Back in Championship Weekend!

Saturday, May 17

Hempstead, N.Y.

2:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

13-5

Princeton

13-4

Syracuse

Princeton

5/17/2025 5:41:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Championship Weekend Tickets Highlights Press Conference

Orange win instant classic in NCAA Quarters

Hempstead, N.Y. - The Syracuse men's lacrosse team is back in Championship Weekend! The No. 6 seed Orange came away victorious in an instant classic between lacrosse heavyweights that featured 11 ties and nine lead changes. 'Cuse defeated No. 3 seed Princeton 19-18 in the NCAA Quarterfinal round at Hofstra, advancing to the sport's final weekend for the 27th time and first since 2013.

Syracuse rallied from an early deficit and staved off multiple late surges from the Tigers to move on to the final four. The most decorated program in lacrosse, 'Cuse is now two wins away from a 12th NCAA Championship, which would extend their title lead over the rest of the country. The 27 trips to Championship Weekend rank third nationally.

The semifinals and final will be held May 24 and 26, respectively at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the site of Syracuse's last-two NCAA titles (2008 and 2009). Syracuse's allotment of Championship Weekend tickets is limited, and fans should act now to secure their seats in the designated Syracuse section: Purchase Tickets in the Syracuse section. The Orange will face the winner of No. 2 seed Maryland and Georgetown, who play on Sunday. Once the Syracuse designated allotment has sold out, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets through the NCAA website at these links: Semifinal tickets | Championship tickets.

Nine different players found the back of the net for the Orange, but it was junior attackman Joey Spallina that led the offense with eight points (4-4). Michael Leo and Owen Hiltz each had hat tricks and Hiltz added a pair of assists for a five-point day.

Sam English, Finn Thomson and Payton Anderson also recorded multi-goal afternoons, with a pair of goals apiece.

Jimmy McCool made 12 saves in cage, including two crucial stops late, to stymie the high-powered Princeton offense when it mattered most and end the 12-year Championship Weekend drought.

How it Happened
- Leo struck first just 1:15 into the game, but Princeton rattled off five of the next-six goals to open a 5-2 lead midway through the first quarter. It was the largest lead the Tigers had in the contest.
- 'Cuse scored four-straight goals to close the period, doing so from four-different scorers (Thomson, Spallina, English and Anderson). The first quarter ended with a 6-5 Orange advantage.
- It was back-and-forth in the second quarter. Peter Buonannaro scored back-to-back goals in less than a minute to give the Tigers back the lead, but Spallina took matters into his own hands, netting three-straight unassisted goals in under three minutes of play, to open up Syracuse's first multi-goal lead (9-7) with 9:25 left in the half.
- Spallina's four first-half goals led all scorers, but Coulter Mackesy, Chad Palumbo and Buonanno each had three apiece for the Tigers. After Spallina's run, Mackesy and Palumbo each netted their second of the game to even things at nine with two minutes remaining before intermission.
- Trey Deere struck on the man-up to regain the lead for Syracuse, but Palumbo and Mackesy each scored in the final-16 seconds for Princeton to enter the break with an 11-10 advantage.
- A crucial play came with 1.4 seconds left in the half. After Orange netminder Jimmy McCool earned a 2-minute non-releasable penalty, faceoff man John Mullen won the faceoff clean in just over a second to give the Orange possession to start the second half. It allowed Syracuse to eat a full :80 of possession and ultimately kill off the penalty without any damage. Backup goaltender Michael Ippoliti entered the game for 4:08 during the penalty and staved off the lone Princeton challenge he saw. It wasn't the first time a Syracuse backup goalie played crucial time at Hofstra for Syracuse lacrosse. In 2009, Al Cavalari earned the start due to illness from John Galloway at Hofstra in the NCAA quarters, that game came en route to Syracuse's 11th NCAA title a week later.
- The Orange came out hot to start the second half, scoring six-straight goals to open the third. English, Anderson, Leo and Thomson started the run, before Hiltz buried back-to-back goals to give 'Cuse its largest lead of the game at 16-11.
- Palumbo came up big again for the Tigers though, scoring with three seconds left in the third, and twice more in a five-goal Princeton run that evened the game at 16 with 10 minutes left in regulation. He finished with a game-high six goals and tied Spallina's eight points for the game lead.
- The teams traded goals again in the next 90 seconds, with Tyler McCarthy halting the Tiger run on a feed from Spallina, before Sean Cameron scored for Princeton to knot the game once again.
- Nate Kabiri then gave Princeton its first lead of the second half with just under five minutes remaining in regulation, but Leo answered right back on a pass from English, which marked the 11th tie of the game.
- Spallina to Hiltz once again provided the late heroics for Syracuse, with the duo connecting for a late goal two weeks in a row. Spallina fed Hiltz for the go-ahead goal with 3:50 left on the clock.
- Syracuse had three good looks to put the game away, hitting the post on three separate occasions after regaining the lead. It was two crucial saves from McCool which saved the game for SU.

Behind the Numbers
- It was the third-straight one-goal win for Syracuse, dating back to the ACC Championship game. The Orange are 4-3 in one-goal games this season.
- Hiltz extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 63. He had five points (3-2) on the day.
- Syracuse's win moves them to 22-9 all-time against Princeton.

Up Next
Syracuse will play the winner of No. 2 seed Maryland and Georgetown in the NCAA semifinals. Game time will be announced after the conclusion of the NCAA quarterfinals.