No. 10 Syracuse's Defense Stifles Manhattan in Second Half

Tuesday, March 18

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Syracuse University

6-2

Manhattan

4-4

Manhattan

Syracuse

No. 10 Syracuse's Defense Stifles Manhattan in Second Half

3/18/2025 9:35:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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SYRACUSE N.Y. – After an offensively-slow first quarter, the tenth-ranked Syracuse University men's lacrosse team returned to form to beat Manhattan 18-2 Tuesday night in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Syracuse (6-2) recorded 10 different goal scorers in the contest, led by Trey Deere with four. The Orange took 71 shots in the contest, the first time eclipsing the 70-shot mark since 1997 (72, vs. Hobart). Joey Spallina led in assists, dishing out four and adding two goals to raise his career points total to 199. Owen Hiltz recorded one assist in the contest, now sitting two points away from possessing 200 career points.

The stout Orange defense held Manhattan (4-4) to a scoreless second half and only two goals in the contest. The last time Syracuse held an opponent scoreless for a half was against Holy Cross in 2021.

Syracuse controlled 21 of 23 faceoffs in the affair thanks to five different players. John Mullen led the team, succeeding on 14 of his 15 faceoff attempts, as Jack Fine (2-2), Paul Lamonaca (2-2), Drew Angelo (2-3), and Johnny Richiusa (1-1) all contributed. The only faceoff losses for the Orange on the night were on violations.

Manhattan (4-4) was backed by a career effort from starting netminder Connor Hapward, who made 24 saves before he was spelled for the final 68 seconds. Hapner made eight saves in the first quarter alone to keep the Orange off the board.

How It Happened

Syracuse was stopped five times in the opening 7 minutes and 19 seconds of the game by Manhattan goalie Connor Hapward, as the Jaspers would find the back of the net first at 6:26 in the first frame. The Orange did not score the opening goal of the game for the first time this season, being held scoreless in the opening quarter for a Manhattan 1-0 lead.
Deere put the Orange on the board less than a minute into the second quarter, before Spallina would net his first just two minutes later. A second Deere goal gave 'Cuse a 3-1 advantage, before the Jaspers' Jack Miller would score with 6:12 to play in the first half.
Syracuse's offense would not be matched for the rest of the game, scoring six unanswered in the final 5:18 of the first half to put their tally at nine for the quarter, the second highest of the season.
Greg Elijah-Brown recorded his first goal of the season 36 seconds into the second half on the man-up, as the Orange scored four total in the third frame of action.
The Orange's final five goals came from four different players, as Wyatt Hottle (1g), Payton Anderson (2g), Trey Deere (1g), and Owen O'Farrell (1g) secured the 18-2 victory for Syracuse.

Behind the Numbers

'Cuse out-shot the Jaspers 71-18 in the contest, Syracuse's first time over the 70-shot threshold since taking 72 against Hobart in 1997.
Thirteen different Orange players picked up points in the win, including six from Spallina (2g, 4a) and four from Deere (4g).
Syracuse held Manhattan scoreless in the second half, their first time holding a team to zero points in a half since Holy Cross in March of 2021.
The Orange controlled 21 of 23 faceoffs, their first time succeeding in 20+ faceoffs since Harvard on Feb. 22.

Up Next
Syracuse hosts No. 20/No. 18 Colgate this Saturday inside the JMA Wireless Dome for its Lacrosse Out Cancer game. Faceoff is slated for Noon with live coverage on ACC Network. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/Tickets.