this year was cinema: Two of the most historic programs in the country facing off for a ranked tilt. Now, Syracuse has another on its hands and it starts tomorrow at 2. For live coverage and updates throughout the game, follow @Dan_Shalam on Twitter.
