It’s finally time for the 2026 lacrosse season to begin as No. 3 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces No. 17 Boston University (0-0, 0-0 Patriot League). The Orange enter this season after back to back NCAA tournament appearances but no championship weekend to stand on. Last year, SU fell to Maryland 14-8 at Gillette Stadium in the Final Four.
“We’re off and running..we're working on fundamentals,” SU head coach Gary Gait said after practice. “Lots to be done so it’s easy to stay focused.”
Last year, the Cuse made recent history going to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2013 and tied the most wins in a season since 2017. Heading into this season, Syracuse definitely has some familiar faces but there's also a few key names missing from the squad.
Owen Hiltz: Hiltz was drafted 3rd overall in the NLL by the Toronto Rock and 8th overall in the PLL by the Carolina Chaos. The former All-American sniped a career high 46 goals last season.
Sam English: English was also drafted 2nd overall in the NLL by
the Toronto Rock and 3rd overall by the California Redwoods in the PLL. The midfielder was fourth in points on the team last year.
Trey Deere: Deere was an unexpected name on this list, but due to injuries sustained in a car crash, Gait announced the junior would miss the 2026 season. Deere played in all 19 games for SU last season.
Despite the losses heading into this season, the Orange still maintain their most valuable weapon, attackman Joey Spallina. The senior opens this season first on Inside Lacrosse’s Tewareaton rankings. Spallina’s 90 points last season was first in the ACC and fourth in the nation.
“Putting a 2026 championship banner up in the Dome is the only thing I really give a (expletive) about,” Spallina said. “Looking back on my career so far, it’s been great, But the one thing that I’m missing is obviously a championship. It’s just our main goal.”
“We’ve been working hard with him to handle the pressure,” Gait said about Spallina’s expectations this season. “Now that he’s a captain I think it’s even more important that he just plays the game.”
Syracuse takes on Boston University in its opener Sunday at 1 p.m. The Terriers enter this season after falling to Colgate 17-10 in the Patriot League finals last season. Tune into McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff at 12:30 p.m. on WAER for our complete coverage.