No. 5 Syracuse men’s lacrosse survives No. 6 Duke after late controversy

No. 6 Duke men’s lacrosse entered the Dome Saturday feeling like it still had something to prove: undefeated, but without a top-10 win this season.

The Blue Devils hung in there against No. 5 Syracuse, eventually falling 16-15 at the Dome.

It wouldn’t be a Syracuse-Duke game, though, without a controversial call at the end. Duke had a chance to tie the score in the final minute before midfielder Tomas Delgado was called for a game-changing moving pick.

“Even officials make mistakes,” Blue Devils head coach John Danowski said postgame. “We thought the Syracuse defender pushed Tomas and that caused the penalty, which is something you’re not really supposed to do.

“That didn’t cost us the game. There are so many plays that happen over 60 minutes. That’s an extreme one, and everyone will remember that, but that’s not the reason that we lost.”

“I’m proudest of the way we finished the game,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said. “That was a disciplined Syracuse fourth quarter that didn’t give the game away.

“We got the win. And it’s a huge win from the ACC. They don’t come easy, but we’re happy to have it in the books and ready to move on.”

It’s hard to blame Gait for remaining optimistic about his crew, especially when attackman Joey Spallina continues to climb the ranks. The Orange star tallied six points Saturday, crossed 300 for his career, and sits just seven points back of breaking the all-time Syracuse record.

His next chance to break that mark comes Saturday, when Syracuse visits No. 4 North Carolina for a 2 p.m. faceoff. Follow @CitrusTVSports on X for updates.