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The two sides squaring off Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome will both enter the venue fresh off disappointment. For Syracuse, it was an 11-7 loss to then-No. 6 Maryland in College Park, continuing its decade-plus struggles against the Terrapins. For Harvard, though, its loss — a 19-15 defeat at home to unranked Colgate Tuesday — isn’t as excusable.

Saturday presents an opportunity for the Orange to get their offense going again. Their output of seven goals against UMD was the fewest they’ve scored in a single game since Feb. 4, 2023. Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz were held to two goals apiece, while Syracuse’s midfielders (Luke Rhoa) combined for just one. Now, SU will face a Crimson team on a quick turnaround after allowing their most goals in a contest in two years to date.

Here’s everything to know before No. 6 Syracuse (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) takes on No. 15 Harvard (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) in its final February game:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 18-0.

Last time they played …

SU’s matched up against Harvard just once since the flip of the century: in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. On May 14 of that year, the then-No. 7 Orange defeated the then-No. 19 Crimson 11-4, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinal. Former head coach John Desko’s squad advanced to the Final Four in 2006 before losing to eventual National Champion Virginia.

Before then, Syracuse hadn’t faced Harvard since 1985. Saturday’s contest will be the fifth-ever meeting between the two programs in the last 69 years.

The Crimson report

Harvard head coach Gerry Byrne’s fifth season seemed to be off to a swimming start. The Crimson began the 2025 campaign ranked No. 18 in the Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Poll, and climbed to No. 15 after a 12-10 season-opening win over then-No. 20 Providence.

But consistency is still a weak point for Byrne’s program. His record dipped to 24-19 all-time after Harvard fell to Colgate in a high-scoring matchup.

The Crimson haven’t won more than eight games in a season since Byrne took over before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020 season, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament once in 2022. This season, they’re led by attacking duo Sam King, a senior, and sophomore Jack Spiedell. King leads the team with 13 points, while Spiedell has tallied eight goals.

King serves as Harvard’s main distributor from X, picking Providence and Colgate apart in its first two games with 10 combined assists — six of which came against the Friars. Junior attack Teddy Malone also provides a scoring boost, totaling seven points thus far (five goals, two assists).

As for the Crimson defense, midfielder Ray Dearth caused a team-high four turnovers through their first two games. There are hardly any high points for Harvard’s back end, though. Part of its defensive problems stem from a lackluster faceoff unit. Freshman Jackson Henehan and sophomore Owen Umansky split time at the faceoff X, but they’ve combined to win just 24-of-60 attempts.

Syracuse faceoff specialist John Mullen has gone 50-for-84 at the X so far this season in his first campaign as the Orange’s lead faceoff man. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

How Syracuse beats Harvard

Faceoff man John Mullen is SU’s key to capturing an early victory. After a highly encouraging freshman campaign, Mullen’s gotten off to a solid start as Syracuse’s No. 1 option at the X, winning 50-of-84 faceoffs through four contests. He hasn’t gone under 50% on faceoffs with his worst performance being an 8-of-16 clip against Vermont on Feb. 7.

Mullen is poised for a big afternoon against Henehan and Umansky. If he can dominate Harvard’s faceoff group by totaling at least a 60% win rate, the Orange are bound to rev up their fast-paced offense after a faulty outing in Maryland last week. Harvard’s defense shows limited signs it can stop an unabating attack. Mullen just has to give Syracuse a chance to flex its muscles.

Stat to know: 6

There’s strong potential for one of Syracuse’s offensive stars to obliterate Harvard’s defense. Judging off Colgate attack Hunter Drouin’s six-goal performance Tuesday versus the Crimson, there’s no reason to think Spallina, Hiltz, Finn Thomson or someone else can’t do the same.

Drouin had the freedom to fire 11 shots at Harvard goalie Graham Stevens, 10 of which were on goal. Even as the clear-cut No. 1 option of an unranked opponent, the Crimson’s long poles did nothing to ensure he wouldn’t receive open shooting lanes. SU’s attack must be licking their chops ahead of Saturday’s affair.

Player to watch: Graham Stevens, goalie, No. 56

Stevens wasn’t given much help from his back end Tuesday, finishing his second career NCAA game with a save rate barely above 40% on 32 shots on goal. The freshman was pelted and struggled to adjust. But Stevens’ bad day should be taken with a grain of salt.

Ranked as a five-star recruit in the class of 2024 by Inside Lacrosse, Stevens is Harvard’s most highly-touted player. The National Lacrosse Federation rated Stevens as the No. 1 goalie in the country. The Chester, New Jersey, native is a two-time state goalie of the year (2023-24) and three-time all state selection (2022-24). Stevens faces his tallest task to date on Saturday, but his recruiting profile suggests he’s up to the challenge.

Published on February 19, 2025 at 11:02 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews