We are getting to the point in the 2025 Division 1 lacrosse season where we are starting to understand exactly where teams fall, and which fraud lacrosse programs have emerged. Preseason rankings seemingly mean nothing, but with most teams having four to five games under their belt, we can now make semi-accurate conclusions about how talented these squads are. There are three teams and fan bases that should be concerned with where their teams currently stand, especially considering offseason expectations. The term “fraud” comes from the preseason expectations being so high, only for the team’s performance to start the year not matching those expectations, making them look fraudulent. All three teams mentioned certainly have the opportunity to right their wrongs down the stretch of the season, but things are not looking good for these programs as they find themselves featured on this fraud lacrosse alert.
Denver
Denver came into the year with high expectations but has not really been able to meet them so far. The Pioneers shockingly made a run to Championship Weekend last year under new head coach Matt Brown. I think this gave many Denver faithful a sigh of relief as it showed that this team could contend for a national title without Bill Tierney. Entering the current season, a three-goal home loss to Johns Hopkins is not terrible but definitely not what the Pioneers were hoping for. Wins against Air Force and Utah probably felt good for team morale, but I would have expected Denver to beat up Utah more than just a two-goal win.
This last weekend at Cornell was shocking, to say the least. The Pioneers traveled up to Ithaca, New York, where they were blown out 5-15. There are a lot of factors at play here that need to be accounted for, such as travel and typical early-season blunders. However, Denver never really had any life in this game, which is concerning for anyone who had high hopes for this team this year. Looking ahead, the team has easy wins against Marist and Quinnipiac, but the road takes a sharp turn from there. An away trip to Yale, followed by a home game versus Ohio State, and then a neutral-site game against Duke will be very telling. At the pace Denver is on right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they walked away from this three-game stretch with only one victory.
Virginia
What a peculiar start to the year it has been for the Virginia Cavaliers, especially considering all the hype around this 2025 squad. Lars Tiffany has done an incredible job building up this program’s culture and bringing in top-tier talent year after year. On paper, this Virginia team should be terrifying for any opponent, but that just hasn’t been the case so far. A blowout victory against Colgate was a nice way to start the season and boost morale. However, a home loss by three goals to in-state rival Richmond? Less than ideal, to say the least. Everything seemed fine with a bounce-back game against High Point, but things seemingly collapsed this past weekend during the Cavaliers’ first road trip of the 2025 season.
Their trip to Columbus was embarrassing for Virginia faithful as the team suffered a 5-14 blowout. McCabe Millon absolutely disappeared, and while Griffin Schutz and Ryan Colsey did everything they could, it still wasn’t nearly enough. Ohio State seemingly appears to be on the rise this year, but Virginia expects much more from itself than a loss of this magnitude. These next three games, similar to Denver, will determine where the Cavaliers truly belong in the rankings. An away matchup against Johns Hopkins, followed by a neutral-site bout against Towson, and a home game against Maryland will mean everything for this team. Virginia has a lot to prove as they are certainly underperforming compared to expectations.
Syracuse
The definition of fraud lacrosse alert this season is certainly the Syracuse Orange. Syracuse fans have been compared to Dallas Cowboys fans for a number of reasons—a team with a lot of historic success that holds itself to championship expectations but never really gets close. Every time this team has an opportunity to turn the corner, they seemingly shoot themselves in the foot.
This year was supposed to be different, with many key returning players and Gary Gait’s culture finally being set in stone. Blowout wins against Jacksonville, Vermont, and Towson made people believe that Syracuse was back better than ever. However, their away matchup against Maryland exposed glaring issues that a good scouting report could exploit. The 7-11 loss did not put them in fraud lacrosse territory quite yet—until this past weekend.
A one-goal loss against Harvard on their home turf was definitely not on the Syracuse Orange bingo card this year. No disrespect to Harvard, as they have become a quality Ivy League program, but when your expectations are national championship or bust, you simply cannot drop this game, especially at home. Syracuse has been the talking point on Twitter all week now, as the team has seemingly underperformed by a wide margin in its last two outings. Utah has the opportunity to do the funniest thing and keep the losing streak going, and if they don’t, I’m sure Johns Hopkins might have something to say when they walk into the Dome.
