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Syracuse took down Hobart 18-7 to keep the Kraus-Simmons Trophy and move to 6-4 last week. It rode a three-game winning streak during the middle of the season after taking care of each of its unranked nonconference opponents in dominant fashion. And for the first time since they fell out of the top 20 rankings, the Orange have received votes in the latest Inside Lacrosse poll.

On Saturday, SU welcomes No. 3 Notre Dame to the JMA Wireless Dome in hopes of taking down its first ranked opponent since 2021. The Fighting Irish got off to an impressive 6-0 start and settled in as the No. 1 team in the country before falling last week to then-No. 3 Virginia 15-10. ND has beaten three ranked teams and held four different opponents to eight goals or less.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse takes on Notre Dame (6-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) this weekend:

Anish Vasudevan (8-2)
Ranked railroad
Notre Dame 13, Syracuse 11

The end of the Orange’s easy stretch of the season is here. Syracuse faces ranked teams the rest of the way this season, the first stop is No. 3 Notre Dame. Head coach Gary Gait knows his team is in a good spot to clinch an NCAA Tournament spot. But SU is slated against its toughest opponent so far.

The Fighting Irish have dominated versus the Orange in recent years, winning the last four contests by a scoring differential of 80-36. Syracuse is a better team this year but it’s still outmatched against the Kavanaghs of Notre Dame. Will Mark has provided more stability in goal but Notre Dame’s offense is balanced perfectly around the Cavanaghs, leading to plenty of wide open shots.

Syracuse’s talented offense could make this closer than usual but it’s still going to end in a loss. Better luck against Princeton next weekend.

Connor Smith (9-1)
Out of luck
Notre Dame 15, Syracuse 12

Notre Dame is coming off its first loss of the year, but this is still arguably the best team on Syracuse’s schedule this season. The Fighting Irish possess wins over No. 2 Maryland and smacked No. 14 Ohio State earlier this year. They score the third-most goals per game in the country, and are sixth in scoring defense. SU had the opportunity to get its act together with its three nonconference contests against Hofstra, St. Bonaventure and Hobart — and beat each convincingly — but it’s still hard to pick the Orange in this one, given how they’ve fared against ranked teams as of late, losing nine consecutive to this point.

In their first stretch against ranked competition — Maryland, North Carolina, Duke and Johns Hopkins — earlier this season, the Orange weren’t up to the test. They were competitive in each game, but couldn’t close the deal. I expect this game to go a similar way, with strong play from Will Mark and a few nifty goals from SU’s attack keeping the game close, but the Fighting Irish — led by Orange killer Pat Kavanagh — pulling away in the second half. And for the 10th straight time, Syracuse will be left wondering how it could’ve pulled out a needed top-20 win.

Anthony Alandt (7-3)
Kavanaghs are the real lax bros
Notre Dame 17, Syracuse 15

Syracuse easily handled its last three unranked opponents, honing whatever skills it could — namely at the faceoff X and on ground balls — before heading into the final stretch of ACC and ranked play. But a Notre Dame team waltzing in off a five-goal loss to No. 1 Virginia isn’t the matchup the Orange would have liked as their first test in the final portion of the season. Not only are the Fighting Irish one of the top scoring offenses in the country, they flash Pat and Chris Kavanagh, who have combined for 35 goals and 69 points this season.

Notre Dame also has a high conversion rate on man-up opportunities. Coupled with Syracuse’s 65 man-downs this season, it’s likely that ND is going to have plenty of opportunities to overcome its 44% faceoff win rate and pile on enough goals to stave off Syracuse. I do expect the Orange to fare much better than in both of last year’s games, and even eclipse 10 goals this time, but I don’t see their defense holding up for four quarters against a much better, more versatile ND offense.

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Published on March 29, 2023 at 10:11 pm