Polls for Apr 21: Media #11 / Coaches #10

[OrangeXtreme]

Three new teams enter the Top 20 of the KANE Men’s DI Media Poll, and Richmond and Duke have cracked the Top 10.

But it’s steady at the top, with Cornell, Princeton, Maryland and Army holding down the top four slots. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, North Carolina, Duke and Richmond follow, with the Blue Devils and Spiders bumping ahead of Syracuse (11, from 7) and Harvard (12, from 10).


While it’s mostly familiar faces shuffled around in the top half, the back half looks completely different.

Towson, Boston U and Villanova are the three new teams. Sacred Heart, meanwhile, is up to No. 16, sitting at 10-2 with a big night of MAAC action looming Wednesday. Towson, winners over Fairfield, makes its first appearance in the poll since Week 1. The Tigers are at 15 and ahead of Saint Joseph’s, Boston U, Big East leader Villanova and Fairfield.

Check out the full KANE Men's DI Media Poll here.

1	Cornell (11 - 1)	460 (23)	1
2	Princeton (10 - 2)	427	2
3	Maryland (10 - 2)	419	3
4	Army (11 - 1)	375	4
5	Ohio State (12 - 2)	360	6
6	Notre Dame (7 - 3)	342	9
7	Penn State (9 - 3)	340	8
8	North Carolina (9 - 3)	292	5
9	Duke (10 - 4)	268	12
10	Richmond (10 - 3)	251	11
11	Syracuse (9 - 4)	242	7

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

8) Syracuse
The Orange (9-4) fell behind 4-0 in Durham on their way to a sobering 11-7 road defeat. Syracuse just isn’t the same team outdoors—they’ve lost three of four this spring outside. Lack of offensive depth was evident as Owen Hiltz looked less than 100% healthy. Finn Thomson returned and ran a few shifts, which was a positive, but bench scoring was sold separately. The first midfield shot 3 of 17, and the second went 0 for 7. Two offsides calls in the first half were buzz kills. Syracuse doesn’t ride, and Duke, a bad clearing team, was given an EZ Pass. Not only did Duke clear effectively, but they also scored in transition—something Syracuse couldn’t duplicate.

North Carolina visits the Dome on Saturday at 5pm (ACCN). The #HHH offense ranks #5 in scoring, commits fewer than 13 turnovers per game, and is #2 in assists per game. A bounce-back is expected.

 

[JeremyCuse]

8) Syracuse
The Orange (9-4) fell behind 4-0 in Durham on their way to a sobering 11-7 road defeat. Syracuse just isn’t the same team outdoors—they’ve lost three of four this spring outside. Lack of offensive depth was evident as Owen Hiltz looked less than 100% healthy. Finn Thomson returned and ran a few shifts, which was a positive, but bench scoring was sold separately. The first midfield shot 3 of 17, and the second went 0 for 7. Two offsides calls in the first half were buzz kills. Syracuse doesn’t ride, and Duke, a bad clearing team, was given an EZ Pass. Not only did Duke clear effectively, but they also scored in transition—something Syracuse couldn’t duplicate.

North Carolina visits the Dome on Saturday at 5pm (ACCN). The #HHH offense ranks #5 in scoring, commits fewer than 13 turnovers per game, and is #2 in assists per game. A bounce-back is expected.

Again love or Hate Quint, hes spot on again with SU. No riding, injured starters and the 2nd mid line continues to be a disaster.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

8) Syracuse
The Orange (9-4) fell behind 4-0 in Durham on their way to a sobering 11-7 road defeat. Syracuse just isn’t the same team outdoors—they’ve lost three of four this spring outside. Lack of offensive depth was evident as Owen Hiltz looked less than 100% healthy. Finn Thomson returned and ran a few shifts, which was a positive, but bench scoring was sold separately. The first midfield shot 3 of 17, and the second went 0 for 7. Two offsides calls in the first half were buzz kills. Syracuse doesn’t ride, and Duke, a bad clearing team, was given an EZ Pass. Not only did Duke clear effectively, but they also scored in transition—something Syracuse couldn’t duplicate.

North Carolina visits the Dome on Saturday at 5pm (ACCN). The #HHH offense ranks #5 in scoring, commits fewer than 13 turnovers per game, and is #2 in assists per game. A bounce-back is expected.

Hope he is right about the bounce back. I think our struggles outside had more to do with crowd size. They need 10k to really play. Small crowds aren’t worthy. lol

 

[DMVCuseLax]

Crazy to me that we are behind Richmond with all the talent on this team.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Crazy to me that we are behind Richmond with all the talent on this team.

Better coached unfortunately. Richmond is way more disciplined and buttoned up then SU. They have struggled some games but overall have been way more consistent then this Syracuse team. Gait's trying to play a 1988 or 1996 style that simply won't work in the current landscape.

Nothing wrong with being aggressive and free flowing but you have to have elite talent almost everywhere to play like that in 2025. I came across the 2001 SU VS ND game in the semis and the 2002 champ game vs Princeton this past weekend on Youtube. SU rode like hell, committed few penalties, got Elite goalie play and had 2 elite level dodging attackmen on offense that just caused havoc. Now those teams also had Mike Powell but they were so much more buttoned up then this current iteration. The inconsistency quarter to quarter much less game to game is absolutely killing them.

 

[orangecuse]

Again love or Hate Quint, hes spot on again with SU. No riding, injured starters and the 2nd mid line continues to be a disaster.

100%! The folks who hate on Quint, are the same type of folks that can't be objective and roll with Orange colored glasses at all times. Quint calls a spade a spade, and for some, who are part of that candy coat generation, simply can't deal with good 'ol honest "tough love" so to speak feedback, constructive criticisms, etc.

Just as you've stated repeatedly (which I 100% agree with) the consistent lack of discipline, situational awareness, sense of any urgency, etc. is simply inexcusable, especially at this level. It reared its ugly head again on Saturday being down 3-0 (another consistent problem of being unprepared at game's start) and English is right there on the door step and attempts a completely ill-advised, foolish (call it what you will) backwards between the legs shot on goal and whiffs completely. I mean, are your farging kidding me!?

That example right there is the epitome of lacking situational awareness, discipline, etc. and a WT! type attempt of showboating.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

100%! The folks who hate on Quint, are the same type of folks that can't be objective and roll with Orange colored glasses at all times. Quint calls a spade a spade, and for some, who are part of that candy coat generation, simply can't deal with good 'ol honest "tough love" so to speak feedback, constructive criticisms, etc.

Just as you've stated repeatedly (which I 100% agree with) the consistent lack of discipline, situational awareness, sense of any urgency, etc. is simply inexcusable, especially at this level. It reared its ugly head again on Saturday being down 3-0 (another consistent problem of being unprepared at game's start) and English is right there on the door step and attempts a completely ill-advised, foolish (call it what you will) backwards between the legs shot on goal and whiffs completely. I mean, are your farging kidding me!?

That example right there is the epitome of lacking situational awareness, discipline, etc. and a WT! type attempt of showboating.

Agree. They act like the goal is worth more if it’s fancy or gets posted on IG.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Agree with Quint here, but still think he and others are wrong that it is specifically the outdoors that is tripping us up. Lack of depth yes, poor transition defense yes, but the fact we were outdoors is simply not why we lost this one and is a tired line. Our minimal depth has lead to fatigue. Fatigue leads to more undisciplined plays and plays that come off as "lack of urgency" down the stretch as the toll of a season of extended minutes for some of these guys starts to have a serious impact. Cornell and Duke would still be taking advantage of the lack of depth/injuries/fatigue if those two games were in the dome.

I am not giving up on this team. He is right that we can bounce back too, but if Hiltz still looks the same a week from now and Rhoa/Leo are still looking less impactful with their injuries it is a tall order. Need to have Anderson bounce back and Thomson get back to how he looked earlier in the year. Need to trust healthy guys on that end like Deere.

Levine going down is such a nightmare. I would say at least we are healthy enough on defense, but that is a big piece to lose. These last two weeks have been hell.

 

[upperdeck]

Is it outdoors , or is it playing on the road

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/il-staff-top-20-best-wins-and-worst-losses/65108

11. Syracuse (9-4)​

The Orange lost their third of four outdoor games in Durham, N.C. on Saturday in a 11-7 decision at Duke. Syracuse didn’t score in the first or third quarters. They’ll fight for one more home game with their JMA Wireless Dome regular-season finale vs. UNC in Week 12.

Best win: 14-9 vs. Notre Dame (April 5)
Still don’t think Joey Spallina and Co. show up in big games? Spallina had four goals and five points in the Orange’s biggest win of the season against the visiting Irish in front of the biggest college crowd of the season. Face-off man John Mullen was masterful, winning 16-of-23 (70%) against Will Lynch and Colin Hagstrom.

Worst loss: 11-7 vs. Duke (April 19)
Losses to two of the best in Maryland and Cornell provide valuable learning lessons, while a one-goal decision at home vs. Harvard was disappointing, they had an opportunity to send it to overtime at the end but ultimately came up short. This past weekend, though, was languid and flat. While Joey Spallina’s five points (2G, 3A) led a comeback attempt, Owen Hiltz was kept quiet, and their transition defense was subpar. It was a display that showed how attaining home-field advantage in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament is probably more important for ‘Cuse than any other contender.
—KB