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Syracuse returned to Inside Lacrosse’s top 20 rankings for the first time in six weeks on Monday morning. The Orange are ranked 17th after receiving 81 points. 

SU beat then-No. 15 Princeton on Saturday, 16-13, for its fourth win in five games. The victory also snapped a ten-game losing streak against ranked opponents that stretched back to last season. Joey Spallina led all scorers with four goals, and Finn Thomson and Cole Kirst both added hat tricks. Syracuse jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter with goals from five different players, and held the Tigers scoreless in the fourth quarter. 

The Orange have three games remaining, all against ranked teams. No. 11 North Carolina awaits on Saturday afternoon, with games at No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 Duke on the following weekends. The Tar Heels beat SU 19-13 in the JMA Wireless Dome back in February, and the Blue Devils won 14-13 at Syracuse the following week.

Duke slipped a spot to No. 3 in the IL poll after losing by five at Notre Dame over the weekend. The Devils had been riding an eight-game win streak. Notre Dame and Virginia jumped over Duke to the top two spots, respectively. 

With just five teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference doesn’t have its own tournament, meaning its teams have to secure an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse is 0-3 in ACC play so far, and head coach Gary Gait said after the Hobart win on March 25 that each of its remaining five games was a de facto playoff game for it to play in the postseason. Since that win, the Orange lost to Notre Dame and defeated Princeton.

SU entered the season just outside of the top 20, but quickly entered after three straight wins to start the season. After its three-goal loss at Maryland, though, the Orange exited, not returning until this week.

Published on April 10, 2023 at 5:12 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_