Less than one week after earning its first top ranking in six seasons, Syracuse men’s lacrosse (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won’t keep it for long. SU fell to No. 14 Harvard (3-0, 0-0 Ivy League) 13-12 in Cambridge on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Crimson avenged their overtime loss to the Orange in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year.
No. 1 @CuseMLAX fell from the ranks of unbeaten in a 13-12 loss to No. 14 @HarvardMLax. Crimson attackman Nathan Cobery scored the game-winning goal with under a minute to go.@DanPapillo and @JohnBoccio23 had the call from Cambridge, MA. pic.twitter.com/qKoGYhBOvf
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 21, 2026
Syracuse jumped out to a fast start in Cambridge. While Harvard drew first blood with a goal from midfielder Andrew Perry just over one minute into the contest, SU responded with four of its own. Orange midfielder Luke Rhoa scored twice while Syracuse attackman Joey Spallina and midfielder Tyler McCarthy each contributed one goal and assist.
Up 4-1 after the first 15 minutes, things fell apart for Syracuse in the second quarter. Though the Orange outshot the Crimson 12-6, SU never found much offensive consistency. The same couldn’t be said for Harvard. Crimson attackman John Aurandt IV had back-to-back goals to make it a one-score game. Over the next nine minutes, Harvard continued to hold Syracuse scoreless while netting three more to take a 6-4 lead into halftime.
“We weren’t in the flow,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “They played some great defense. … and … just really didn’t let us get into a rhythm.”
The 5-0 scoring discrepancy in the second frame marked the first time this season that Syracuse was shut out in one period. It also tied a career-high for goals allowed in one quarter by SU goalkeeper Jimmy McCool. The reigning ACC Goalie of the Year saved 50% of the shots he faced vs. Harvard, his lowest mark this year.
The start of the third quarter marked the beginning of a back-and-forth battle that would continue until the final whistle. After exactly one minute with possession, Syracuse attackman Finn Thompson broke through and found the back of the net. Orange faceoff specialist John Mullen responded with back-to-back wins and SU goals after each, with one for midfielder Wyatt Hottle and another for Thompson. In just 80 seconds, Syracuse had scored three times and taken a 7-6 lead.
Despite some successes, Saturday actually turned out to be a subpar afternoon for Mullen. The junior would immediately lose three faceoffs over the next six minutes. That allowed Harvard to pick up momentum of its own and score four straight. Mullen lost 11 of 24 faceoffs on Saturday, his most this year.
The key factor in limiting Mullen was Harvard faceoff specialist Owen Umanksky, who trained with him in the offseason. The junior tied his career-high with 13 faceoff wins, including 10 against Mullen.
“Familiarity breeds familiarity,” Harvard head coach Gerry Byrne said. “We didn’t go into the game thinking that could happen. I think the only guy who knew it was gonna happen was Owen Umansky.”
Syracuse opened the fourth quarter with another scoring run. Goals from SU sophomores Matt McIntee and Payton Anderson tied the game at 10. With an extra man up thanks to a slashing penalty by the Crimson, Luke Rhoa gave the Orange the lead with his third goal of the contest. Less than a minute later, Syracuse attackman Joey Spallina netted his only score of the game to give SU a 12-10 lead with just over six minutes to play.
The advantage didn’t last long, however. Aurandt notched his first-career hat trick to bring Harvard within one. Just 17 seconds later, a Crimson faceoff win by Umansky led to the first goal of the season for midfielder Sean Jordan to even the matchup at 12 goals apiece.
The next few minutes saw missed opportunities from both squads. A wide shot from Spallina gave Harvard possession, but then a shot clock violation turned the ball over to Syracuse. With a chance to take the lead nearing the final minute, SU couldn’t clear it and gave it back to the Crimson. This was where the Orange’s luck ran out.
Harvard attackman Nathan Cobery sent the game-winning shot past McCool with 50 seconds remaining. Syracuse tried to force overtime, but its only shot by Spallina was saved by Crimson goalie Graham Stevens.
The loss marks Syracuse's second to Harvard in two years. Amazingly, those are the Orange’s only defeats to the Crimson in program history across 21 contests. Before this matchup, SU was 12-0 against Harvard in Cambridge.
“It’s our first … road game, and we’ll learn from it, and we’ll get better,” Gait said. “I’m looking for the experience that we get out of traveling here in the middle of February.”
Syracuse’s road trip continues against Princeton on Friday at 4 p.m. The Tigers will look to get revenge on the Orange, who ended their season last year with a 19-18 win in the NCAA quarterfinals. WAER’s coverage of the matchup begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff at 3:30 p.m.
