Seasonal Preview for Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse
By Josh Richardson | @joshrichy_04
May 19th, 2024. It’s been 250 days since Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse last took the field. Unfortunately for the Orange, that contest didn’t result in winning the last game of the season. It was a 10-8 loss to Denver, in a contest where the Pioneers shut down the Orange’s top of the nation offense like no other team had done. But with another summer, fall, and winter soon to come and go, SU opens the season in just eight more days against Jacksonville. The expectations have not been this high for a Syracuse Men’s lacrosse team since the late 2000s. The Orange open ranked 2nd in the nation per Inside Lacrosse, only behind the reigning back-to-back national champs in Notre Dame. So with eyes set on a championship or bust season, how do the Orange stack up among the best of the best?
Offense
After losing graduate student Christian Mulé, Syracuse hopes to replace that offensive production in the aggregate. Thankfully, superstars Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz remain on the front lines for the Orange. Of those tasked to help replicate what Mulé did for SU will be junior Finn Thomson and sophomore Trey Deere.
Inside Lacrosse ranks Syracuse as the fifth-best attacking unit in the country. The only teams it trails are Yale (4), Princeton (3), Notre Dame (2), and Cornell (1). The Orange battle both the Irish and the Big Red late in their season.
Midfield
Despite losing Jake Stevens, the midfield group for Syracuse is as strong as ever. Headlined by graduate student Sam English, the diversity and versatile play gives head coach Gary Gait as much as he could ever ask for from a positional group. While Deere and Thomson are listed as attackers, both players can also move to midfield when times allow. “I just want to do whatever it takes to win,” Deere said. “I’ve been working the lungs up ready to play midfield.”
Inside Lacrosse holds SU’s midfield at the same rank as the overall team: 2. The only team above? Notre Dame. The Irish visit the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, April 5th at 2:00.
Defense
Syracuse failed to crack Inside Lacrosse’s top 5 list for the defensive positional group. A part of the reason for that is losing top goalie Will Mark. When asked about where the position currently stands a week out from next Saturday’s tilt vs. Jacksonville, Gait said “It’s definitely a competition. If one guy looks good, we’ll keep him out there. If not, we’ll see what works.” Two opposing philosophies in sport are as simple as this: Defense wins championships vs. The best defense is more offense. Until we see how the situation in goal shakes out for the Orange, it’s safe to assume SU will choose the latter when it comes to play style.
Overall, Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse is in the rare position where ALL eyes are on them. With two struggling basketball teams and football out of season, the 315 community is pulling for the Orange to bring it home come May. A tough schedule in the toughest conference awaits, but if there was ever a season to have Championship Weekend as the expectation, it’s 2025.
