Syracuse men’s lacrosse: Biggest questions for 2025

Everyone is rightly excited about this ‘Cuse team, but what are the things we’re unsure about heading into the season?

Expectations coming into the season are as high as they’ve been in a while for the 2025 Syracuse Orange, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t questions about the team coming into the team’s first game against Jacksonville.

Let’s take a look now at some of the team’s biggest question marks that we have before the Orange take the field on Saturday.

Can Jimmy McCool answer the bell?

I think the biggest question for this team revolves around replacing Will Mark between the pipes. In every other area, ‘Cuse returns most if not all of their main contributors, so goalie becomes even more of an X-factor than it normally is.

Mark was such a steady and spectacular presence, helping to stabilize an Orange defense that had been in trouble for years before he arrived. He started all 33 games in his two years here, made 412 saves and had a .533 save percentage on his way to being a two-time All-American. That’s not just a ton of production, but also an anchor-like presence that must now be replaced for the SU defense.

Jimmy McCool played just over 80 minutes in four appearances last year, making 11 saves with a .500 save percent to kickstart his career. He doesn’t necessarily need to be Mark straight away, but he does need to be stable enough to be the backbone of this very talented Syracuse roster if the Orange are to make a run to Championship Weekend.

Who can score off the dodge with consistency?

There are very few concerns about this offense given their talent, creativity and unselfishness. But while they’re capable of going on a run at any point in any game, there was a very clear dearth of consistent scoring off the dodge against big-time opponents last season.

While their teamwork and passing is incredible, sometimes you need to win your individual matchup to get the goal you need. And that’s never more crucial than in May when everyone’s as locked down as possible.

So, who can do it? Sammy English and Michael Leo are the most accomplished dodgers, and have been successful in some big moments in their ‘Cuse careers. But who can join them?

Joey Spallina is constantly guarded by the best defender on the field and has struggled, at times, as a result; has another summer of indoor helped him in that regard? Does Luke Rhoa get more opportunities, for a player whose proven he’s capable of dodging and scoring with either hand? In the newbie department, can Trey Deere, freshman Payton Anderson or others take advantage of significant playing time by injecting some newfound athleticism into the offense?

The Orange don’t need all of these options to consistently come through in their matchups, but they do need more than last year or they could find scoring difficult come May.

Can John Mullen handle the big uptick in face-off work?

John Mullen was tremendous last year as a freshman, and he only got better as the season wore on, finishing with a .578 win percentage.

Together, Mason Kohn and Mullen combined to lead the Orange to a .580 face-off percentage, the seventh-best in the country. What they did was critical in helping the ‘Cuse offense to dictate the pace of games and keep SU in control most of the time.

Getting the ball to their high-powered offense as often as possible is obviously exactly what they want, but Kohn took 65 percent of draws last year to Mullen’s 35 percent, winning .583 of his restarts.

The question is how much of an uptick will be asked of Mullen, and if it’s significant, can he stay fresh enough as the season drags on? The good news is we already know he’s got the tools to be successful, but the unknown of replacing Kohn’s workload remains, for now.

Which new contributors will join the fray this season?

With such an experienced team coming back from last season, there will be a lot of familiar names on the field this year. But the departures of Will Mark, Jake Stevens, Christian Mulé, Saam Olexo and Matt Wright have left some holes to fill. So, who will be stepping up?

We’ve already discussed Jimmy McCool and the goalie situation, as well as Trey Deere and Payton Anderson on offense with the departures of Stevens and Mulé. Deere should absolutely find himself in the top nine if not the starting lineup, and Anderson might be the kind of talent who makes an immediate impact. Is there room for any of the young midfielders to get a chance, such as Wyatt Hottle, Tucker Kellogg, Tyler McCarthy or someone else? It going to be tough given the returning depth, but worth keeping an eye on.

On defense, Michael Grace from RIT and Ryder Ochoa from St. John’s should be getting looks, especially with the departure of Olexo, Wright and Stevens as members of the rope unit. Grace looks like the primary candidate to start at LSM, but he’s so talented he can make an impact anywhere on defense. Ochoa could help replace Stevens on the defensive end, although multiple players will be needed to replace everything Jake Stevens does on a lacrosse field.

Can the Orange finally get back to Championship Weekend?

The ultimate question, the one that everything else is working towards.

That work, of course, has been going on for the last 12 years, since the Orange last made it to Memorial Day in 2013. This looks like one of their most talented rosters since that time and therefore one of their best chances to finally end the drought.

They’ve been making strides every year since Gary Gait took over, and the next step after you lose in the NCAA Quarterfinals is to make it to the Final Four. It’s that step or bust this year, as the saying goes.

Unfortunately, this question is going to take a lot longer to answer than the rest, but this team knows exactly where their expectations lie and they won’t shy away from it. You’ve got to believe that they’re ready to finally make the leap back.