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While Syracuse has struggled in close games this campaign, Johns Hopkins is making a living off them. All of the Blue Jays’ games have come down to five goals or fewer, including three one-goal victories. Meanwhile, when the Orange aren’t blowing out an inferior opponent, they lose — 11-7 to then-No. 6 Maryland and 15-14 to then-No. 15 Harvard.

SU head coach Gary Gait recognized the urgency his team needs in what’s sure to be another close game between the two rivals Sunday. It seems like do-or-die for the Orange, even though it’s only game seven of 14. But that’s the current reality: every game is consequential to Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament chances.

“We have no shortage of, ‘Oh this is a big game.’ They’re all big games,” Gait said Friday. “But they’re all great opportunities.”

Here’s everything to know before No. 11 Syracuse (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) battles No. 7 Johns Hopkins (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) Sunday in the 63rd edition of the SU-JHU rivalry:

All-time series

Johns Hopkins leads 32-29-1.

Last time they played …

One year ago to the date of 2025’s meeting, the Orange faced the Blue Jays on March 9, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then-No. 9 Syracuse earned its first top-five victory of the Gait era, tallying eight third-quarter goals to dethrone then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins 14-13.

Hat tricks from SU’s Christian Mulé and Jake Stevens bolstered it offensively, while attackmen Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz led the way with five points apiece. JHU attack Garrett Degnon tallied a whopping five goals, though the Orange held star Blue Jays’ attack Russell Melendez to a zero-point dud.

The Blue Jays report

Johns Hopkins got off to a clean start in its fifth year under head coach Peter Milliman, winning four straight games — including its season-opener against 2024 national semifinalist Denver. Even JHU’s lone blemish, a loss to current-No. 6 North Carolina, is excusable. It’s hard to pinpoint a true weakness for the Blue Jays other than not delivering a blowout win.

Their offense, led by Melendez, attack Hunter Chauvette and midfielder Brooks English, is averaging just over 11 goals per game and ranks 14th in adjusted efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference. Melendez’s 14 goals lead the team, while Chauvette has added 13 and midfielder Matt Collison has tacked on 10, making for a solid scoring trio.

JHU’s calling card is its defense, which has held up its bargain thus far. The Blue Jays have held every opponent to 13 or fewer goals and two teams — Georgetown and Loyola — to single-digit outputs. Defensemen Scott V. Smith (six caused turnovers) and Quintan Kilrain (12 ground ball pickups) spearhead Johns Hopkins’s unit.

Goalie Luke Staudt, however, hasn’t been stout this season. He ranks 55th nationally with a .473 save percentage, a far cry below SU goalie Jimmy McCool’s 15th-ranked .588 save rate, though he’s only faced 112 on-target shots through six games. Staudt will face a different animal in Syracuse, whose 282 shot attempts and .323 shot percentage each rank top-15.

John Mullen will look to build off his nation-leading 91 faceoff wins in a battle with Johns Hopkins’ Logan Callahan Sunday in the Dome. Joe Zhao | Design Editor

How Syracuse beats Johns Hopkins

The Orange can put pressure on Staudt as they did last year on goalie Chayse Ierlan. But the only way they can do that is if John Mullen continues to do absurd work at the faceoff X. He currently leads the nation with 91 faceoff victories and has the third-best win rate at .664.

Now, Mullen takes on his toughest task yet: Johns Hopkins faceoff man Logan Callahan.

The senior ranks second behind Mullen with 77 faceoff wins. And his faceoff rate is 19 spots lower than Mullen’s. This is a prime opportunity for the sophomore to show he’s the best faceoff specialist in Division I. Callahan has a reputation, but Mullen has shown again and again that he’s out for blood; his 28-for-31 game against Harvard stands out most.

Callahan went 8-for-23 against Syracuse last year, leaving the Orange’s offense plentiful chances. Mullen, who finished 4-of-6 versus JHU in 2024, can make a greater impact this time around.

Stat to know: 38

Is this the same Johns Hopkins defense of old? Lacrosse Reference doesn’t think so.

The Blue Jays rank 37th in adjusted defensive efficiency, sitting at 27.8%. Syracuse, meanwhile, is 16th at 23.3%. Johns Hopkins plays slowly, similar to head coach John Tillman’s Maryland program. And while that’s paid off with four wins of scoring margins of three goals or fewer, the advanced data shows JHU hasn’t been up to standard defensively.

No innate turnover enforcers stand out for the Blue Jays, nor does a consistent goalie. Before this year’s drop-off, Johns Hopkins finished each of the last two seasons sixth and seventh in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference.

Player to watch: Brooks English, midfielder, No. 25

Brooks, JHU’s leader in assists (12), battles a familiar face Sunday. He’s the younger brother of Syracuse midfielder Sam English. Sam may have an edge on Brooks defensively, though the latter has come into his own as a facilitator this campaign.

The former No. 35-ranked 2023 freshman, per Inside Lacrosse, posted 11 points in his first season before playing just four games in 2024. But this year, Brooks is the clear go-to-guy for putting Johns Hopkins’ offense into gear. He’s racked up three-plus assists in three of six games, highlighted by a four-assist day against Loyola on Feb. 15.

Published on March 8, 2025 at 12:53 pm

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