Previewing the Opposition: No. 1 Maryland at No. 2 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse
A rematch from the last Championship Weekend may also be a preview of what's to come this Memorial Day.
The No. 1 Maryland Terrapins (1-0) head north to take on the No. 2 Syracuse Orange (2-0) Friday at 6pm. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.
The Terps have won eight straight games in the series, including three in the postseason.
To help set the stage for the event, I enlisted the help of some old colleagues from Syracuse: Christian De Guzman and John Orsenigo.
Christian has been the primary stats man for ESPN basketball and lacrosse broadcasts in Syracuse the past two years. He'll be in the booth next to Anish Shroff and Quint Kessenich during this very game.
John meanwhile has covered the Syracuse lacrosse teams for NunesMagician.com, the 'Cuse SB Nation affiliate where I got my start reporting on Orange football.
Here's what the duo had to say:
How has this Syracuse squad changed since their trip to Championship Weekend last year?
C: There are changes but, much like Maryland, a lot of this year’s Syracuse team stays the same. The biggest loss is star two-way midfielder Sam English. He was the 3rd overall pick in the PLL draft and the 2nd overall pick in the NLL draft.
Also gone is attackman Owen Hiltz, another 1st round draft pick in both leagues. The other two big losses are PLL draft picks in close defender Michael Grace and SSDM Carter Rice.
Other than those players, the core of this Syracuse team is largely the same. Terps fans will probably recognize the names Joey Spallina, Finn Thomson, Michael Leo, and Luke Rhoa on offense.
The defensive core also remains largely intact with Billy Dwan and Riley Figueras on close D, Jimmy McCool in net, and John Mullen at the faceoff dot.
That consistency is why the Orange are side-by-side with the Terps in terms of potential championship winners for 2026.
J: It’s early, but it looks like the Orange offense could offer a little more variety this season. Replacing Hiltz and English is a lot, but the young players are speedy and athletic, which could lead to SU having more success attacking teams off the dodge from anywhere on the field.
With Payton Anderson at attack, and Wyatt Hottle, Bogue Hahn and Matt McIntee at midfield, it looks like the depth and danger of the ‘Cuse offense could be increased in 2026.
2026 is Joey Spallina's last ride with SU. How much pressure is there to win it all before the Tewaaraton candidate moves on?
C: Imagine if Maryland gave the No. 1 jersey to a freshman. Imagine if Maryland promised that No. 1 jersey would be reserved for that freshman the moment he stepped on campus.
That is Joey Spallina. He’s worn the fabled Syracuse 22 for his entire career.
But the pressure to win isn’t just to preserve Spallina’s legacy. Remember, the Orange haven’t won a national title since 2009. That shouldn’t happen to the most storied championship program in college lacrosse.
With Spallina leading this star-studded senior class, the pressure is on all of them to lift the trophy on Memorial Day.
J: Joey Spallina and the ‘Cuse Class of 2022 were one of the highest-ranked and most highly anticipated classes for any school in recent memory, headlined by Spallina’s No. 1 ranking.
They’ve already done so much to help bring the program back from the depths of 4-10 in 2022, and they deserve major credit for that, but the SU history books remember you by national championships.
Joey and co. know that, and they’re approaching this season with an all or nothing mentality, especially for the seniors as they take their final ride.
There’s always pressure when you pull on an Orange jersey, especially with such a starved fanbase sitting on 17 years since its last title, and they’re not shying away from that reality.
The Orange beat Boston University to open the season, then utterly demolished Saint Joseph's. What are your takeaways from those wins?
C: The biggest weakness with the Orange offense is that it is subject to turnovers in bunches. That was especially apparent against Boston University’s 10-man ride. However, those issues seem to subside against Saint Joseph’s.
It’s no secret that Syracuse’s strength is offense. But you can’t ignore the work that the Orange goalie and faceoff duo put in as well. A key factor will be how Mullen performs against Henry Dodge, as Mullen’s game against Saint Joseph’s was pedestrian by his standards.
J: We pretty much knew where SU stood coming into the season with a very strong and veteran returning core, but there were plenty of questions of depth around that core, especially from the midfield.
The midfield has looked exciting and productive offensively through two games (courtesy of some of the names from the first question), and it has also been a solid part of a defense that’s done quite well in winning matchups and holding opposing offenses down.
The Orange have surrendered a combined eight goals so far this season but will get by far their biggest test this weekend.
Meanwhile, Jimmy McCool and Johnny Mullen are both off to excellent starts, giving the Orange a strong backbone up the middle in goal and at the dot, respectively.
What are your keys to beating Maryland?
C: Have C.J. Kirst (wink, wink).
If you can, go watch the regular season game that Syracuse played against Notre Dame last year. We know Maryland fans say Will Schaller is the best defender in the league. Notre Dame fans will say it’s Shawn Lyght.
Regardless, the Orange had an excellent game plan to get Spallina away from Lyght so he could actually touch the ball. If Syracuse can figure out the same thing so that Spallina isn’t trying to force plays against Schaller, it should keep Orange turnovers low and Orange ball time high.
J: First and foremost, you absolutely cannot beat yourselves if you’re planning to beat Maryland. The turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes must be kept to a minimum.
A lot of SU’s issues against Maryland in recent years have revolved around their offense getting stymied by the Terps and their defense. Their free-flowing nature has, at times, been disrupted by teams that play a tough, physical, smart brand on that end.
I think Christian brings up a great point about the way SU utilized Joey Spallina against Shawn Lyght and Notre Dame last year. They moved him all around the field and kept the ball out of his stick to force Lyght to defend him in a different way than he expected to.
That’s worth investigating here for offensive coordinator Pat March, especially after Will Schaller shut Spallina down in the Final Four.
Thank you to Christian and John for their insight into the Orange. You can check out my return preview and plenty of other Syracuse content over at NunesMagician.com.
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Mike joined Maryland On SI with over four years of sportswriting experience. He started off his career in Syracuse on the Orange football beat, where he was featured on CBS Sports' Cover 3 Podcast and local ESPN sports talk radio. After that, he had a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball before returning to college sports.
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