#1 Orange Hit the Road

No. 1 SYRACUSE (3-0) at No. 13 Harvard (2-0)
Game Details	Saturday, February 21, 2026 \| Cambridge, Mass. \| 1 p.m. ET
Game Coverage	Live Coverage: Stats Stream: ESPN+ Listen: Cuse.com \| TK99/105 \| Learfield IMG College \| Cuse App \| Varsity App \| TuneIn \| WAER Twitter: @CuseMLAX Instagram: @CuseMLAX Facebook: CuseMLAX
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Game Notes
Harvard Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Game Notes

THE GAME
- Some first and seconds are on tap this weekend as the newly-minted number one team in the country, Syracuse University men's lacrosse, hits the road for the first time in 2026.
- The Orange embark on a road swing not seen since the 70s as Syracuse plays its next six games away from home, the most consecutive road games during the regular season since 1972.
- It also marks the first of three straight games against Ivy league foes, while Saturday's showdown is the second of three-straight NCAA Tournament rematches from last season.
- Syracuse and Harvard meet in Cambridge for the first time since 1985, a city in which Syracuse is 12-0 all-time against the Crimson.
- The Orange are coming off an 11-9 win over the former number one team, Maryland, last Friday night. Joey Spallina led all scorers with four goals, bracing a five-goal stretch for Syracuse that put the Orange ahead for good.
- Harvard hosts its second-straight New York-based opponent after besting Colgate 17-8 on Tuesday night at home. Colgate is one of five common opponents this season between Syracuse and Harvard (Penn, Boston University, North Carolina, Princeton).
- Game time at Jordan Field is slated for 1 p.m. with ESPN+ handling streaming duties this weekend. Joel Godett '09 and Adam Pascal will have the call for ESPN+.
- Luke Burgess and Kyle Fetterly will have the radio call for the Syracuse Sports Network on TK99/105 this week. Fans can also catch radio broadcasts on Cuse.com, The Varsity App, and TuneIn App.

RETURN TO NUMBER ONE
- After nearly six years, Syracuse men's lacrosse returned to the number one spot in the USILA Division I Coaches Poll this week, picking up 578 points and all but two first-place votes.
- This marks the 100th time since the poll began in 1973 that Syracuse has been ranked number one.
- The Orange are 120-24 all-time when ranked first in the USILA Coaches Poll and will play from the hunted position for the first time since best Johns Hopkins 15-9 on March 7, 2020. This marks the first time the Orange sit atop the poll under head coach Gary Gait.
- Since the USILA issued its first top 20 on March 19, 1973, there have been 569 polls published. Syracuse has been at number one now for 100 of those 569, nearly 18 percent of all USILA polls.

THE GAUNTLET
- The 2026 Syracuse men's lacrosse schedule shied away from no one.
- Of the other 19 teams ranked in the USILA Division I Week Two Coaches Poll, Syracuse will face over half of those teams during the regular season's 15 games: No. 2 Maryland, No. 3 Georgetown, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 7 Duke, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 12 Princeton, No. 13 Harvard, No. 14 Johns Hopkins, No. 15 Boston University, No. 16 Denver, and No. 17 Virginia, with Colgate, Saint Joseph's and Air Force receiving votes. Syracuse is 3-0 this season against opponents mentioned in the USILA Coaches Poll preceding the game.
- This year's 15 opponents combined to go 142-94 last season, a 60.2 winning percentage, while each team on the calendar this season has made the NCAA Tournament at least once since 2022.
- Syracuse has one of the most difficult schedules in Division I this year. Syracuse, Maryland, and North Carolina will all face 10 teams ranked in the top 20 of the Inside Lacrosse Division I Preseason Media Poll, but the Orange have the toughest slate among those three. Syracuse's average for preseason ranked teams is 9.2 while North Carolina is second at 10.1 and Maryland checks in with a 10.6 average.

WEEKLY HONORS SWEEP AGAIN
- After knocking off No. 1 Maryland last week, Syracuse once again swept the weekly honors from the ACC.
- Joey Spallina was named Offensive Player of the Week for a second week in a row while Riley Figueiras earns his first career Defensive Player of the Week plaudits.
- Spallina racked four goals over the top-ranked Terps, scoring on nine total shots, five of which were on cage. The senior attackman was named to the USILA Division I Team of the Week as well.
- Figueiras was lock down on defense, coming up with two caused turnovers and three ground balls. He shut down Maryland's Leo Johnson, who scored twice, but neither time while Figueiras was directly marked on Johnson.
- Syracuse has five of the six ACC Players of the Week honors for the 2026 season and has at least one in each of the first three weeks of the young year.

A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD...
- Improve Syracuse to 4-0 start for the first time since opening the 2020 campaign at 5-0
- Bump the Orange record to 13-0 all-time in Cambridge against Harvard.
- See Syracuse pick up its first true road win since beating Virginia 12-10 on March 29, 2025. (The Orange have played one true road game since then).
- Mark the first time Syracuse wins its first true road game of the year since beating Hobart 13-7 on March 23, 2024 at Urick Stadium in Geneva.
- Improve to 13-6 all-time against teams ranked 13th.
- Be the first Orange win over a 13th-ranked foe since besting #13 Duke 14-8 on May 1, 2016 in the ACCT.
- Be the 965th win in program history, the second-most all-time among Division I programs.

HONORARY IVY LEAGUERS
- For the next two weeks, Syracuse could be considered associate members of the Ivy League as the Orange face three of the Ancient Eight all in a row and all on the road.
- Syracuse played three Ivy League teams last year, two of which were scheduled - Harvard and Cornell - with another two - Harvard again and Princeton - in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Orange went 2-2 against the Ivys last spring in the regular (0-2) and postseason (2-0).
- Syracuse has not played three Ivy League teams in one regular season since 2005 when the Orange went 2-1, beating No. 15 Princeton and No. 18 Brown but dropping a game against No. 8 Cornell.
- Syracuse is one of six non-Ivy League teams to play at least three Ivy League teams this season: Boston University (3), Fairfield (3), UNC (4), Penn State (3), UAlbany (3). Syracuse is the only non-Ivy to play all of its games away from home. UNC plays two true road games and one neutral game.

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Players Mentioned

Riley Figueiras

Joey Spallina

Syracuse University Athletics