After a statement 14-12 win over top-seeded No. 6 Notre Dame in the ACC Semifinals Friday night, fourth-seeded No. 12 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (10-5, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) will face third-seeded No. 9 Duke (12-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the conference championship game on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Orange are seeking their first ACC title since 2016 and are riding high after toppling the defending national champions for a second time this season.
But standing in the way is a Duke team that already got the best of Syracuse this year, handing SU an 11-7 loss just two weeks ago in Durham. In that meeting, Syracuse was plagued by slow starts and long-scoring droughts, including a scoreless first and third quarter. Blue Devils attackman Eric Malever lit up the Orange with five goals, and Duke outshot Syracuse 45-37 while forcing 18 turnovers—an uncharacteristically sloppy outing for the Orange.
“We know we’re capable, we just haven’t put it together for a full 60 minutes,” said SU head coach Gary Gait after the win against Notre Dame on Friday. “We still have our best game in front of us I believe.”
From the opening faceoff, the Orange controlled the tempo against Notre Dame, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in under five minutes and never trailing the rest of the way. Owen Hiltz starred with a six-point performance, extending his school-record streak to 60 straight games with a point, matching John Zulberti. Meanwhile, Joey Spallina added three assists, and faceoff specialist John Mullen dominated the X, winning 21-of-26 faceoffs.
Defensively, Syracuse was anchored by ACC Goalie of the Year Jimmy McCool, who posted a career-best 20 saves. The Orange held Notre Dame scoreless for nearly 16 minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters, silencing a top-10 scoring offense and limiting ACC Offensive Player of the Year Chris Kavanagh to just two goals.
“We try to be the hardest working team and the closest team,” McCool said postgame. “When we’re connected, we’re trusting each other, and playing at a level that high—we’re tough to beat.”
In @CuseMLAX's win over @NDlacrosse, there were a lot of Orange players you could award the game's MVP to.
— WAER Sports Talk (@WAERSportsTalk) May 3, 2025
But @ajmyerstv is giving it to SU's defensive rock.
📞:315-443-2011
📱:315-556-3929 pic.twitter.com/ebTNazFex7
Sunday will be a quick turnaround, and Syracuse knows exactly what to expect from the Blue Devils.
“We’ve seen both of them. We know what they’re all about,” Gait said before Duke’s semifinal against North Carolina. “I don’t care who we play, I’m just happy we got through today.”
Duke advanced with a 14-7 win over the Tar Heels, setting the stage for a rubber match with Syracuse. Both teams enter at 3-2 in conference play overall, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
If Syracuse wants to reverse its fortunes from the regular season meeting, it will need cleaner play, especially in transition and on clears. Mullen’s faceoff dominance and McCool’s consistency in net provide a foundation, but the Orange will need contributions from their entire offense. Look for Hiltz and Spallina to lead the charge again, while midfielders like Sam English and Greg Elijah-Brown could be X-factors.
The ACC title game between Syracuse and Duke gets underway on Sunday at noon. WAER’s coverage on 88.3 FM and waer.org begins at 11:30 a.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.