Amidst a six-game winning streak, No. 3 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse (9-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) visits ACC powerhouse No. 2 North Carolina (9-1, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday. With a win over the Tar Heels, SU will have won seven straight, its longest streak in nearly a decade.
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“The guy's just so good. You’ve got to be prepared… John Mullen’s very good as well so he’ll get a shot to go head-to-head. But he's definitely a difference maker for him.”
When the Orange and the Tar Heels faced off last year, Syracuse FOGO John Mullen won just 40% of faceoffs against Wambach. But Mullen held his own against a top 10 FOGO last week in Duke’s Cal Girard. Against Girard, opponents claim just 38% of faceoffs. Mullen walked off winning nearly 50% of meetings at X.
Beyond the faceoff spot, UNC fronts a Tewaraton watchlist attackman, Dominic Pietramala. In his last time out with the Orange, the redshirt junior ran the show with six goals.
A late fourth quarter surge for No. 11 @CuseMLAX wasn't enough in its 14-12 loss to No. 8 @UNCMensLacrosse.@GiffMD and @GriffinMarcy1 had the call of the Senior Day defeat from the JMA Wireless Dome. pic.twitter.com/mg7eLSTLhD
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) April 26, 2025
“He’s [Pietramala] a competitor,” said Gait on Thursday. “He definitely had our number last year… hopefully we can do a better job this year containing him.”
Pietramala is paired with fellow attackman Owen Duffy. The duo combine for nearly 17 shots per game, about 60% of North Carolina’s total attempts (29/g).
“Those two guys feed off each other,” said Gait. “Duffy's become a good feeder. He can dodge and draw players and then either skip to Petra [Pietramala]... They're very talented.”
But Syracuse is no stranger to dealing with high octane offenses. SU’s last two opponents, then No. 6 Duke and No. 13 Georgetown, both sit as top 25 offenses in the NCAA. The Orange outscored them both. The difference between those foes and North Carolina though… the goalkeeper.
Both Duke and Georgetown are anchored by top 25 goalies in the nation. UNC isn’t as fortunate. Tar Heel net minder Josh Marcus saves 49% of shots, the fewest in the ACC. Against goalkeepers that save less than 50% of attempts, the Orange average 16 goals per game, that’s three more than their usual mark (13 goals/g).
This game has major implications according to Gary Gait. In the ACC, things shook up last weekend when then top-ranked Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the season to previously unranked Virginia. With the nation's best falling flat, the ACC’s top spot has opened wider.
“You want to be as high as possible [in the ACC tournament]. That's what we're fighting for here. We want to do what we can to position ourselves to make a run in the playoffs. So, this game's huge.”
No. 3 Syracuse and No. 2 North Carolina face off from Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill at 2 p.m. on Saturday. WAER’s McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff begins at 1:30 on 88.3 FM and waer.org.