Syracuse men’s lacrosse takes down Notre Dame, 14-12, to advance to ACC title game and sure up NCAA bid

The Orange finally put together a performance to get another big win and earn their spot in May Madness.

It took almost a month, but the Syracuse Orange finally got the win they needed to ensure their participation in this year’s NCAA Tournament when they defeated the 1-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 14-12, for the second time this season on Friday night in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

In a physical, back-and-forth affair, ‘Cuse was able to prevail on the efforts of their specialists, who were exceptional in helping the Orange earn the crucial win.

Johnny Mullen (11GB, 1G) was a machine on restarts, winning 21-of-26 for an absurd, 80.8 win percentage. SU won 21-of-29 overall (72.4 percent). He also had a goal directly off a second quarter face-off win, one of eight ‘Cuse goals scored on the first possession after a FO win in this game as Mullen and co. did their best to score goals while keeping the ball away from the Irish.

In net, Jimmy McCool (20SV) had yet another career day with a career-high 20 saves and a 62.5 save percentage. Jimmy was outstanding all game long, but especially in the second half, when he made a clutch save late in the third quarter with the Orange up by two and ND with a 6-on-4 man-up opportunity. In the fourth quarter, he was at his absolute best, making nine saves to keep the Irish at bay and preserve the victory.

The first half was a true game of runs, with the Orange getting the party started with a 3-0 run in the first five minutes. Owen Hiltz (5G, 1A) opened the scoring with a dodge from X as Joey Spallina (4A) drew a double team and the defense got hung up. Next, Billy Dwan (1G) scored a pole goal in transition, followed by Luke Rhoa (2G) with time and room.

The Irish took control next as the ‘Cuse offense went into a little hibernation. ND went on a 4-1 run to tie the game at four a little more than five minutes into the second quarter. Only a Rhoa goal off an X-feed from Hiltz broke up the run during a period in which SU scored once in about a 17-minute stretch.

But the Orange quickly put an end to ND’s run; very quickly. ‘Cuse answered with four straight goals in 95 seconds to regain control of the game. Hiltz started that run by getting some separation at X and dodging hard above GLE for a nice goal on-the-run. Mullen scored six seconds later to make it 6-4, before Payton Anderson (1G) and Sammy English (1G, 1A, 5GB) both beat shortie matchups to extend the lead to 8-4.

The Irish fired back with a pair of goals to make it 8-6 at the halftime break. After a Notre Dame transition goal to start the third quarter, Greg Elijah-Brown (2G) scored his first of two man-up goals right before the air horn sounded to signal a weather delay that lasted for almost an hour.

ND scored on the first possession out of the delay to make it 9-8 just over five minutes into the third, and for a few moments it seemed as though they were the ones who grabbed momentum out of the unexpected stoppage.

But Owen Hiltz once again took matters into his own hands, this time performing a very aggressive dodge against a shortie matchup from GLE that he finished off with a dive near the crease. It was a rare move from Hiltz, and to me it signaled just how badly he wanted this one.

After the Orange committed simultaneous penalties with four minutes to go in the third, Notre Dame had a 6-on-4 opportunity. The man-down unit did a nice job on an evening of great work from them, and Jimmy McCool stepped up with a big save to shut down the two-man advantage and keep SU’s lead at 10-8.

‘Cuse came down and Michael Leo (2A) found Finn Thomson (1G) for a smooth finish to add insult to injury on ND’s failed man-up chance. The third quarter ended with Hiltz making another fantastic play, this time in defensive transition as he committed a yard-sale check to cause a loose ball that led to a Jake Taylor tripping penalty that kicked off the fourth quarter.

On that man-up, Spallina found Elijah-Brown for the second time to complete a 3-0 SU run that turned a one-goal game midway through the third into a 12-8 ‘Cuse lead early in the fourth.

That run provided all the separation the Orange would need, as Notre Dame’s next two goals were immediately answered by Owen Hiltz’s fourth and fifth tallies of the evening, the first of which came on a gorgeous skip pass from English.

With SU up 14-10, the final minute of the game got a little kooky and a lot confusing. A sequence that spanned both ends of the field led to four penalties being committed, three by ‘Cuse and one by ND. The Irish had a 5-on-3 advantage that they scored on, and then decided not to release SU’s pushing penalty afterwards. Three ‘Cuse players remained in the box, and the Irish tacked one on more before the game ended to make it 14-12.

It was a confusing ending, but it mattered not as the Orange were able to secure the win and push themselves off the edge of the bubble and more comfortably into the NCAA Tournament conversation.

Hiltz had a terrific day, leading the offense with five goals and six points. Spallina finished with four assists. Rhoa and Elijah-Brown each had two goals and Leo had two helpers. English had a typical day with a goal, an assist and five ground balls to go along with his work on man-down.

Riley Figueiras (2GB, 1CT) had an especially strong day marking Chris Kavanagh and holding the ACC Offensive Player of the Year to two goals and three points. The man-down unit was excellent, holding Notre Dame goalless on their first five man-up chances before they scored twice in the final minute with three Orange players in the box.

‘Cuse will move on to the ACC Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2016, where they will play the Duke Blue Devils (who absolutely wasted UNC in the second semifinal) on Sunday at 12 PM on the ACC Network.