Syracuse men’s lacrosse: Same issues haunt Orange as season ends with 15-7 loss to Notre Dame
Once again, ‘Cuse couldn’t get out of their own way as the Irish punished their mistakes and sent them home.
May 23, 2026; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Syracuse Orange midfielder Wyatt Hottle (19) runs with the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish midfielder Jake Vasquez (18) defends during the first half in a semifinal of the NCAA Mens Lacrosse Championship at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The Syracuse Orange’s 2026 season came to an end on Saturday with a 15-7 loss to Notre Dame in the Final Four, the second consecutive year they’ve gotten blown out in the national semifinals. It was a game in which ‘Cuse was chasing right from the start, never leading and never even tying the score as the Irish went wire-to-wire for the win.
In an odd quirk, the offense scored six of their seven goals in very small pockets of time, split up into two separate three-goal mini runs that spanned a total of just over four minutes of clock. Both runs helped get SU back into the game at the time, but both times, ND re-gained control and re-extend the lead, eventually running away with it. It was a hell of a season.
#HHH x #LikeNoOther pic. twitter. com/h7LolkYOSY — Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse (@CuseMLAX) May 23, 2026 The back-breaker came after the Orange’s second 3-0 spurt late in the third quarter, which took a 9-4 game that was about to get out of control into a 9-7 deficit with momentum that briefly had ‘Cuse feeling like they could make a run at it in the fourth.
With less than 20 seconds in the third and two seconds on the shot clock, freshman Louis D’Agostino committed a cross check to the neck of Notre Dame’s Matt Jeffery . The play was given a two-minute non-releasable penalty, and SU was forced down a player for most of the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. The penalty proved to be devastating, as the Irish scored three goals before it was released, restored their five-goal advantage, and kicked off a six-goal fourth quarter run to end the game and Syracuse’s season with a punishing blow.
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