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Syracuse men’s lacrosse (11-4, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) has climbed to No. 4 in the latest Inside Lacrosse poll. Syracuse rose two spots after an 18-17 win over then-No. 4 Virginia — SU’s first win over the Cavaliers under head coach Gary Gait. The week prior, Syracuse jumped one spot following a 10-9 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

In recent weeks, Syracuse has been unable to close games in the fourth quarter. It started with its 18-17 loss to Cornell where it led 7-0 and 16-10. The Orange nearly collapsed against North Carolina, leading 10-4 in the second half. Although SU held on for the win, five goals from the Tar Heels cut the lead to one with less than two minutes remaining.

Against Virginia Saturday, Syracuse struggled to put the game away. Finn Thomson’s goal with 8:50 remaining in the third quarter put SU up 13-10. But UVA scored seven of the next eight goals, turning what looked to be a comfortable lead into a 17-14 deficit with less than 10 minutes remaining. Then Syracuse regained control. Goals from Jake Stevens, Thomson and an acrobatic finish from long pole Billy Dwan tied the game 17-17 before Sam English fired home the game-winner with 48 seconds left.

Owen Hiltz led Syracuse with a season-high eight points (three goals, five assists) — his most since a nine-point performance against Robert Morris on May 7, 2021. Stevens registered four points while Christian Mulé and Thomson also netted hat tricks. Mason Kohn and John Mullen combined to go 21-for-39 at the faceoff X while Will Mark’s 15 saves helped the Orange come out on top.

The victory marked Syracuse’s third ACC win — its most since 2018 — and helped it seal the No. 2 seed in the upcoming ACC tournament.