Spallina Leads Balanced 'Cuse to Road Win

Saturday, April 8

Princeton, N.J.

Noon

Syracuse University

7-5

Princeton

4-5

Syracuse

Princeton

4/8/2023 2:31:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

Nine Points for the Freshman

PRINCETON, N.J. – Behind a nine-point effort from freshman Joey Spallina, Syracuse University men's lacrosse knocked off longtime rival and 14th-ranked Princeton 16-13 on Saturday afternoon at Class of 1952 Stadium.

Spallina finished with four goals and five assists, tied for the fourth-most points by a 'Cuse freshman in a single game. Eleven different 'Cuse players converted points, including additional hat tricks from Finn Thomson and Cole Kirst. The Orange power play was sharp, scoring four times on eight changes, including a four-for-six effort in the second quarter alone.

The 'Cuse (7-5) defense was dialed in the final 30 minutes, allowing just four Princeton goals, including a shutout fourth quarter. Will Mark finished with 17 saves while Saam Olexo forced three turnovers and scored the game's first goal. At the faceoff X, Jack Fine had a career day, winning 20 of his 32 draws with nine ground balls and an assist to Kirst.

Princeton (4-5) had a six-point effort from Coulter Mackesy on a balanced three goals and three assists. Alexander Vardaro picked up four points on a split two goals and two assists. Michael Gianforcaro stopped 15 Syracuse shots.

How it Happened

'Cuse jumped out to a lead 15 seconds in as Olexo picked up the game's first ground ball, zipped through the Princeton defense before scoring for a second-straight game.
Princeton evened the game a minute later but a patented four-goal run for the Orange in just four minutes put Syracuse up 5-1. Jackson Birtwistle, Thomson, Kirst, and Griffin Cook scored in succession. All four goals were assisted.
The No. 14 Tigers scored back-to-back goals across a six-minute stretch before Spallina had the last laugh of the quarter with 42 seconds left for a 6-3 lead after 15 minutes.
Both sides traded goals a combined seven goals in the first 10 minutes of the second quarter before a three-goal run from Princeton pulled the Tigers back within one, a 10-9 'Cuse lead with three to play in the half.
The Orange struck twice in the last 75 seconds, first from Leo on the man-up followed by a Spallina finish with 15 seconds left. The latter assisted on the former's goal, leading to a 12-9 halftime lead.
Again the sides traded body blows in the third with Kirst scoring twice with Luke Rhoa in between two Princeton goals. The Tigers struck twice in the final three and a half minutes, cutting the lead to 15-13 in favor of the Orange.
Thomson scored the final goal of the game with 14:05 showing on the clock, knocking home a feed from Spallina before the defenses settled in to finish the game. Both netminders made four saves in the last 14 minutes, including a diving save for Mark to his right, coming back across the entire crease to seal the win.

Behind the Numbers

Syracuse out-shot the Tigers 50-47 en route to the team's fifth-straight win over Princeton.
Spallina's nine points are tied for the fourth-most by a 'Cuse freshman, while his five helpers are tied for the third-most assists by an Orange rookie. The Mount Sinai, New York has 57 points in his first season with Syracuse, the sixth-most for a 'Cuse freshman. His 32 goals are tied for the fifth-most while his 25 assists are also tied for the fifth-most.
Mark has made double-digit saves in 10 games this season as his 17 stops are tied for the third-most in his Syracuse career.
Syracuse held Princeton off the board for 15:06 to finish the game, the seventh-longest opponent drought this season.
Fine won 20 of his 32 faceoffs on Saturday. It is the first time a 'Cuse player has won at least 20 faceoffs since Jakob Phaup against Virginia on April 23, 2022.
Syracuse won its 11th game against an opponent ranked 14th in that week's USILA Poll and the third straight game the Orange have done so. It marks the first time Syracuse has won a road game against a ranked foe since beating No. 5 Virginia 13-11 in Charlottesville in 2021. It was the first 'Cuse win in the state of New Jersey since beating then-BIG EAST foe Notre Dame 10-4 at the 2013 Konica Minolta Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Up Next For Syracuse

The Orange keep things on the road, but at a neutral site, next weekend against North Carolina, ranked 10th in the polls this week.
Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Our Lady of Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland. ESPNU will carry next Saturday's game on its airwaves.
More information about the game can be found at the event's homepage.