#11 ’Cuse Tops #7 Hop in Instant Classic

Sunday, March 9

Syracuse, N.Y.

2 p.m.

Syracuse University

5-2

Johns Hopkins

5-2

Johns Hopkins

Syracuse

3/9/2025 4:21:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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Three-Goal Run in Fourth Seals Win

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In one of the sport's best and intense rivalries, No. 11 Syracuse used a three-goal run in the fourth quarter, paired with flashy plays and physicality, to take down No. 7 Johns Hopkins 13-10 Sunday afternoon in an instant classic at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Syracuse (5-2) battled through seven ties, including 10-10 midway through the fourth quarter before a three-goal run four minutes secured the first top-10 win of the year for the Orange. Complimentary lacrosse saw all three of the final goals assisted as Luke Rhoa, Owen Hiltz, and Michael Leo scored in succession on assists from Hiltz, Joey Spallina, and Sam English, respectively.

The Orange were paced by five points from Hiltz, who scored four times with an assist. Spallina tallied two goals, including a hidden ball trick tally from near midfield, alongside two assists. Off the bench, Tyler Cordes potted a pair of goals while dealing two assists to Hiltz in the first quarter. Michael Leo added a hat trick including the dagger with three minutes to play. Jimmy McCool made 12 saves while faceoff man John Mullen overcame a slow start in the first half as the Orange won nine of the 13 draws in the second half. Mullen added 10 ground balls to his day as well.

Syracuse's defense harassed the Blue Jays (5-2) all night, forcing seven turnovers including three caused by Riley Figueiras. Trey Deere caused a turnover late in the game on the ride that led back to a Syracuse goal.

Johns Hopkins (5-2) had a four-point day from Charlie Iler on three goals and one assist. Matt Collison was the only other Jay with multiple goals with two. Only half of the Johns Hopkins goals were assisted. West Genesee native Luke Staudt struggled in net, making just six saves on the day, and never more than two in a period.

How it Happened

Syracuse jumped out to a 3-0 lead the first five minutes on goals from Spallina, Leo, and Hiltz. Spallina's goal was assisted in transition by close defenseman Billy Dwan III, whose father played and coached at Johns Hopkins.
Hopkins reeled off four straight a two-minute stretch thanks to several faceoff violations by Syracuse to take a 4-3 lead. The Orange tied it back at 4-4 on Hiltz's second of the day on the second helper from Cordes.
The latter broke the stalemate midway through the second quarter for a 5-4 Syracuse lead as Cordes stroked one on a pass from Wyatt Hottle. But the Blue Jays scored two more at 6:15 and the second at 59 seconds of the second to take a 6-5 lead into halftime.
Struggling out of the halftime break this season, Syracuse reversed fortunes with a 4-2 advantage in the third quarter. Rhoa tied the game at the 8:57 mark before back-to-back Johns Hopkins goals gave the Blue Jays their largest lead of the day at 8-6.
The Orange ripped off three straight over the final two minutes of the frame, bringing the 8,600 fans in attendance to their feet. The final goal of the run was a hidden ball trick between Spallina and Sam English as the latter faked out the entire Hopkins defense, leading the net wide open for Spallina to score from near midfield.
Fifty-four seconds into the final quarter, Hopkins tied the game for the penultimate time before HIltz gave Syracuse a 10-9 lead. Iler knotted the score for the final time at 7:29 of the fourth before the nail-in-the-coffin three-goal run for the Orange delivered the first top-10 win of the year for Syracuse.

Behind the Numbers

Cordes had a career-best day with his two goals and two assists. It was his first multi-point game since March 6, 2022 against Hobart.
Eight different Orange players picked up points in the win, including five from Hiltz (4g, 1a), Spallina (2g, 2a) and Cordes (2g, 2a).
Syracuse held the potentially potent Blue Jay man-up unit to just one goal on five opportunities. The Orange won their 30th game all-time against Johns Hopkins and the program's 953rd all-time, the second-most wins for a program in college lacrosse.
Syracuse won its first home game against the Blue Jays since a 14-10 win at the Dome on March 9, 2019. 'Cuse won back-to-back games against Hopkins for the first time since the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Up Next for Syracuse

The Orange are idle next weekend before returning to the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday, March 18 for a showdown against in-state foe Manhattan.
Game time on ACC Network Extra is set for 7 p.m.
It will be a busy week for Syracuse as the Orange take on another longtime rival in Colgate on Saturday, March 22 for a noon start on ACC Network.
Tickets to the remaining four home games are available at cuse.com/tickets