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Syracuse men’s lacrosse announced its 15-game regular season schedule for 2023, where it will face four 2022 NCAA Tournament teams and play six Atlantic Coast Conference games. The Orange come off a 4-10 season, the most losses in a year in program history, as head coach Gary Gait enters his second year in charge of the men’s program. 

SU opens up its season with three-straight nonconference games in the JMA Wireless Dome, where it plays nine games throughout the season. It will host defending America East champion Vermont (Feb. 4), UAlbany (Feb. 10) and Holy Cross (Feb. 12), respectively, in an eight-day stretch. In 2022, the Orange defeated Holy Cross 28-5 in their season opener, scoring the most goals since a 1994 win over Hofstra. Tucker Dordevic, who transferred to Georgetown, was one of three SU players with six points.

The Orange then travel to College Park on Feb. 18 to play Maryland, the defending national champions. The then-No. 1 ranked Terrapins defeated Syracuse 14-10 in the Dome a season ago in the first loss of a three-game losing streak.

Following an eight-day break, Syracuse returns for another three-game home stretch, opening conference play against North Carolina (Feb. 26) and Duke (March 5). Syracuse’s lone conference win last year came against the Blue Devils as it finished 1-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in 2022. Then, it hosts Johns Hopkins on March 11 before traveling to Hofstra on March 14.

After another home stretch where the Orange host St. Bonaventure (March 21), Hobart (March 25) — for the Kraus-Simmons trophy — and Notre Dame (April 1), Syracuse concludes the regular-season with four more games, including three against conference opponents. The Fighting Irish defeated Syracuse twice a season ago, pounding it 22-6 in the first meeting behind Jake Taylor’s eight goals.

SU’s lone nonconference opponent during the final stretch is Princeton (April 8), which lost to Maryland 13-8 in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse will play UNC (April 15) and Duke (April 29) for the second time, while visiting Charlottesville to play Virginia (April 22) in between.

In the offseason, the Orange lost several players to the transfer portal, including Dordevic, Mikey Berkman, Matteo Corsi, Jack Savage and Bobby Gavin, who played just one season for the Orange after coming from UVA. Brendan Curry and Brett Kennedy were selected in the PLL Draft.

The Orange brought in Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1 Class of 2022 recruit Joey Spallina, who was named Boys Lacrosse Player of the Yea by USA Today. Syracuse also picked up Alex Simmons and Cole Kirst in the transfer portal from Denver and Lehigh, respectively. Owen Hiltz will return after missing 2022 with an upper-body injury.

Published on December 1, 2022 at 2:16 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini