No. 6 Syracuse quieted by No. 7 Princeton in 11-7 loss

Anyone who thought Friday’s matchup between No. 6 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse and No. 7 Princeton would be like last year’s high-scoring shootout the teams played in the NCAA quarterfinals, thought wrong.

Instead, SU’s attack was largely quieted in New Jersey in an 11-7 loss to the Tigers.

Syracuse spotted Princeton a 6-0 lead and didn’t score a goal for the more than 20 minutes to start the game.

“We just couldn’t get it going,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “Offense, faceoffs, it was a little bit of everything.”

“We just kept providing them with the opportunities.”

The loss also marked the first dud of the season from SU’s star attackman Joey Spallina. Number 22 took just three shots and was held without a point.

“I thought the defender covering him was solid, athletic and got through the picks really well,” Gait said. “He made sure he never left him. I thought that was pretty much the biggest difference, [Spallina] pretty much didn’t get matchups on the short-sticks at all.”

It’s a tight turnaround for Syracuse, which faces No. 19 Penn in Philadelphia on Sunday. Opening Draw at Franklin Field is set for noon. Follow @CitrusTVSports on X for updates.