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Syracuse men's lacrosse battles No. 15 Princeton in impending tussle

A Syracuse lacrosse helmet sits ready before the Orange’s matchup with Hobart
cuse.com
A Syracuse lacrosse helmet sits ready before the Orange’s matchup with Hobart

Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s 2023 season to date has felt like Ancient Greek theater. At times a comedy, others a tragedy, and occasionally even a satyr play when Owen Hiltz and Joey Spallina - like the mythological creatures of yore - are the horses carrying the Orange (6-5, 0-3 Atlantic Coast) on their backs. Now, after a three-game win streak was snapped by Notre Dame, Syracuse officially crosses the Rubicon into must-win territory if it wants to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

The story of Notre Dame’s 20-12 victory over SU last Saturday: veni, vidi vici. The Fighting Irish came to Central New York, saw what Syracuse had to offer, and handily conquered a previously-soaring Orange squad. Notre Dame went up 8-2 by the middle of the second quarter thanks to a hat trick of goals from Jake Taylor, as well as a pair each for Pat Kavanaugh and Eric Dobson. However, Syracuse stormed back on the backs of some unlikely sources. Cole Kirst and Michael Leo broke the scoring drought before Alex Simmons and Jackson Birtwistle helped get SU to within two by the halftime break. Out of the locker room, the Fighting Irish quickly put two more goals on the board to extend their lead, but a five-goal run - highlighted by Saam Olexo working the full field for the tying tally - gave Syracuse its first (and only) lead of the game at 12-11 early in the fourth quarter. From there, though, the Orange seemingly took the advice of Apollo’s temple at Delphi: nothing in excess. SU wouldn’t score again, and Notre Dame ran away with a 20-12 victory.

“For three quarters, we played one of the best teams in the country and were right there,” head coach Gary Gait said postgame. “Then, obviously, when you don’t get the ball back, it ends the way it ended. It’s a lot of pressure on a tired defense, and it's hard to not give up the lead when you don’t have the ball.”

Indeed, the Orange seemingly took the advice of Syracuse, Sicily native Archimedes by not disturbing anything in the (face-off) circle in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame won the faceoff battle 9-2 in the final frame, leading to its 9-0 run. It was another troubling sign for an SU faceoff unit ranked in the bottom ten nationally in win percentage. That led to the tired defensive legs and eventual defeat Gait mentioned. There’s no rest for the weary however, as the Orange head on the road for a showdown with No. 15 Princeton (4-4, 2-1 Ivy League).

The Orange huddle in celebration after a second-quarter goal against Notre Dame
cuse.com
The Orange huddle in celebration after a second-quarter goal against Notre Dame

The Tigers enter this contest on the heels of consecutive conference victories over Yale and Brown at “my home, my little home.” It’s the offense leading Princeton to victory, as the Tigers have netted 75 goals in their four wins in 2023, as opposed to just 36 in four defeats. Leading the ambush is Coulter Mackesy. The sophomore has tallied 30 goals and 11 assists through eight games, good for fifth in the nation - and second in the Ivy League - in goals per game. Et tu Alexander Vardaro and Sam English, as the pair have each compiled at least 20 points on the season, both mainly via assists. Perhaps most impressive for the team as whole, however, is its ability to bounce back. The past two conference wins for Princeton followed a four-game losing streak, two of which ended in overtime. Head Coach Matt Madalon praised his guys’ commitment to keeping their heads up.

“We had made different versions of the same mistakes, and just didn’t earn the opportunities to win those games,” he said. “Whether it be deserved or earned, you’ve gotta earn those bounces, and you earn them Monday through Friday with good weeks of practice and good preparation and hope you can get it done on game day.”

Coulter Mackesy is the fifth Tiger sophomore to reach 30 goals in the past decade
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Coulter Mackesy is the fifth Tiger sophomore to reach 30 goals in the past decade

Coming off a Final Four run in 2022, expectations remain high for the Tigers. A 4-4 start somewhat dimmed the lights in Princeton, but the Tigers still have three Ivy League matchups ahead following their showdown with Syracuse. And that .500 record means Princeton can’t look past anyone, even an SU squad struggling to find its way. But as the great Greek orator Demosthenes once said, “small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” So while this singular matchup between a low-ranked Princeton and unranked Syracuse may seem rather insignificant in the course of the entire season, perhaps it's the opportunity for either team to spark the postseason run both are looking for.

Syracuse and No. 15 Princeton square off Saturday in New Jersey. Faceoff is at noon, McClurg Team Countdown to Faceoff is at 11:30, and it’ll all be right here on the Original Home of the Orange, WAER.