Syracuse Men's Lacrosse's Season Ends With Loss at Duke

The Orange was unable to pull out a win and keep its postseason hopes alive.

In a must-win game for Syracuse men’s lacrosse, the Orange was unable to pull out a victory. Coming into the matchup with an 8-6 overall record and a 1-4 ACC record, postseason hopes were dwindling. A win against #2 Duke would potentially put them back in the conversation.

The Orange dropped their regular season finale to the Duke Blue Devils 18-15. With the loss, they’ll close out their season 8-7 overall and just 1-5 against conference opponents.

Because there is no ACC Tournament for men’s lacrosse, regular season results determine the 18 teams selected to the NCAA Tournament (14 automatically advance to the first round, four play play-in games). Eight teams get automatic bids by winning their conference.

The chances of seeing the Orange in the postseason are slim to none, as they are eligible after finishing above .500, but they don’t have much more to show for their season after today’s loss. This would have been three ranked wins from one of the nation’s toughest schedules in the nation’s toughest conference.

The last time these two teams squared off, the game was so uneven on the stat sheet that many wondered how Syracuse managed to force overtime and only lose by one goal. Today, it was much more even on paper, but it didn’t always feel like it.

Between scoring runs, momentum shifts and outstanding individual performances, the loss was at least an entertaining one. Early in the fourth period, Syracuse went on a run, scoring four straight goals and clawing their way back in the game. With 11:40 to play, Syracuse was down just 15-13 with their season on the line.

However, the Blue Devils ran away with it. They scored twice to regain a comfortable lead and ensure that the young Syracuse team that came so close to pulling the upset in the Dome didn’t get the chance to do it in Durham.

The Syracuse defense didn’t play their greatest game, but it doesn’t help that Dyson Williams put on one of his best performances of the season. The senior scored six goals on nine shots, tacking on an assist, too.

Behind him, it was Brennan O’Neill putting up the same exact numbers he did in the Dome. O’Neill, just like he did on March 5, scored four goals on the Orange and assisted two more. The junior is a Tewaaraton Award nominee, and is widely considered to be a frontrunner; he looked every bit like one of the nation’s best against the Orange.

For Syracuse, the efforts of Luke Rhoa can’t go unnoticed. The freshman stepped up in the biggest of moments, recording his first career hat trick in what is likely to be his last game as a rookie. Those three goals came on five shots.

Behind Rhoa came Jackson Birtwistle, Alex Simmons, Joey Spallina and Cole Kirst, all with two goals apiece. The scoring was more spread out for ‘Cuse today, a testament to how suffocating the Duke defense really was. They forced the Orange to move the ball in order to get a shot off, and the Syracuse offense just couldn’t find a way to score at the end of the day.

For Spallina, this is likely the end of a sensational freshman campaign, one of the program’s best. Over the course of his first 15 games in a Syracuse uniform, he scored 36 goals and assisted 32 more for a total of 68 points in his first year. The new #22 rose above head coach Gary Gait on the freshman scoring list in the process, placing him in the program’s all-time top five in that category for freshmen.

Spallina isn’t the only young talent with a promising future at Syracuse. Michael Leo, Luke Rhoa, Finn Thomson and Billy Dwan are all freshmen, and all of them contributed significantly on both ends of the field. Others, such as Jackson Birtwistle and Owen Hiltz, are just sophomores, meaning the ‘Cuse is returning lots of young talent next year.

Other notable names with remaining eligibility include Will Mark, Griffin Cook, Max Rosa, Nick Caccamo, Caden Kol and Saam Olexo. Needless to say, coach Gait and his staff have lots of pieces to work with next year in the hopes of bringing a former national powerhouse back to its former glory.

Notable names that have exhausted their collegiate eligibility are Alex Simmons and Cole Kirst. Both graduate transfers, the two were huge parts of the Orange offense this year, and their presence will be sorely missed by the Orange team, coaches and fans.

In the unlikely event that the NCAA selection committee chooses to grant Syracuse a postseason bid, that would be announced on Sunday May 7. More likely than not, the road ends here for Syracuse men’s lacrosse, but with so much young talent returning, Orange nation certainly has lots to be excited for come opening draw in 2024.