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No. 3 Syracuse has reached its highest ranking under head coach Gary Gait following wins over then-No. 4 Duke and Hobart. Still undefeated in March, the Orange are firing on all cylinders with four games left in the season.

Now SU has its toughest test of the year, facing No. 1 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The Orange haven’t beaten the Fighting Irish since 2018, losing by an average of just over 10 goals in their last five matchups.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when No. 3 Syracuse (9-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) takes on No. 1 Notre Dame (5-1, 0-0 ACC):

Zak Wolf (7-4)
Close but no cigar
Syracuse 9, Notre Dame 11

Notre Dame is by far the best team in the country at this point in the season. It has the top-ranked offense and defense in the country on top of having a complete roster. Although SU has faced stiff competition in 2024, the Fighting Irish are its greatest test.

With two potent attacks, this game will come down to the goalies. Will Mark and Liam Entenmann are two of the best goalies in college lacrosse. Entenmann is the reigning 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player while Mark is one of the hottest players in the country. As good as Mark has been the past three games — 17 goals allowed and a 71% save rate — Entenmann is better. Entenmann dominated the championship game last season, recording 18 saves against Duke.

Beating Notre Dame’s stingy defenders will be tough, but getting past Entenmann is even tougher. Joey Spallina and the rest of the attack can’t afford to have an off day. The Orange have the benefit of not relying on a single player to produce the majority of their offense with nine players scoring at least nine goals this season. But as many weapons as SU has, Notre Dame has experience on their side, helping it eke out a win.

Cooper Andrews (8-3)
Running out of luck
Syracuse 12, Notre Dame 14

The Orange are on a tear. A five-game winning streak. A top-five team faceoff winning rate in the nation (61.6%). Major wins over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins and then-No. 4 Duke. The best national ranking (No. 3) in Gait’s three-year tenure. But at some point, your luck turns against you. And Syracuse’s recent good fortune will end versus the Fighting Irish.

The good fortune I speak of resides in SU’s defense. It’s been nothing short of incredible over the last few games, particularly against the Blue Devils. Led by Mark and long pole Billy Dwan — who just won National and ACC Player of the Week, respectively — the Orange quelled Duke’s then-No. 1 scoring offense in the country to just four goals. Star attack Brennan O’Neill only mustered one.

I don’t see a similar performance playing out Saturday. Notre Dame’s offense is electric. It’s No. 1 in the nation in shot percentage, shot-on-goal percentage and efficiency while it’s also second in Division I in turnover percentage. The Fighting Irish also have Jake Taylor, who’s tied for the third-most goals per game in the country with 3.67. SU’s defense isn’t experienced enough to remain consistent against a juggernaut like ND, and I think John Odierna’s group will suffer a brief setback.

Anish Vasudevan (10-1)
Luck of the Orange
Syracuse 12, Notre Dame 10

This is where being atop the beat writers’ predictions plays into my favor. I can take a big swing if I want to with no actual repercussions to my place in the standings. So this week I’m turning into Pablo Sandoval.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Orange could very well win the ACC. The reason I said that is because the giants of the conference have strayed away from their usual dominance. Every team lost in the span of six days earlier in the season, including Notre Dame losing to Georgetown. The Hoyas silenced the Kavanagh brothers, allowing them to score just two goals. With Odierna’s defense coming off a monster performance against the Blue Devils, I think they could do something similar.

Syracuse is completely different from the team that lost by eight goals to Notre Dame last season. In that game, SU gave up a one-goal advantage by losing six straight faceoffs. With Mason Kohn and John Mullen this year, that won’t happen. Kohn and Mullen are the ones who will finally close the talent gap between both programs, ushering the Orange as they break their curse against the Fighting Irish. Time to play “Passionfruit” and party like it’s 2017.

Published on March 27, 2024 at 11:56 pm