Chuck Kuczynski was thrown out of the college lacrosse game between Syracuse and Georgetown. His ejection for a dirty hit to the head was well deserved.
Unfortunately, it does not help to negate the reputation of the Orange.
There may not be a team in college lacrosse that plays more aggressive or physical. That often leads to physical altercation, which furthers the outside perception of barbarity.
Syracuse is on a roll in college lacrosse.
Don’t look now but the Orange might be all of the way back. A program that randomly fell off of a cliff from 2021 to 2023 made its return to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and reached the Final Four in 2025.
This year’s team might be even better.
Syracuse currently ranks in the top-five with an overall record of 8-2. It has seven wins over top-25 teams (Boston, Maryland, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Denver, Saint Joseph’s and now Georgetown) with losses only to top-15 teams in Princeton and Harvard.
There are five games left in the regular season and the Orange still has to play No. 4 UNC, No. 6 Duke and No. 1 Notre Dame before the ACC Tournament. A lot of things could happen over the next few weeks to completely reshape the landscape of college lacrosse but Syracuse controls its own destiny.
Gary Gait has his team in great position to compete for a national championship if it can stay out of trouble. The Orange is known for its highly-physical and aggressive style of play— especially with its defensive pressure. Heavy hits often lead to penalties.
Syracuse currently leads the ACC with an average of 4.4 penalties per game. That often ruffles feathers. Its game against Denver ended with a big scuffle last week. The Pioneers were sick of the aggression.
This kind of thing happens more than it should. The Orange are called “head hunters” for a reason.
Yet another dirty hit does not help their reputation.
I don’t think Gary Gait cares what people think of his team as long as his team keeps winning. However, the latest college lacrosse incident that involves Syracuse does not help with the optics.
Senior defenseman Chuck Kuczynski went high on Georgetown midfielder Joe Cesare. He absolutely leveled him with an elbow to the throat. Not only did he lead with his forearm, he launched.
A three-minute unreleasable and an ejection for Chuck Kuczynski after this hit: pic.twitter.com/bjq25z2ZY4
— Inside Lacrosse (@Inside_Lacrosse) March 22, 2026
Kuczynski was ejected from the game for the dirty hit. It was the correct ruling.
The ACC will now review the incident this week to determine whether he will be suspended for the upcoming contest. I would be surprised if he is not.
Either way, Kuczynski’s hit on Cesare is yet another example of why the Orange is considered the dirtiest team in college lacrosse. Their reputation precedes them and they just keep proving it right.