On the heels of three straight one-goal wins in the ACC Tournament final and the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, winning a national title will be a true team effort. However, some players will be a little more important than others. Syracuse’s national title hopes could hinge on the performance of these five players.
Joey Spallina
Spallina played the game of his life in the quarterfinals against Princeton, amassing four goals and four assists. He carried the Orange in a big game the way a true No. 22 is supposed to do. His unassisted goals were particularly impressive and a sign of a player who can put a team on his back. Of course, those efforts were barely enough for Syracuse to advance, so Spallina needs to be just as good, if not better, in the Final Four. Both the stage and challenge will be bigger for the star attack man. While Princeton couldn’t find an answer for Spallina, Maryland will have Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Will Schaller on him. Even with two goals and two assists against the Terps earlier this season, Spallina needs to be even better this time around.
Michael Leo
Slightly older Syracuse lacrosse fans might look at Leo and be reminded of Steven Brooks. Both are left-handed middies who bring a swagger to the field. Brooks was instrumental in Syracuse’s 2008 national championship, and the Orange may need Leo to play a similar role. Leo heads to the Final Four fresh off a hat trick against Princeton in the quarterfinals. He’s also third on the team in goals behind Spallina and Owen Hiltz. However, Leo failed to score in the first meeting of the season against Maryland. It’s hard to imagine Syracuse winning if that happens again, so Leo needs to find the back of the net against the Terps.
John Mullen
Syracuse’s triumphs in the ACC Tournament and the first round of the NCAA Tournament were largely due to Mullen dominating faceoffs. However, he came back down to earth against Princeton. Mullen was out of sync with his timing for much of the game and committed an unusual number of violations. As a result, the Orange lost the face-off battle to the Tigers 22-17. In previous meetings against Maryland and Cornell, Syracuse tied the Terps in face-off wins and only beat the Big Red 17-16. Replicating those numbers probably isn’t going to get it done in the Final Four. For the Orange to win two more games, they need Mullen to win faceoffs and earn extra possessions.
Sam English
English is the Orange’s all-around midfielder, and they’re going to need him to do everything for two more games. His two goals, one assist, and six ground balls against his former Princeton teammates last week are the bare minimum for what Syracuse needs from English in the Final Four. If Mullen isn’t able to win face-offs cleanly, English becomes a huge part of collecting ground balls from the wing. The Orange also needs his scoring, especially with Leo likely to draw Maryland’s pole. In the first meeting against the Terrapins, English was held to no goals on eight shots with just two ground balls. A similar performance won’t cut it in the Final Four. Syracuse needs its versatile, stat-stuffing midfielder to do a little bit of everything if the Orange hopes to overcome Maryland, and potentially Cornell.
Jimmy McCool
Other than his ill-advised penalty late in the first half - and the fact that Princeton put 18 goals past him - McCool was great in the quarterfinals. With a tired defense playing in front of him, he made game-sealing saves late in the fourth quarter. McCool needs to be just as good, if not better, for Syracuse to win a national title. Despite some talented long-stick defenders, the Syracuse defense isn’t a championship-caliber defense on its own. That means McCool can’t give an average performance during Memorial Day weekend; he needs to be a difference-maker. McCool has the tools to deliver a big-time performance against quality opponents, but if he doesn’t, it’s hard to envision Syracuse taking home the national title.