Syracuse Men's Lacrosse: Four keys to the Orange having Final Four success

The Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team is almost there. Gary Gait's team is in the Final Four for the second straight year after Saturday's 13-11 win over North Carolina in the quarterfinals. Of course, Syracuse needs two more wins to take home a national championship.

First, the Orange will need to avenge a regular-season loss to Notre Dame, with a similar challenge possible against Princeton in Monday's championship game. We've known all along that Syracuse has national championship potential. But to win the program's first title since 2009, these are four things the Orange must do during the Final Four.

Keep John Mullen hot at X

Mullen was huge for Syracuse in the quarterfinals. He faced a tough matchup against North Carolina's Brady Wambach, the nation's best face-off man. Yet, it was Mullen dominating at X early in the game, helping Syracuse go 9 for 13 on face-offs in the first half. Without him, the Orange could have faced an even deeper hole than the 6-2 deficit it faced in the second quarter.

While Wambach got going in the second half, Mullen's confidence should be high after getting an edge over the nation's best. Needless to say, Syracuse needs more of the same from Mullen in the Final Four to keep gaining extra possessions. The Orange lost face-offs 18-13 in the first matchup with Notre Dame, and that's not something that can happen again.

Man-up unit steps up

This should be one of Syracuse's biggest strengths and a reason why the Orange is a championship contender in the first place. But the Syracuse man-up unit went 0 for 6 in the quarterfinals against North Carolina. That has to change in the Final Four. The Orange has all of the pieces to be great on the EMO, but that unit has been frustratingly inconsistent throughout the season.

Granted, the Orange ranks in the top-20 nationally in EMO efficiency. But that still feels like an underachievement. The Orange needs that unit to step up and make a difference if SU expects to win two more games, in which it will likely be the underdog. Man-up opportunities could be few and far between, as Syracuse got just four in its first game against Notre Dame. However, the Orange scored twice in those four chances, which is the type of efficiency it will need in the Final Four.

Cut out the turnovers

In some ways, Syracuse is its own worst enemy heading into the Final Four. For a senior-laden team, the Orange continues to be careless with the ball and make unforced errors. Syracuse is lucky to have gotten past North Carolina despite six failed clears and a season-high 19 turnovers. Those are the types of self-inflicted mistakes that have plagued the Orange all season.

Needless to say, Syracuse can't afford to be reckless with the ball during the Final Four. The Orange lost the turnover battle against Notre Dame during the regular season, and it has a narrow path to victory if that happens again.

While Notre Dame is good enough defensively to force takeaways, Syracuse needs to avoid unforced errors by not taking needless risks or failing to execute simple plays, which has become an all-too-frequent occurrence. If the Orange can't win the turnover battle, it'll be hard to win two more games.

Joey Spallina in crunch time

It took Spallina a little time to get going in the quarterfinals. He was a non-factor while Syracuse fell into a 6-2 hole. But he got things going eventually, contributing three goals and three assists to carry the Orange to victory. Spallina's goals against North Carolina came in big moments when Syracuse needed a lift.

On the biggest stage, Syracuse will need a similar performance from Spallina in the Final Four. He won't have to do it himself with Michael Leo, Finn Thomson and others providing plenty of help. But the rest of the team feeds off what Spallina does. When he plays well, scoring opportunities come a little easier for everyone else.

As one of the most prolific players in program history, there's a lot on Spallina's shoulders. Syracuse won't win a national championship unless Spallina plays two of the best games of his career this weekend.

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