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It means more when Syracuse squares off with Johns Hopkins. The two former Big East rivals may not spar in conference bouts anymore, but the programs’ annual matchups still often feature high stakes and nail-biting finishes.

In the 63rd edition of the rivalry this year, SU is looking to avoid losing three times in a four-game span. Losses to current-No. 1 Maryland and No. 12 Harvard put the Orange, Inside Lacrosse’s preseason No. 2 team, outside of the top 10. A victory over JHU, though, would do wonders for Syracuse’s short-term confidence and long-term NCAA Tournament hopes.

“I’ve been trying to keep the players focused on winning the day and going day-to-day and not talking about the future,” SU head coach Gary Gait said Friday. “I think we got caught up early on when media was talking about, ‘Number two team in the country, Final Four,’ way back when the season was starting … We’re really focused on one game at a time.”

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 11 Syracuse (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will fare at home against No. 7 Johns Hopkins (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in a Sunday afternoon showdown:

Cooper Andrews (4-2)
“Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Syracuse 11, Johns Hopkins 12

In The Who’s 1971 single, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” frontman Roger Daltrey sings, “The world looks just the same / And history ain’t changed.” I’m going to follow the classic rock band’s advice. Except, I don’t need to get on my knees and pray that I won’t be fooled again. Syracuse has shown me time and time again that this is a spot it’ll lose in.

I’ve picked the Orange to win every game in these beat writers’ predictions. No longer. Johns Hopkins will exact its revenge on SU’s victory over the Bluejays in Charlotte last March. I simply can’t trust Syracuse in the big moments yet.

Go back to its trip to College Park, Maryland. The Terrapins dismantled the Orange with a slow playstyle that SU couldn’t escape its way out of. The Bluejays aren’t as good as UMD, but they have the same formula. If Syracuse can’t find a way to get Joey Spallina going from X, I don’t envision it can succeed in another difficult matchup.

Blowout wins over Utah and Towson are not quality victories, and I haven’t seen anything else from the Orange that leads me to believe they’ll upset Johns Hopkins. SU will struggle on offense en route to another big loss in the spotlight.

Zak Wolf (5-1)
Put up or shut up
Syracuse 14, Johns Hopkins 12

I’ve flip-flopped on this back and forth for about a week. Basing it on Syracuse’s performances in big games this season — especially in the second half — tells me it won’t win this game. But I thought back to last season’s matchup in Charlotte, where the Orange were in an eerily similar spot. They had close losses to Maryland and Army and needed a marquee win to get their season back on track. In the BWP for that game, I picked against Syracuse and was wrong. I’m not making that mistake again.

This game is going to be close. JHU’s last three games have all been decided by one goal, meaning this will come down to the wire. Against Maryland and Harvard, Syracuse folded down the stretch, but it’s learned from its mistakes and will get the job this time. Owen Hiltz has been prolific all season and I foresee a big game for him. Spallina will draw the matchup of Scott Smith, an elite close defender, but will use his prowess as a distributor to get others involved.

In its last contest, Johns Hopkins gave up 12 goals to a struggling Virginia team, which shows me that Syracuse can exploit the Blue Jays’ defense. If the Orange can test goalie Luke Staudt enough, they’ll have success, with Staudt only having a 47.3% save rate this season.

SU desperately needs this one if it doesn’t want its NCAA Tournament chances to be even slimmer, which is why it gets it done.

Nicholas Alumkal (4-2)
Blues against the Bluejays
Syracuse 12, Johns Hopkins 14

Let’s be honest; Syracuse hasn’t compiled a complete performance so far this season. In early-season contests against Jacksonville and Vermont, the Orange were tied or outscored in the fourth quarter. Last Saturday, at Utah, SU was outscored 3-0 in the third quarter. And Syracuse’s lack of consistency caused its losses to then-No. 6 Maryland and then-No. 15 Harvard.

That inconsistency will bite the Orange when they square off against another upper-echelon team in Johns Hopkins. The Bluejays will keep the contest close and force SU to put together a wire-to-wire display, which it hasn’t proven it can do so far in this campaign. So, I foresee another loss for the Orange.

Johns Hopkins’ four-headed monster in attack with Russell Melendez, Hunter Chauvette, Brooks English and Matt Collison will cause problems to an SU back line that grew tired versus the Terrapins and still has an unanswered question at defensive midfield. After being benched against the Crimson, Jimmy McCool’s net will be under frequent assault. If he is up to the test, SU could eke out a victory, but I don’t have any evidence he will be.

In what I expect to be a close game, faceoffs could be the deciding factor. SU’s John Mullen leads the nation with 92 wins, while the Bluejays’ Logan Callahan is second at 77. Whoever can win more possessions — or the final possession — may come away with the victory, and I expect that to be Johns Hopkins.

Published on March 8, 2025 at 3:20 pm