No. 5 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (11-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) takes on the number one team in the nation, Notre Dame (9-1, 2-1 ACC), on Saturday at noon.
The Orange are coming off of their largest victory since February, a seven-goal win against Colgate last Saturday. SU senior Joey Spallina broke the all-time points record in the matchup, beating former attackman Mikey Powell’s tally of 307 points.
All eyes were on attackman Joey Spallina in No. 5 @CuseMLAX's win over Colgate yesterday. The senior entered just two points shy of breaking Mike Powell's all-time program points record.@mhoffnyc had the call for Spallina's record-breaking assist.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) April 19, 2026
(📹: ESPN) pic.twitter.com/97bdWOEF6V
But the senior did more than just break a record. Spallina tallied two goals and a game-high seven points, his most in nearly a month. The performance was good enough to earn the New York native player of the week honors at The Lacrosse Network.
𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊: Joey Spallina, @CuseMLAX 🍊 @SpallinaJoey made HISTORY over the weekend, breaking the Syracuse program record for career points previously held by Mikey Powell 📈 pic.twitter.com/WYWWWf0mYx
— TLN 🥍 (@LacrosseNetwork) April 20, 2026
All of the accolades and wins are great, but there are no misconceptions about what the end goal is for this squad.
“We made it to the final four last year, and this year I think the only thing [the team thinks is] successful this year is if we finish it,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said postgame.
SU attackman Michael Leo backed him up.
“You want to do whatever it takes to bring a trophy and a banner back to the Dome,” the senior said. “We’re going to do it, I know we are. This group is special, [and] we're going to be ready.”
The ‘Cuse is no stranger to playing the top dogs this year. Back in February, Syracuse welcomed then No. 1 Maryland to the Dome and won in nail-biting fashion, 11-9.
SU needed another big performance from its number 22 in that game as well. The senior scored four goals in Syracuse’s first win against the Terrapins since 2009, a game-high.
However, the Orange won’t be at home in this one. The ‘Cuse travels to South Bend for the matchup in Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium. Like Syracuse, Notre Dame is undefeated at home this season, with a 4-0 record.
Arlotta Stadium has been a fortress for the Fighting Irish in recent seasons. It has been four years since Notre Dame lost multiple games in a single season at home.
“I think just having people there should help us. If it's loud, it's more like the Dome,” Gait said about the arena. “Whether they're cheering for us or cheering against us, it brings energy. People bring energy, and I hope that we can absorb that and have a great game. It's going to be fun.”
Syracuse has struggled against Notre Dame since it made the move to the stadium in 2009. The ‘Cuse is 2-6 against the Fighting Irish in Arlotta.
Notre Dame brings the third-best scoring defense in the country into the matchup, surrendering eight goals per game this season. The Irish are anchored by Will Donovan, one of the best long-stick midfielders in the country. Donovan, a senior, has the second most ground balls this year for Notre Dame.
On the offensive side, the Irish rely on graduate student Josh Yago and sophomore Luke Miller as attackmen. Both players have 20 goals this season, a team-best. However, the dynamic duo have gone cold as of late, with only three goals between the pair in the last two games.
The 1-seed of the upcoming ACC Tournament depends on the winner of this game and the victor of No. 3 North Carolina and No. 16 Duke. Both contests are set for a noon faceoff on Saturday. Syracuse clinches a top-two spot with a win, but needs the Tar Heels to lose in order to receive the 1-seed. A Notre Dame victory, regardless of other matchup outcomes, would see the ‘Cuse stay in its current 3-seed.
Find out which top-five team comes out on top at noon on Saturday. Tune in to WAER at 11:30 for McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.