Syracuse men’s lacrosse season preview: Attack and offensive midfield

The gang returns mostly intact and ready to lead the pursuit of Championship Weekend.

With less than two weeks to go until the start of lacrosse season, it’s time for us to take an overview of the 2025 Syracuse Orange, starting with the offense.

It’s no secret that most around the college game are eyeing this as the season that ‘Cuse finally ends their Final Four drought, given the progress of the last couple years and the collection of talent returning this spring. If it’s going to happen, the offense will be leading that charge.

Their impressive combination of overall talent, experience and depth is matched by very few teams this side of Notre Dame thanks to the fact that they bring back more pieces than just about any offense in the country.

Seven of SU’s top nine return from last year’s No. 6 ranked offense (14.72 goals per game), as well as a whole stable of young studs looking to get their chance to contribute more meaningfully.

• Key Returners: Joey Spallina, Owen Hiltz, Finn Thomson, Michael Leo, Sammy English, Luke Rhoa, Jackson Birtwistle, Trey Deere
• Key Departures: Christian Mulé, Jake Stevens

With so much returning, the primary questions for this offense revolves around who will play where. It starts with who will fill the third attack spot, and then how the midfield lines will fill in behind that.

Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz are back for their third straight year as the attack’s 1-2 punch with Spallina operating from X and Hiltz pulling strings on the left side. But who will replace Christian Mulé as the third attacker?

The answer will likely come between Finn Thomson and Trey Deere, although Michael Leo would make sense as well. If one of those three slots in at attack, the other two are likely to be up top alongside Sammy English at the midfield. Of course, movement is constant for the Orange offense, so everyone will initiate from virtually everywhere at one point or another.

Luke Rhoa and Jackson Birtwistle return from last year’s second midfield, and they’re looking for a new line mate with the critical departure of Jake Stevens, and there’s a whole litany of options eager to snag that role.

Tucker Kellogg, Tyler McCarthy and Wyatt Hottle are the sophomores who each got a chance to briefly flash in their first year. Payton Anderson is the highly-ranked freshman with the best chance to make an impact who can play either attack or midfield, and Tyler Cordes is the senior veteran whose been a solid backup mid for years now.

Whoever ends up joining the party alongside the top eight that appears to be Spallina, Hiltz, Thomson, Leo, English, Deere, Rhoa and Birtwistle, the Orange have plenty of hungry, young players looking to contribute.

Aside from the lineup questions, which are more of a luxury of depth than anything, there are the questions about this offense’s ability to score off the dodge.

We know this group can hum like no other when their passing and movement is operating at peak efficiency. But we also know that last year they struggled with winning their individual matchups when they needed to, making it difficult to find goals when that is what’s required to get a goal or two in a tight game.

The answer to that should begin with Joey Spallina, the Orange’s offensive leader who clearly has the skillset to succeed in such circumstances. But winning his matchup has undeniably been a struggle for him in some of the big games against the elite defenders. Has another summer of box lacrosse, including a successful Indoor World Championships, helped him take that next step up the ladder of the elite? If so, defenses will really have quite the assignment facing these Orange.

Probably the two most proven dodgers on the team are Sammy English and Michael Leo, who have the speed and dodging toughness to get the job done. They have done it before, including in some very clutch moments the past two years. But can they continue to do it when a defense knows the initiation is going through them?

Maybe they won’t have to, if Spallina is ready for that next step. Or perhaps Trey Deere or Payton Anderson can add a fresh touch of athletic dodging to the mix. Maybe give more chances to a pair of speedsters in Luke Rhoa and Wyatt Hottle, who’ve both proven capable of scoring on the run.

While there may be some questions heading into a new year, it’s undeniable that SU’s offense is among the most productive and electric in the sport.

Their endless skill and relentless depth should be the stuff of nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators, and they will be the flag bearers for an Orange team looking to march back to Memorial Day weekend this new year.