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Syracuse opened up its 2024 season with a dominant 20-7 victory over Vermont. After a tight first quarter, Syracuse led 3-2, but a nine-goal second quarter opened up a seven-goal halftime lead. The Orange held Vermont quiet in the second half, allowing just two goals across the final two quarters as they cruised to an easy opening day victory.

But after a relatively pressure-free opening game, Syracuse faces a potential test against Colgate, who upset No. 4 Penn State. The Raiders shocked the Nittany Lions, scoring a goal with four seconds remaining to win 13-12. Colgate comes to the JMA Wireless Dome for the first time since 2020 with a chance to pull off back-to-back major upsets.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 9 Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) will fare against Colgate (1-0, 0-0 Patriot League):

Zak Wolf (1-0)
No Upset here
Syracuse 17, Colgate 10

Unlike Anish and Cooper, I correctly predicted Syracuse would defeat Vermont handily. Even so, did they surprise me with how dominant it was? Yes. Which is why I’m picking another relatively comfortable win for Syracuse.

Although it’s a small sample size, SU showcased what it can be this season. The attack clicked on all cylinders, but I was specifically impressed with Joey Spallina’s play. Vermont head coach Chris Feifs said Spallina did a good job of “moving the ball” after being a “ball dominant dodger” last season. Feifs added that the summer playing box lacrosse in Canada really seemed to help Spallina and I couldn’t agree more.

Even though Colgate defeated Penn State, Syracuse will be too much for the Raiders. The Orange simply have too much firepower for Colgate to handle, and after a strong performance from Christian Mulé (five points), I expect others like Michael Leo and Owen Hiltz to get going to help Syracuse pull away in the second half.

Cooper Andrews (1-0)
Short-lived Linsanity run
Syracuse 16, Colgate 11

Jeremy Lin’s infamous “Linsanity” run began on Feb. 4, 2012, when he dropped a career-high 25 points to help the New York Knicks defeat the then-New Jersey Nets.

Twelve years later, around the exact same timeframe, Colgate delivered its own “Linsanity” moment, shocking No. 4 Penn State in the final seconds of regulation. And while Lin’s run in 2012 lasted for about two weeks before he fell back to earth, the Raiders’ Cinderella story will end with a thud against Syracuse.

Hunter Drouin, who scored four goals against PSU, does elicit some concern. But at the end of the day, the Orange have far too much firepower on their attack for Colgate to have a chance. Penn State made silly mistakes and struggled from Faceoff X late; rust got the best of the Nittany Lions. SU has already proven against Vermont that it’s well-equipped to take care of business versus early, lower-level nonconference foes.

Sure, Colgate has shown it’s not an easy opponent by any means, yet all “Linsanity” runs must end at some point. I expect Syracuse to put the Raiders in their place.

Anish Vasudevan (1-0)
Drouin Danger
Syracuse 15, Colgate 10

So I was wrong. Before Syracuse took on Vermont, I predicted a close contest, expecting the Catamounts to put up a fight after strong America East Conference play last season. I thought the Orange would have some growing pains with a new attack, new defensive coordinator and two new faceoff specialists. Instead, SU notched its third-ever 20-plus goal game under head coach Gait Gait, Mulé emerged as the new No. 2 guy next to Spallina and Mason Kohn absolutely dominated Vermont’s underclassmen.

Yes, the Raiders shocked the lacrosse world this past weekend by defeating No. 4 Penn State. But with the quick turnaround, I don’t think that magic is going to last.

This game is going to come down to how Syracuse stops Drouin. Out of The Loomis Chaffee School, Drouin turned down offers from most Ivy League schools to join Colgate. John Odierna’s defense fared well against Brock Haley and Tristan Whitaker, holding Vermont’s top two options to four combined goals, but Drouin is no joke. Still, I think SU’s defense will step up and let the attack do the rest.

Published on February 4, 2024 at 11:34 pm