Things haven't fully gone to plan for No. 9 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) so far this season, but the Orange are primed for lasting success after taking down then No. 7 Johns Hopkins 13-10 last Sunday. SU gets the chance to build off that big-time win with a clash against Manhattan (4-3, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) on Tuesday.
In one of college lacrosse's biggest rivalries, @CuseMLAX surged late to prevail over @jhumenslacrosse 13-10.@SamuelReisTV and @GriffinMarcy1 had the call from the JMA Wireless Dome. pic.twitter.com/sxum9MISBc
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) March 9, 2025
It’s no secret that rivalry matchups mean a little bit more out on the turf, but for Syracuse, the matchup with JHU had different kinds of stakes. After two hard-fought ranked losses to No. 6 Maryland and No. 15 Harvard (and a tune-up game with Utah in between,) SU was in desperate need of a win to put the season back on track.
“We worked really hard on just focusing on us and what we need to do,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said postgame after beating JHU on Sunday. “I thought the execution was awesome, guys made plays and we came out on top. So, (it was) a lot of fun today.”
Unfortunately for the ‘Cuse, the biggest news to come from the Hopkins matchup was after the game. Coach Gait told the media that junior attackman Finn Thomson, who missed the contest as day-to-day, will be “out for a while” with an injury. Thomson has the third-most points on the team so far this season, notching 14 goals and 18 points. The junior’s absence was felt by the Orange offense, as SU shot the ball 46 times, and only hit the cage on 19 of those attempts. But when 13 of those 19 find the back of the net, it all checks out.
“Most of the shots we took today were pretty good shots,” SU attackman Owen Hiltz said postgame. “They definitely got some sticks on our hands when we’re shooting, so we missed wide. But that’s kind of what the game plan was. Take those shots when you can and bury them.”
At the halfway point in the season, a big win like that (plus a little adversity) is just what the doctor ordered for Syracuse to find continued success. But when big-time players go down, other players have to step up.
“We could throw anyone on the team on the field, and we’d be completely fine,” junior defender Riley Figueiras said after the win against Hopkins.
The ‘Cuse aims to continue that momentum against a Manhattan team that hasn’t found much success of its own. The Jaspers sit at 4-3 on the young season, and are winners of their last two after taking down Merrimack and Mount St. Mary’s. It’s the second-ever matchup between the two programs, the only other time being last season, where SU won with a dominating 16-3 performance.
Opening faceoff from the Dome is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and WAER’s coverage starts at 6:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown To Faceoff.