Spallina Nets Seven in No. 8/7 Syracuse Win

Saturday, March 2

Syracuse, N.Y.

5 p.m.

Syracuse University

5-2

High Point

4-2

High Point

Syracuse

3/2/2024 7:56:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In a game of runs, the No. 8/7 Syracuse men's lacrosse team (5-2) put together two seven goals runs in the first and third quarters to propel ahead of rv/rv High Point (4-2), 19-13, on Saturday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome.

Joey Spallina scored a career-high seven goals, including three goals within the first 10 minutes of the game. His seven goals were the most by a Syracuse player since Owen Hiltz had seven against Robert Moris on May 7, 2021. Hiltz produced a natural hat trick for his third three-plus goal game of the season. Christian Mulé (2g, 2a), Michael Leo (2g), Jackson Birtwistle (2g) and Jake Stevens (2a) each added multi-point performances.

The squads were well matched at the X, Syracuse finished with a 20-16 edge on faceoff wins in the contest. John Mullen won a personal-best 11 faceoffs on 18 attempts for a .611 percentage, adding his first career goal in the third quarter. Mason Kohn went .500 percent at the X, winning nine of the 18 he took.

Each side found success on clears. The Orange finished 19-of-21 (.905) while the Panthers went 21-of-23 (.913). The game was even on the ground as High Point had a slight 38-37 advantage on ground balls.

How It Happened

The Orange opened the game with seven unanswered goals. Spallina scored three and assisted one, Mulé netted one and assisted one, and Leo, Birtwistle and Finn Thomson each contributed goals to the rally. Jack VanOverbeke got High Point its first point on the board with seven seconds to go in the first quarter.
After a Spallina goal to open the second quarter scoring, High Point went on a four-goal run. VanOverbeke had one goal and assisted two over the four-goal span. Brayden Mayea, Isiah Moran-Weekes and Colin Cooke all had one goal each. The squads went into the intermission with an 8-5 advantage for Syracuse.
Leo scored a solo goal for the first point after the break. VanOverbeke scored two of three-straight from High Point to come within one of Syracuse, 9-8, with 9:19 left in the third quarter.
In a 5:02-span between the 8:46 mark and 3:44 left in the third quarter, the Orange produced their second seven-goal run of the game. Hiltz had three consecutive goals to start the rally. Spallina followed with two before Mullen got his first goal of the season directly following a faceoff win. Birtwistle rounded out the Syracuse scoring effort, putting one through off a dish from Mulé.
After the run in the third quarter, Syracuse was in front, 16-8. High Point came back within five of 'Cuse with a three-goal rally that bled into the fourth quarter. VanOverbeke netted his fifth of the game, Ryan Hynes and Jack Sawyer each had one, which made the score 16-11 with 14:54 to go.
Mulé and Spallina knocked through solo goals to give the Orange a seven-point lead, 18-11, with 6:05 remaining. Mayea sandwiched two goals between one from 'Cuse's Brett Tenaglia, which were the last goals of the affair.

Game Notes

The two seven-goal runs tied for the second-longest goal streaks this season for the Orange.
After his nine-point performance tonight, Spallina is three points shy of 50 for the season with 21 goals and 26 assists.
The Orange improved to 74-35 in games following a loss during a season in the last 100-plus games.
Tonight's contest was the first ever meeting between Syracuse and High Point.

Up Next
The Orange have finished their seven-game home stand to start the season and prepare for their first road trip. Syracuse is set to face Johns Hopkins in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Crown Lacrosse Classic on Saturday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. The game will have live stats available and will be streamed on ESPN+. The Orange will return to the Dome when they matchup against Duke on Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/Tickets.