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Syracuse men’s lacrosse was ranked No. 2 in Inside Lacrosse’s Preseason Poll, released Tuesday. The ranking is SU’s highest since Gary Gait was hired in 2021, besting its No. 3 ranking it held during last season. Notre Dame is the only school ranked ahead of Syracuse, while three other ACC teams (Virginia, Duke, North Carolina) fell within the top 16. The Orange also are scheduled to play nine of the teams in the preseason ranking this year as well.
Syracuse is coming off its most successful season under Gary Gait. It went 12-6 and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. The Orange also won a tournament game for the first time since 2017, defeating Towson before falling to Denver 10-8 in the quarterfinals.
Despite the disappointing ending, Syracuse won as many games in 2024 as it did across Gait’s first two seasons. SU also returns plenty of experienced players. Joey Spallina is the headliner, coming off a year where he finished with 88 points. Additionally, Owen Hiltz, Michael Leo, Finn Thomson and Billy Dwan are back.
Though the Orange lost midfielder Jake Stevens, goalie Will Mark and faceoff man Mason Kohn. Still, they should have adequate replacements, especially in net and at the X with Jimmy McCool and John Mullen.
Syracuse opens the season against Jacksonville on Feb. 1, which is coached by former SU goalie John Galloway.
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