Last week, the fourth-seeded Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse defeated third-seeded Duke Blue Devils 9-8 to capture its third ACC Tournament title and first since 2016. Syracuse (11-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) now hosts Harvard (10-4, 4-2 Ivy League) in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament on Sunday inside the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange aim to win their 11th national title and first since 2009.
Standing in front of the Orange's quest for the national championship is the Harvard Crimson. Earlier this year, SU fell to Harvard 15-14 for the first time ever. In the first half, the Orange recorded 31 shots, scored 10 goals, and led by two at the break. However, a slow and stagnant second half, where just four goals were scored, resulted in Syracuse’s second loss of the year. A clear positive note for the Orange was the dominant success in the face-off circle. Syracuse won a commanding 28 faceoffs compared to Harvard’s four.
In the ACC Title game, Syracuse jumped out to a fast start in the first half. Owen Hiltz scored the first goal of the game on Syracuse’s first possession, marking his 61st consecutive game with one point or more, breaking the school record that John Zulberti previously held. The Orange netted five goals and led by two at the break. Once again, the Orange were in full control of the face-off circle. John Mullen went 13-of-17 on faceoffs in the title game and finished the tournament at 79 percent in the circle. Mullen was named to the All-ACC Tournament team. When it mattered the most, the 'Cuse came up clutch. The Orange won the last seven faceoffs in the game and went 9-of-11 at the dot in the second half.
“One of our best team games of the year. Every position, every player contributed today,” exclaimed SU head Coach Gary Gait after the win. “Proud of the guys for believing in themselves and getting the W.”
Defensively, Syracuse shut down Duke’s high-powered offense. The Orange held the Blue Devils to just eight goals, marking the fourth time this season Duke failed to eclipse double-digit goals. Syracuse held Duke’s leading goal scorer, Eric Malever, to zero goals in the contest. The last time SU faced Duke, Malever tore apart the Orange defense and netted five goals. ACC Goalie of the Year Jimmy McCool made 10 saves to help Syracuse pick up another ACC title. McCool was voted Most Valuable Player for the ACC Tournament.
“When we are six-on-six, our defense is pretty good, we have a pretty decent goalie, I would say,” Joey Spallina said postgame. “Anyway, we can help those guys out [the defense], we will.”
ACC Goalie of the Year Jimmy McCool continued his dominance for @CuseMLAX in the conference title game.@SamuelReisTV described why the redshirt sophomore earned the title.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) May 4, 2025
📻@waer883, https://t.co/BG0Q3sGq3P pic.twitter.com/1TUAnNzkMU
Syracuse has had a full week to prepare for Harvard, and are ready for revenge on home turf.
“They have the top five recruits. Several are sitting on their offense, and they can play,” Gait said on ACC PM. “We crushed them in possessions [last time], but we didn’t take care of the ball. We just need to play a much smarter game.”
Harvard fell to Princeton 11-8 in the semifinals of the Ivy League Tournament. The Crimson’s offense was shut out in the 4th quarter. Harvard strives to make history on Sunday, becoming the first team to beat Syracuse at home twice in a season since the Onondaga Nation did it in 1918.
If Syracuse wants to defeat Harvard when it matters the most in the postseason, they have to focus on two things: momentum and lock-down defense. The Orange entered the ACC Tournament as the fourth seed and on a three-game losing streak. Since then, they defeated top-seed Notre Dame and beat Duke in the ACC Title game to be crowned conference champions. Syracuse must roll the momentum over to the NCAA Tournament. In addition, defense is paramount to the Orange’s success in the postseason. Jimmy McCool anchored the defense towards the conference title, and now he has to lead them to Memorial Day Weekend. The Orange are 7-0 when holding opponents to under ten goals. If Syracuse wants to raise another trophy this year, defense has to be the point of emphasis.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament game between Syracuse and Harvard kicks off on Sunday at 5. WAER’s coverage on 88.3 FM and waer.org begins at 4:30 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.