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Syracuse men’s lacrosse has been ranked No. 9 in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll, which was released Monday. It’s the program’s highest preseason ranking under third-year head coach Gary Gait. SU is the fourth-highest ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team as No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Virginia make up the top three in the country.

The Orange are coming off a disappointing first two seasons of the Gait era. They went a measly 4-10 in 2022 and 8-7 in 2023, failing to make the NCAA Tournament in both campaigns. Through 19 games against ranked opponents since 2022, SU has gone 3-16.

Heading into 2024, Syracuse is much more-equipped to make a deep run. Sophomore attack Joey Spallina returns as the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year while fifth-year Princeton transfers Jake Stevens and Sam English are set to fortify SU’s midfield. The Orange also added a new defensive coordinator in John Odierna, who helmed Manhattan to the best scoring defense in the country in 2023 (8.00 goals allowed per game).

SU opens its 2024 slate at the JMA Wireless Dome against Vermont on Feb. 3.