Syracuse men’s lacrosse rises to No. 6 in Week 5 Inside Lacrosse Poll

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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has been ranked No. 6 in the Week 5 Inside Lacrosse Poll released Monday. Last week the Orange dropped to No. 9 after a win against High Point and a loss against Army. But following a 14-13 win over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins, the Orange rose three spots. The victory over the Blue Jays was the first top-five win under head coach Gary Gait and the first top-10 win since March 26, 2022, against then-No. 10 Duke.

This season, Syracuse’s two losses have been by a combined two goals. First against then-No. 4 Maryland, Michael Leo scored, but a goal mouth violation ruled his potential game-winner off in overtime. Against then-No.4 Army Christian Mulé missed an open goal in overtime. On both occasions, SU was punished with the Terrapins and Black Knights scoring on the ensuing possessions.

On Saturday in Charlotte, the Orange faced Johns Hopkins, their toughest matchup on paper of the season, yet Syracuse escaped the crown city with a win. A sloppy first half left Syracuse with just three goals as it trailed by one. But eight goals in the third quarter helped the Orange take an 11-8 lead. A back-and-forth fourth quarter had SU leading 14-13 with two and a half minutes remaining. Mason Kohn won the ensuing faceoff — part of an 18-for-25 effort — and Syracuse pushed the clock down to 16 seconds left. From there the Orange got one last defensive stop to hold on for the win.

Joey Spallina led the way with six points (two goals, four assists) while Mulé and Jake Stevens added hat tricks. Will Mark had 11 saves in net and although JHU’s leading scorer Garrett Degnon scored a game-high five goals, the Orange held on for the win.

The Orange next take on No. 20 Delaware Saturday at 2 p.m.