Beat writers split on No. 9 SU’s chance to upset No. 2 Johns Hopkins

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Gary Gait is excited about taking No. 9 Syracuse on the road for the first time this season. After seven straight home games, including two in the middle of the week, Gait said it’s going to be helpful for the Orange to spend time “on just lacrosse,” watching film and preparing as a whole team in Charlotte, North Carolina.

SU wasn’t given an easy task with its first road test. No. 2 John Hopkins earned its highest ranking of the season following a 16-14 upset over Virginia. The Blue Jays defeated North Carolina a week before too with their only loss coming in overtime to then-No. 15 Denver.

Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen when Syracuse (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) faces Johns Hopkins (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten):

Zak Wolf (5-2)
Another roadblock
Syracuse 13, Johns Hopkins 16

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been a bit of a homer so far this season. But it’s time to change things up. I haven’t picked against Syracuse yet, but that changes now. Although two is my favorite number, it doesn’t look too good in the loss column for my prediction record.

Johns Hopkins is coming off its biggest win in recent memory, defeating then-No. 2 Virginia on the road 16-14. Although the numbers don’t make the Blue Jays look like an explosive offense — averaging 13 goals per game — they can put up points in a hurry as shown by its five-goal fourth quarter in Charlottesville. Syracuse can keep up offensively, but SU’s defense is my biggest concern against Hopkins. Army abused Syracuse’s short-stick middies to hand the Orange a loss at home. Even in portions of the High Point game, their off-ball defense struggled to deal with cutters.

A lot of the pressure falls on Joey Spallina and the rest of Syracuse’s attack (rightfully so), but Saturday will come down to whether defenders Riley Figueiras and Billy Dwan can slow down Hopkins’ two-leading scorers Jacob Angelus and Garrett Degnon. Will Mark also needs to have a big day in net if the Orange want to survive. But in the end, I think defeating Johns Hopkins will be too tall of a task.

Cooper Andrews (6-1)
Ah sh*t, here we go again
Syracuse 14, Johns Hopkins 15

Taking from the words of “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” character Carl Johnson, Syracuse plunges into a familiar scenario. Another top-10 opponent has materialized on SU’s daunting 2024 slate, and No. 2 Johns Hopkins will be its biggest test to date. I see another case where the Orange come close but cannot finish.

I keep reverting back to Spallina, often predicting gaudy stat lines from the attack. Though, he’s been consistently locked down by some of the best defenders in the country, held to just one goal against Maryland and silenced to zero versus Army. And with the Blue Jays’ long pole trio of Beaudan Szuluk, Scott V. Smith and former No. 2 overall defenseman recruit Quintan Kilrain, I believe Spallina will struggle once again.

Despite Johns Hopkins totaling the seventh-best scoring defense in the nation (9.50 goals allowed per game), Syracuse won’t have an issue getting points on the board. Yet, the Orange still haven’t found their closer to upset high-level opponents. Spallina is supposed to be that guy, though the evidence points against him. I don’t envision SU getting over the hump versus a proven Blue Jays squad, and it’ll fall to 0-3 versus top-10 competition.

Anish Vasudevan (6-1)
Why not?
Syracuse 12, Johns Hopkins 11

This is one of the most unpredictable years of collegiate lacrosse in recent memory. The top 10 has consistently shuffled since Inside Lacrosse’s preseason rankings first came out with Notre Dame and Duke as the top two teams in the country. Now, the ACC isn’t the league to beat. Instead, a team located in a state known for pack burro racing and snowboarding is at the top of the rankings.

My point is that rankings are arbitrary. And because of this, I’m picking Syracuse to win Saturday. The Orange have shown they’re a couple plays away from defeating top 10 teams in the country with the defense and faceoff unit keeping the game close. Against the Blue Jays, I think Mason Kohn will get the edge on Logan Callahan, giving SU enough chances to make that final play to put it over the top.

Johns Hopkins will shut Spallina down, but I’m expecting Michael Leo and Luke Rhoa to carry in their short-stick matchups, just like they did against the Terrapins. This game is going to come down to the wire, but I think the Orange are going to be juiced on the road. If Spallina’s supporting cast and Kohn are playing their best, they’ll shock the entire country.