No. 5/5 Army Outlasts No. 8/7 Syracuse in OT

Wednesday, February 28

Syracuse, N.Y.

6 p.m.

Syracuse University

4-2

Army West Point

4-0

ARMY

Syracuse

2/28/2024 9:03:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Tickets Highlights Press Conference Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Another chapter of the storied Syracuse-Army West Point saga ended in an overtime thriller in which the No. 8/7 Syracuse men's lacrosse team (4-2) lost to No. 5 Army (4-0), 14-13 at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Owen Hiltz netted the equalizer with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter. Each side had opportunities on offense before the end of regulation, but neither team capitalized. Jackson Eicher's shot with 1:37 to go in overtime hit the net and gave the Black Knights the victory.

Christian Mulé (3g, 1a), Sam English (3g) and Jackson Birtwistle (3g) each contributed hat tricks for the Orange. Michael Leo (1g, 1a), Finn Thomson (1g, 1a) and Joey Spallina (2a) were the other Syracuse performers to have multi-point days.

Evan Plunkett led Army with five points on three goals and two assists. Eicher tallied three goals and an assist, including the game-winner. Reese Burek (3g, 1a) and Jacob Morin (3g) each recorded a trio of goals for the Black Knights.

Will Colletti took every rep at the X for Army and won 16-of-31. Mason Kohn was victorious on the faceoff for the Orange on 11-of-23 draws. Mullen went .500 percent, winning four-of-eight faceoffs in the outing.

It was an even battle on the ground as Army grabbed 31 ground balls and Syracuse scooped 30. The goalkeepers were equal on stops, Will Mark and Matt Chess each had 11 saves in the affair.

How it Happened

English scored the first goal of the game on his own just 62 seconds into the contest. Army responded by scoring the next two to go ahead, 2-1, with 11:21 left in the first quarter.
The Orange took back the lead as English and Thomson each scored to give Syracuse a 3-2 advantage 8:11 into the game.
The Black knights produced three-straight goals to go in front, 5-3. Burek had two and Morin added one during the stretch. Birtwistle scored the last goal of the quarter and the Orange trailed 5-4 after 15 minutes.
The second quarter scoring opened with a solo goal from Leo that evened the score at 5-5.
After Eicher netted his first of the game with 11:39 to go in the second period, the Orange went converted four unanswered goals leading into the third quarter that put Syracuse in front, 9-6, with 14:00 left in the third period. Mulé produced two, and Birtwistle and English each added one during the run. Joey Spallina recorded assists on two of the Orange goals.
Bailey O'Connor ended the Syracuse run by scoring with 13:29 left in the third period. The Orange bounced back as Luke Rhoa slotted one through with 12:18 to go in the quarter to give 'Cuse a three-goal advantage, 10-7.
Back-to-back goals from Army's Plunkett and Eicher cut its deficit to one, 10-9, with 5:23 left in the third period. Mulé completed his hat trick off a dish from Thomson and put the Orange ahead by two. The Black Knights knotted the score at 11-11 to end the third quarter after goals from Burek and Plunkett.
Birtwistle scored off a feed from Leo to start the fourth quarter, but Army retaliated with consecutive goals from Gunnar Fellows and Morin that gave the visitors a 13-12 edge - their first lead since 6-5 in the second quarter.
Hiltz knocked through a shot that sent the game into overtime. Kohn won the faceoff for Syracuse to start the extra period, but the Orange were unable to convert on their offensive possession.
Mulé created an Army turnover that allowed him to take a shot, but it missed the cage and gave the ball back to the Black Knights. After a couple blocked shots, Eicher got his third goal of the game and earned the victory for Army.

Up Next
The Orange host High Point to finish their seven-game home stand in the JMA Wireless Dome at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. Tickets for Saturday's game can be found at cuse.com/tickets