Just a week after a statement win over then No. 5 Notre Dame last Saturday, No. 4 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse (9-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces another formidable challenge in No. 1 Cornell (9-1, 4-0 Ivy League) this Saturday. Although both of these two schools call Central New York home, the game will be played at a neutral site on Long Island in Uniondale, N.Y.
In a top ten clash, a strong first half from No. 7 @CuseMLAX was the difference in a 14-9 win over No. 5 @NDlacrosse.@ginoantimarino and @Hudson_Ridley had the call of SU's first win over ND since 2018. pic.twitter.com/peSWNZsiG5
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) April 5, 2025
Syracuse can continue to crawl its way even further up the national polls with a win. Since losing back-to-back contests in mid-February, the Orange have rattled off six straight victories, two of which came against top-10 teams.
It seems as though every unit on head coach Gary Gait’s squad has shown out recently, but perhaps no group has been stronger than the defense. Syracuse held Notre Dame scoreless for almost 40 minutes last weekend, only allowing the Fighting Irish to take 12 shots on net in the first half. The back line has taken the pressure off of first-year starter Jimmy McCool, who mans the cage for the Orange.
The defense certainly has its work cut out for it against Cornell with attackman C.J. Kirst. The senior leads the nation with 49 goals, which is 14 ahead of the second-leading scorer. He is also closing in on the NCAA all-time goals record, just 10 away from catching Payton Cormier of Virginia with 224 career scores.
“Hopefully [let’s] just not give him easy opportunities,” said Gait, when asked how SU plans to contain Kirst. “Don’t slide off him on faceoff wins, fast breaks; slide off the other guys, that sort of thing.”
Not only do the Big Red have the best individual scorer in the nation, but as a team, they also lead the nation in goals per game at just under 16. Cornell head coach Connor Buczek has led a squad that has shown it is primed for a postseason run.
Gait praised the program’s strong play thus far this season, stating, “I think they’re just a little bit better, and they’ve won those close games. They’ve taken care of business when they’ve needed to.”
Syracuse has a high-flying attack of its own, led by junior Joey Spallina, who is coming off a five point performance against Notre Dame. However, the Tewaaraton Award contender has been up-and-down in big games, scoring just one point against Virginia two weeks ago to open up ACC play. This Saturday’s result could depend on which version of Spallina the ‘Cuse gets.
After last week’s win, Spallina said, “I think it’s just the experience of playing in a bunch of games. We’ve got some guys who have played in a ton of games all over the place, and I think that will only help us as we go along.”
With every possession figuring to be crucial in this contest, the faceoff battle could be a deciding factor. ‘Cuse faceoff man John Mullen was a big reason for the success against Notre Dame, winning 16 of 23, with Cornell junior Jack Cascadden winning at X over 60% of the time in his last five games.
Both squads have expectations of making it to Gillette Stadium for championship weekend when the tournament comes around, and a win for either side would boost its stock as the regular season nears the finish line.
Syracuse and Cornell battle Saturday at 4. Our coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff at 3:30.