No. 5-seed Syracuse will take on unranked Georgetown at SU Soccer Stadium at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Coming off a first-round bye, the Orange last gave up four unanswered goals to then-No. 1 Boston College in the ACC tournament en route to a 14-13 loss. The Hoyas defeated Penn on Friday in double overtime in the first round.

Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen.

Eric Black
Step one
Syracuse 15, Georgetown 9

The Orange have had more than two weeks to prepare since their last game. The Hoyas, on the other hand, have played four games in that time span, including a pair of double-overtime victories. On Sunday, I think Georgetown’s luck runs out. Syracuse is one of the top teams in the country, the likes of which the Hoyas haven’t played since April 17, when they lost to Maryland by 9 goals. I don’t think the deficit is that large this time, but I do think SU handles them pretty easily. While Georgetown’s scoring defense ranks 25th in the country, its save percentage is all the way down at 82nd. That means if the Orange’s high-powered offense is able to get shots on goal, which it shouldn’t have any problem doing, this game shouldn’t be much of a struggle for the home team.

KJ Edelman
Gait-town
Syracuse 16, Georgetown 11

It’s hard to ignore that senior attack Taylor Gebhardt had seven goals on Friday, more than half of Georgetown’s 13. But it’s also hard to ignore that Syracuse hasn’t lost to an opponent outside of the top-five in Inside Lacrosse’s rankings. Syracuse is objectively the more talented team, even if the Hoyas have four scorers with 30-plus goals. The pairing of Sarah Cooper and Grace Fahey (an All-ACC tournament honoree) will shut down any repeat of a Gebhardt takeover, and senior Emily Hawryschuk should fill that role of a dominant, top scorer in a smooth win. See you in Evanston!