No. 12 Syracuse (2-1) will begin ACC play this afternoon as they take on No. 5 Virginia (4-0) at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia at 3pm.
This game comes on the heels of Syracuse's triple-overtime thriller against No. 9 Army, where the Orange escaped 11-10 last Saturday. Attackman Nate Solomon and midfielder David Lipka paced 'Cuse with two goals apiece, before midfielder Ryan Simmons called game in triple overtime for his first goal of the season.
Virginia is enjoying a strong start to the season as well, as they enter the contest on a four-game winning streak, most recently defeating Princeton 18-15. Attackmen Ian Laviano and Michael Kraus led the Cavaliers in scoring with 5 and 4 goals, respectively.
For Syracuse, this will be the third consecutive contest against a top-10 team, as they hope to string together a few victories after a 15-3 trouncing by No. 3 Albany two weeks ago.
The two teams share a very competitive history, with Syracuse holding a narrow advantage in the all-time series, 17-16. Further, Syracuse holds the advantage in head-to-head scoring, netting 430 goals to Virginia's 429.
In their last meeting, Syracuse edged out Virginia 14-13 in the Carrier Dome after storming back from a five-goal deficit, with midfielder Matt Lane and attackman Nate Solomon each tallying five points in the win. The Orange will try and win their fourth straight against the Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon.
The Cavalier offense will be a determining factor in this game, as they enter the contest with more shots, goals, assists, and points per game than the Orange. Syracuse has won their last 49 games when holding their opponent to under ten goals, so disrupting the flow of Virginia's offense will be critical. If goalkeeper Dom Madonna, a redshirt senior, can continue his trend of solid performances and the Orange can regulate the pace of the game, 'Cuse should capture an important win and hand Virginia its first loss of the young 2017-2018 season.
For a game this early in the season, it has no shortage of historical implications. Syracuse Lacrosse sits second to only Johns Hopkins in all-time victories, as a win Sunday would be the program's 898th, a game closer to entering the exclusive 900-win club, with Johns Hopkins as the only current member. The Orange has a date with the No. 19 Blue Jays next weekend.