No. 4 Syracuse men’s lacrosse blows a seven-goal lead, falls to No. 13 Cornell 18-17 in 2OT

It was a chaotic affair down in Ithaca for No. 4 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (9-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) in a double overtime loss to No. 13 Cornell (6-3, 2-1 Ivy League) by a final score of 18-17. A historic first half for the Orange turned disastrous after the Big Red stormed back to force overtime.

The contest started out all SU, pouring in seven consecutive goals in the first 11 minutes. Syracuse’s first quarter output was the best offensive opening frame against a ranked opponent all season. The run for the Cuse was capped off by an unbelievable backward between-the-legs goal from defender Billy Dwan.

Alongside the offensive explosion for the Orange, the first half also saw 10 penalties called between both teams. Syracuse offensive coordinator Pat March was ejected from the game after multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called on the bench.

“I think it definitely impacted our performance,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “We had tons of opportunities in this game, but we couldn’t make plays.”

Syracuse entered the break up 14-10 and returned to action much sloppier than the prior 30 minutes of play. The Orange scored just three goals in the second half and turned the ball over 13 times, both of which are season worsts.

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“The second half put us in a really tough position,” coach Gait said. “We had a lot of chances to get stops and score, but our guys were getting tired and we just couldn’t put the ball away.”

The Orange led the Big Red in the second half by as many as 16-10 midway through the third quarter. From there, Cornell’s offense would explode for seven consecutive goals, including the go-ahead score from faceoff specialist Marc Psyllos with 10 seconds on the clock.

Miraculously, when all hope was lost, Syracuse wouldn’t go down easy. 5th-year midfielder Sam English drove down the field and tied the game at 17 with a mere 1.1 seconds on the board to send the contest to extra time.

The in-state battle would need multiple overtimes to decide a victor. But then, with 47 seconds remaining in double overtime, senior attackman CJ Kirst called game for the Big Red.

A stunning conclusion to an absolute thriller. The Orange found themselves in the driver's seat the entire contest but couldn’t get the job done. With the loss, Syracuse has dropped back-to-back contests for the first time this season.

“It was a tough game,” Coach Gait said. “Really tough loss for our team, but certainly another opportunity for our guys to learn.”

The Orange fall to 9-4 on the 2024 campaign, and the road ahead doesn’t get easier. SU hits the road to battle North Carolina (6-4, 0-0 ACC) next Saturday. Faceoff in Chapel Hill is set for 1 p.m., and WAER’s coverage begins at 12:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.