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Syracuse is off to a flying start in 2025. The Orange easily dispatched their first two opponents, first defeating Jacksonville 24-5 and then Vermont 13-5. So far, SU has won using different players to lead its attack. In the opener, it was Michael Leo’s career-high four goals. On Friday, it was Joey Spallina tying his career-high with 10 points (five goals, five assists).

In addition to the attack, which has scored 37 goals across two games, Syracuse’s defense has performed even better. The Orange completely neutralized Vermont and JU’s attacks, especially in the first half, only allowing three goals across those two contests.

Syracuse’s next opponent, Towson, won’t be so easy. The Orange defeated the Tigers in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, winning 20-15. It’s the first of five ranked matchups in a row for Syracuse.

Here’s everything to know about No. 16 Towson (0-1, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) before it takes on No. 2 Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 10-3.

Last time they played

Syracuse took down Towson 20-15 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for its first postseason win since 2017. The Orange trailed 9-8 at halftime but scored nine straight goals in the third quarter, which ended up being the difference.

SU’s offense was completely dominant, spurred by Spallina. He recorded eight points (four goals, four assists) and Owen Hiltz added six (four goals, two assists). Even though Will Mark saved just 40% of his shots, the Orange had too much firepower for the Tigers.

The Tigers report

Towson is a dark horse contender to make it to the Final Four this year, coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. Last season, The Tigers went undefeated in conference play and defeated Delaware 15-6 in the CAA Championship before eventually falling to SU.

In 2025, Towson is the preseason pick to win the CAA again. Outside of losing leading scorer Nick DeMaio (32 goals, 50 assists), the Tigers retained plenty of talent. Junior midfielder Mikey Weisshaar leads that group alongside Bode Maurer (36 goals) and Joaquin Villagomez (33 goals). All-CAA faceoff man Matt Constantinides, who won 57% of his faceoffs, is also back.

Despite the collection of talent, Towson couldn’t start out its season with a win. Though, the Tigers’ loss was respectable, falling 11-10 to No. 8 Johns Hopkins. The emergence of redshirt freshman Ronan Fitzpatrick proved to be the silver lining for Towson. In the opener, he scored a game-high five goals on nine shots, adding to an already deep offense.

How Syracuse beats Towson

This is by far the biggest test for Syracuse so far this season. For the Orange to win, they must continue their elite defense. Towson’s attack got a taste of success last season, and it’s hungry for more this time around, especially against Syracuse. The Tigers have a plethora of options, so SU’s entire backline needs to be on high alert.

John Mullen also needs to be better at the faceoff X. The sophomore was underwhelming against Vermont, going 8-for-16 and also struggled in the first half against Jacksonville. Mullen’s counterpart Constantinides wasn’t much better in Towson’s opener, going just 5-for-15. If Mullen gets back on track, it’ll give the offense plenty of opportunities to cash in.

Syracuse’s attack is going to do its thing. It let its foot off the gas by only scoring three goals in the second half Friday, but the Orange are explosive and can put up goals in a hurry.

Stat to know: 20%

Syracuse is allowing its opponents to score on just 20% of its man-up chances this season. Through two games, the Orange have had to defend a man-down 10 times and only allowed two goals. They held Jacksonville to 1-for-4 and Vermont to 1-for-6.

During his first season as a starter, Jimmy McCool has been steady in net, saving 20 of the 27 shots he’s faced so far. SU’s long poles of Billy Dwan III, Riley Figueiras and Michael Grace have provided lockdown protection in front of McCool.

Player to watch: Mikey Weisshaar, midfielder, No. 1

Weisshaar’s 2024 season ended when he scored a hat trick against Syracuse. He was an Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-America selection — the first Towson player to earn that honor since 2019 — and collected 61 points (42 goals, 19 assists) in 2024. Weisshaar is now the focal point of Towson’s offense. He finished with three points in Towson’s season-opener (two goals, one assist) and could draw a long pole from Syracuse despite being a midfielder.

Published on February 9, 2025 at 10:33 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22