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In his preseason press conference on Jan. 23, Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said he’s grateful his team plays in a dome. He made it clear he doesn’t love the typical bone-dry, bitter-cold Syracuse winter. Although, the weather outside is just as frigid as the Orange’s last 15 years of postseason lacrosse.

Syracuse qualified for its first NCAA Tournament of Gait’s three-year tenure last season. But it only mustered a first-round win over Towson before exiting in the national quarterfinal to Denver. The Orange haven’t made a Final Four since 2013. They haven’t won a national title since 2009. This year, however, they’re finally poised for a breakthrough.

Led by Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz in the attack, along with long pole Billy Dwan and RIT transfer long-stick midfielder Michael Grace, SU is ranked No. 2 in the nation to begin 2025. The kettle is hot, and it’s time for the Orange to strike, even if Gait won’t go right out and say it.

“We focus on the process and what you do every day and what type of player you are,” Gait said. “Not the pressure of the results and the expectations.”

Here are the four biggest questions for Syracuse men’s lacrosse heading into 2025:

Will the Orange fill their void between the pipes?

Will Mark was outstanding as Syracuse’s starting goaltender from 2023-24. A two-time Tewaaraton Trophy nominee (2023, 2024) and an All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team member (2024), the Long Island University transfer made his mark on the program. He graduated last spring with 412 saves, a .533 save percentage and 20 wins.

Heading into 2025, it seemed redshirt sophomore Jimmy McCool would be thrust into Mark’s place. He was one of just three goaltenders who played last season, notably subbing in against Duke in the ACC Tournament after Mark was pulled in the first quarter.

Gait has decided to keep his plans under wraps, though.

“I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes,” Gait said of SU’s goaltender situation. “Obviously, someone’s got to start. And if they do really well, you’ll probably keep them in there.”

Gait’s bold words could be a ruse. Regardless, that’s not exactly a vote of confidence for any particular goaltender. McCool tallied just a 37.5% save rate against Duke last May, though he was put in a tough spot. The 6-foot-2 goalie from Boston was a USA Lacrosse All-American out of high school and elicits plenty of potential going forward. But for now, the Orange are still without a confirmed starter.

Their other three options are redshirt junior Kyle Rolley, sophomore Michael Ippoliti and freshman Brayden Ferguson. Rolley didn’t make an appearance last year after getting 5:44 of game time as a redshirt freshman in 2023, while Ippoliti was ranked the No. 58 freshman heading into 2024 by Inside Lacrosse.

Where are the downhill dodgers?

Michael Leo is, essentially, Syracuse’s only established downhill dodger. The rest of the team’s offensive star power leans heavily on similar playstyles: attackers who dodge from X, like Joey Spallina, or cutting midfielders, like Sam English. The Orange need more physical goal-scorers to diversify their approach.

The solution? Enter freshman Payton Anderson. Sure, Gait showed last year he’s not keen to play his freshmen, with highly-touted attack Trey Deere riding the bench most of the season. But Anderson’s potential is through the roof.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound attack/midfielder is the 18th-ranked incoming freshman in 2025, according to Inside Lacrosse. His abnormal size for someone who can play attack beckons at least a few appearances this season. The physical tools and shooting mastery are there, and his development would only be spurred by playing with a high-caliber SU roster.

It may sound ridiculous, but at his absolute best, Anderson has a Brennan O’Neill-level ceiling. He may be SU’s best shot at fostering depth among its downhill dodgers.

Is this team experienced enough to get over the hump?

Despite suggesting that the first-year Anderson could play this year, a lack of experience has bitten the Orange in critical moments over the last couple of seasons. Their 2022 recruiting haul — featuring Spallina, Leo, Finn Thomson, Luke Rhoa, Dwan and Riley Figueiras — makes up a significant part of their team. But they haven’t been ready to beat the best of the best.

The 2023 season saw the Orange lose back-to-back games to then-No. 3 Virginia and then-No. 2 Duke to end the regular season, eliminating them from postseason contention. Last year, with much higher expectations, Syracuse laid an egg against the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament, then fell flat on offense for a premature NCAA Tournament exit.

Now, with that 2022 class as juniors, the Orange are bound to take another step forward this season. It’s just a matter of how significant that’ll be.

“We do have a lot more experience on the field, so hopefully they’ve learned from the past,” Gait said. “We just focus on execution … taking all the past experiences and using that to make sure that we come out better this year than we have in the past.”

A major factor in SU’s success will be Spallina’s development as he enters his third season. The former No. 1 overall recruit carries a target on his back. He’s posted gaudy numbers at Syracuse through two seasons, with 156 points in 33 games. Still, Spallina was held scoreless in five of 18 contests last year.

But with chemistry increasing between him and his supporting cast, Spallina said, his game is ready to make another sizable jump.

“I honestly love the pressure,” Spallina said on Jan. 23. “I think it’s deserved. I wear number 22 here, so there’s going to be pressure whether I want it or not.”

Can SU survive its late-season gauntlet?

As usual, the Orange face a grueling late portion of their schedule. Their last five regular-season games include matchups at Virginia (March 29) and Duke (April 19), a neutral-site game against Cornell (April 12) on Long Island and a home test versus North Carolina (April 26).

But the hardest of them all is when defending national champion Notre Dame pays a visit on April 5.

Syracuse went 3-3 against those marquee opponents in 2024, including the postseason. It’ll likely be the stretch that determines the Orange’s ACC Tournament seed and, ultimately, their seed in the Big Dance.

Particular attention should be given to the pivotal two-game stretch embedded in SU’s final five games that feature back-to-back contests against the Fighting Irish and Big Red.

The Orange lost to both squads last year, including a double-overtime heartbreaker at Cornell, where they blew a seven-goal lead. While Syracuse no longer has to worry about Notre Dame’s Pat Kavanagh, last year’s Tewaaraton winner, it still stares down a matchup with lethal Big Red attack CJ Kirst.

Those two games could help decide the trajectory of SU’s campaign. Winning both games, or even splitting them, should allow the Orange to head into the twilight of the season with confidence. But dropping both could spark a skid and cause Syracuse to again end its season prematurely.

Published on January 27, 2025 at 10:16 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews