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Two mediocre seasons in a row under head coach Gary Gait left Syracuse with more questions than answers heading into 2024. The Orange were on the brink of making history. The wrong kind.

SU never missed the postseason three years in a row. Coming off a disappointing finish to 2023, doubts remained. Could a Division III transfer and a freshman reshape a dreadful faceoff unit? Was Joey Spallina going to make another jump as a sophomore? Would a new-look defensive unit lock down?

It all culminated into one question that superseded the rest: can Syracuse return to its glory days of competing among the best?

At points, the answer has been a definitive yes, but also a conclusive no. And that’s the issue. The Orange still haven’t given us a concrete answer on if they’re “back.”

Without question, Syracuse’s regular season was a step in the right direction. For the first time since 2021, the Orange will be in the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 4 overall seed — their highest since 2017 when they were the No. 2 seed. But inconsistencies have marred an overall successful campaign.

Syracuse’s roster is undoubtedly one of the best in the country yet it hasn’t completely gelled, and the Orange are running out of time.

To ensure that SU returns to its winning ways, Gait added Tufts transfer Mason Kohn and freshman John Mullen to the faceoff unit, Princeton transfers Sam English and Jake Stevens in the midfield and former Lehigh attack Christian Mulé. Together, they’d help bring back the “Orange Standard.”

“Coach Gait set that standard. I don’t think that standard has been back for a bit,” Spallina said on Jan. 25. “I don’t think there’s necessarily pressure on us, but we know what we have to do and just take it one day at a time.”

But SU failed in its first two true tests of the season, falling in overtime to Maryland and Army. The Orange couldn’t close. A theme synonymous with 2023 seemed to carry over.

Despite initial roadblocks, it soon became apparent SU’s early season losses wouldn’t define it. A 13-12 win over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins — Gait’s first top-five win — was a step in the right direction.

“It’s definitely the monkey off the back a bit,” Spallina said postgame. “We’ve come so close my last two seasons and to finally beat a top-five team is huge.”

The win kickstarted Syracuse’s season-high five-game winning streak. Eleven days later, SU dismantled then-No. 4 Duke 10-4. Will Mark’s 13 stops and 77.8% save rate helped the Orange hold the Blue Devils to their lowest single-game scoring total since 2012.

SU’s attacking depth — spearheaded by Spallina, Mulé and Owen Hiltz — has always been its strong point. Its defense was the main concern, yet the performance against Duke only showed dominance. It wasn’t just that Syracuse won, but how it did.

Reigning Tewaaraton winner Brennan O’Neill was held to just 1-for-11 shooting and the rest of the Blue Devils’ top-rated offense was a non-factor. The victory spurred the question of whether SU was officially “back.”

Yet 10 days later, No. 1 Notre Dame easily dispatched the Orange 16-14. A late flurry cut a once six-goal deficit in the third quarter to two, but it was too late as the reigning national champions outmatched Syracuse.

Misery was compounded three days later against then-No. 14 Cornell. 7-0 and 16-10 leads disappeared in the fourth quarter, as Cornell came out with an 18-17 double-overtime victory. Offensive coordinator Pat March’s ejection in the first quarter could be offered as an excuse, but the late miscues were unacceptable.

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Immaturity from 2023 began to rear its ugly head again and all of a sudden, Syracuse was back at square one. It lost its composure, comparable to its 20-12 loss to Notre Dame in 2023 where it conceded nine straight fourth-quarter goals.

Even in Syracuse’s 10-9 win over North Carolina — where March was suspended — similar problems occurred. Syracuse led by six in the third quarter but struggled with UNC’s pressure on the ride. If not for Mark’s late heroics, the Orange wouldn’t have survived.

When March returned, it was business as usual for Syracuse’s offense, scoring 18 against then-No. 4 Virginia in a one-goal victory. Sill, there was cause for concern as SU trailed by three with less than 10 minutes left.

The game encapsulated Syracuse’s season. For portions, SU looked unstoppable while its deficiencies were still ever-present, especially on the defensive end. But during their comeback, the Orange played complimentary lacrosse.

The problem is Syracuse hasn’t played a complete game since its regular season performance against Duke. The win over the Blue Devils propelled the Orange to their highest peak in recent memory. Since then, they haven’t been nearly as impressive. There have been spurts, like against UVA, but that doesn’t win national championships.

Recent concerns emerged in the ACC Tournament semifinals — a rematch with Duke. Unlike on March 20, the Blue Devils’ attack exploded. Not even five minutes in, Duke had more goals than in the regular season meeting (five) before Syracuse touched the ball. Mark let in eight shots in a row and was pulled for Jimmy McCool before the end of the first quarter. The Orange never recovered and ended up falling 18-13.

“From the opening whistle, they were ready to prove they weren’t the same team we played earlier in the season and they really took it to us,” Gait said.

Syracuse’s side of the bracket in the NCAA Tournament is somewhat favorable. An opening-round game against Towson, then a potential quarterfinals matchup against an inconsistent Michigan team or a beatable Denver squad means SU’s path to championship weekend is clear.

But if its most recent performance is replicated, Syracuse might as well kiss its tournament hopes goodbye. Unlike in the regular season, one bad five-minute stretch of play can ruin a year of work. Yet if there’s one thing to know about SU in 2024, it’s that it plays with a chip on its shoulder. Picked fifth in the ACC preseason poll with uncertainty looming over the program, it wasn’t clear if the Orange would make it to the postseason.

That’s why Syracuse’s season should be considered a success overall. But its performances still beg the question: will SU show up come tournament time? Once push comes to shove, the inconsistencies will likely hold Syracuse back from reaching its full potential.

Zak Wolf is the Sports Editor for The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at zakwolf784254@gmail.com or on X @ZakWolf22.

Published on May 9, 2024 at 12:45 am