John Odierna joins Syracuse as new defensive coordinator

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Former Manhattan head coach John Odierna will join Syracuse as its new defensive coordinator, according to Inside Lacrosse’s Ty Xanders.

Odierna spent the last eight seasons with the Jaspers, seven of them as an assistant before becoming the head coach this year. In 2023, Odierna led Manhattan to a 10-5 record and the number one seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. 

While with Manhattan, Odierna helped develop the top defense in the country. This past season, the Jaspers allowed the least amount of goals (8) per game in the country. Manhattan also had the fourth best man-down defense in the country, defending 75 percent of their opponents’ man-up opportunities. 

Odierna replaces Dave Pietramala, who spent two seasons with Syracuse after 20 years with Johns Hopkins. With Hopkins, Pietramala led the Blue Jays to two national championships in 2005 and 2007 before leaving the program in 2019.

In 2022, Syracuse allowed 14.7 goals per game. In 2023, graduate transfer Will Mark became the strating goalie and helped the SU defense limit opponents to 12.1 goals per game.  

The addition of Odierna brings a new look to Syracuse. The Orange finished 8-7 last season but went 1-5 in the ACC and missed out on the NCAA tournament for a second straight year.