Syracuse men’s lacrosse prepares for quick turnaround against Colgate

Syracuse men’s lacrosse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is set to take on Colgate (1-0, 0-0 Patriot League) on Monday just 48 hours after its season opening 20-7 victory over Vermont.

For the second consecutive year, the Orange took down the Catamounts to open up the campaign on Saturday. This time around, it was done in a more dominant fashion after SU overcame a slow start.

The Orange led by just one goal through the opening 15 minutes but used a 9-goal second quarter to take control of the game. Attacker Joey Spallina led the way with three goals and four assists while midfielder Luke Rhoa and attacker Christian Mulé also notched hat tricks.

“We do have a sense of urgency and we are trying to create a new standard this season. The players are holding themselves to a higher standard and you saw the results today,” said head coach Gary Gait after the win over Vermont.

In total, 12 Syracuse players found the back of the cage including multi-goal games for Princeton transfers Jake Stevens and Sam English. Beyond SU’s goal scoring, Tufts transfer Mason Kohn and freshman John Mullen combined to win 68% of the faceoffs in the contest.

“I think it’s just important to get the ball to our scorers. Overall, my teammates have made the transition really smooth for me,” said Mason Kohn following his ninth career game with 15 or more faceoff wins.

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While Syracuse rides plenty of momentum into its next contest, so does its next opponent. Colgate shocked No. 4 Penn State 13-12 on the road to open up its season on Saturday. Following a 2-9 campaign last year, Saturday’s upset was sparked by a 4-1 run to begin the second half. The Raiders led by as many as four goals in the third quarter before the Nittany Lions ultimately tied the score at 12 with 2:33 remaining. With overtime looming, freshman Liam Connor stepped up and notched his first collegiate goal with four seconds left to secure the surprise victory. Sophomore Hunter Drouin led Colgate with a career-high four goals.

“We got one day to game plan and I know that our coaching staff has already started to prepare for Monday,” said Syracuse head coach Gary Gait when asked about preparing for Monday’s matchup with Colgate.

Monday might be the 63rd meeting between the Upstate New York foes but the Orange and Raiders haven’t squared off in four years. The last duel between the two squads occurred in 2020 when Syracuse prevailed 21-14 on home turf.

Syracuse has the opportunity to get off to a 2-0 start for the second straight season when it welcomes Colgate to the JMA Wireless Dome on Monday. The action gets underway at 6 p.m. on WAER. Make sure to tune into 88.3 FM at 5:30 p.m. for McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.