2025 College Lacrosse Season Preview: Syracuse

This feels like the year the Syracuse faithful have been waiting for.

After a disappointing loss in the NCAA quarterfinals to Denver last season, Syracuse is a favorite to win it all in 2025.

Why the orange could win it all in 2025

A talent-laden team that now has NCAA tournament experience.

This version of the Syracuse Orange has been brewing for a while now.

Their recruiting classes are starting to pay dividends, in particular their now junior class with Joey Spallina, Finn Thomson, Michael Leo, Luke Rhoa, Riley Figueiras and Billy Dwan.

Led by this talented junior class, it seems like all the pieces are aligning at the right time for the Orange.

a look at the returners

While the Orange lose a few key players like Jake Stevens, Will Mark, Mason Kohn, and LSM’s Matt Wright and Saam Olexo, they retain many core players.

Outside of Stevens, Syracuse returns basically everybody offensively. 

Joey Spallina returns as the X attacker. With 88 points (37G, 51A) in 2024, he can be assertive as a dodger, but always has his head up to feed the ball inside. He’s in line to have another big year for Syracuse.

Owen Hiltz is as good a lefty attackman you’ll find and a perfect complement to Spallina on the left side. The Canadian has the best wrists in the nation and uses just a flick of the wrist to either put the ball in a corner or throw a pinpoint skip pass. Hiltz is so good at keeping the offense flowing by moving it quickly, the most underrated aspect of his game. While Spallina will be at X, the offense can and will run through Hiltz.

The third option on attack will likely either be junior righty Finn Thomson or sophomore lefty Trey Deere. Both are terrific finishers with great hands inside.

The first midfield seems poised to be one of the best in the nation. Sam English is one of the top PLL prospects and is so good in the two-man game with his speed and IQ.

Michael Leo is a speedy lefty who seems to be the go-to guy for the Orange in key situations because of his ability to create chances. 

The third option could be whoever doesn’t start at attack between Thomson and Deere, giving a nice inside option to the ball-carrying English and Leo.

If not on the first line, junior Luke Rhoa will lead the second line. As two-handed as they get, Rhoa is an excellent shooter with both his feet set and on the run. Joining this midfield group will likely be the goal-scoring righty Jackson Birtwistle as well, a reliable and steady finisher. The last midfield spot seems up for grabs; top recruits Payton Anderson or Matt McIntee seem like obvious options, but sophomore Tyler McCarthy could push for this spot as well. I’m also a fan of freshman Owen Farrell’s game too.

Defensively, Billy Dwan and Riley Figuerias look to be All-Americans while Caden Kol rounds out the unit. I’m also intrigued to see what sophomore Donny Scott, who was hurt most of last season, can bring defensively. Senior Nick Caccamo has a ton of experience here as well.

At LSM, expect RIT transfer Mike Grace to play a huge role here. Grace is 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and can wreck a game in the middle of the field. He could quickly make a name for himself in the ACC. Freshman LSM Vincent Bolognino was a 2024 New Balance All-American that could see early playing time. Junior Dylan Sageder is set to get plenty of runs here as well.

The SSDM unit seems in good hands with seniors Carter Rice and Nathan LeVine returning while sophomores Wyatt Hottle and Jake Spallina got plenty of experience here as freshmen.

Jimmy McCool seems poised to take over the starting goalie spot, where he showed glimpses of potential in 2024. That being said, I expect there to be a competition for the starting spot, in particular with sophomore Michael Ippoliti.

At the faceoff, John Mullen should see the lion’s share of the faceoffs after impressing as a freshman last season, going 58% and registering 3 goals. Mullen could be an X factor for this team after showing All-American potential as a freshman.

Biggest Question Marks

who will take the third attack spot?

While this isn’t necessarily a massive deal, it could change what the offense looks like. If Thomson starts, Spallina will be at X and Hiltz on the left. But if Deere starts, Hiltz would likely slide to X and Spallina on the right wing. Either way works, as Spallina and Hiltz are versatile players, but it could change the complexion of the offense.

can the specialists have big years?

Syracuse’s offensive and defense is loaded. If Jimmy McCool/Michael Ippoliti and John Mullen can have big years in net and at the faceoff dot, what a boost this would be for Syracuse. 

Final Thoughts

It really does seem like Syracuse’s time. Their offense and defense has plenty of talent, experience, and depth.

While expectations are understandably high for the Orange, it’s important they continue to grow throughout 2025.

They’ll get off to a hot start like they normally do, but if they can manage a tough ACC schedule, it can give them confidence going into the NCAA tournament, where they are a hungry and talented team that has a really high ceiling.

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