Head Coach Gary Gait: “No Weight” Lifted After Beating No. 1 Maryland

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The No. 2 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse team (3-0) defeated No. 1 Maryland Terrapins (1-1), 11-9, for the first time in 17 years.   

When the 2026 college lacrosse schedule dropped, everyone in the lacrosse world had the date February 13th marked on their calendars, and it did not disappoint, as 10,159 Orange faithful fans packed the Dome during Friday night’s game.  

“There’s no other place in the world you can go to a game in February and have ten thousand people, screaming, yelling and cheering,” said Syracuse head coach Gary Gait.  

2009 marked the last time Syracuse took down Maryland, snapping an eight-game losing streak against the Terps. Last night, the Orange got the win after the Terps ended the Orange’s season in last year’s Final Four, sending home Cuse in a 14-8 loss.  

The win meant a lot to the 315, but in coach Gait’s eyes, they still haven’t gotten the monkey off their backs after defeating the No. 1 team in the nation.   

“No weight,” Gait said, “It’s February, it’s the third game of the year, but it was a nice step.”  

In last year’s game, senior attackman Joey Spallina recorded only one assist, as the Terps hounded him all day long. Tonight it was different for the Syracuse captain, as he put up a four-goal performance for the second time this season.  

With Maryland’s top defender, Will Schaller, being tasked with shadowing Spallina all night, coach Gait had to find different ways to get his star player the ball.   

“If that means playing off the ball to start possessions, where they have to slide, and now I’m on a different player, then that’s what I’ll do at the end of the day,” said Spallina. “I’m doing whatever I have to do to win the game.”  

Spallina has tallied 11 goals and 7 assists for 18 points so far this season, moving his total to 264 points over his career, putting him 44 points away from Mike Powell’s program record of 307 all-time points.  

“I’ve been seeing it for a long time,” said Maryland head coach John Tillman, “Joey’s a great player; he’s a great kid.”  

The Terps got out to an early lead in the first after a failed offensive possession by the Orange. Leo Johnson came the other way and ripped a shot right past Jimmy McCool to get things going in this one-versus-two showdown.   

The largest lead of the game for the Terps was when they were up 2-1 over the Orange early in the quarter before Cuse sparked a run of five unanswered goals (Spallina 2x, Wyatt Hottle, Tyler McCarthy, Paytan Anderson) putting the Orange up 6-2 in the early stages of the second quarter.   

Maryland’s Elijah Stobaugh had himself a night, recording a hat trick, but getting two of his three goals just about 90 seconds apart to get the Terps back to within two, and they were finding rhythm offensively. Still, it was Cuse’s Michael Leo who had a two-goal third quarter, helping the Orange outpace the Terps.  

That marks Leo’s 20th career multi-goal game and puts the All-American midfielder up to six goals on the year through three games.   

“We were always chasing to be number one for three years,” said Leo, “So now we’re actually being chased, and we’ve got a lot more to do.”  

Entering the fourth and final quarter, Stobaugh notched his third goal for the Terps, which brought them back within one, as Cuse was leading 10-9 until the freshman Bogue Hahn fired a rocket of a shot past Brian Ruppel to give the Orange a late insurance goal up 11-9.   

Even though this was the largest offensive victory over a No. 1 opponent for the Orange since 2009, they also dominated the groundball battle 36-22 with Joey Spallina recording five ground balls and McCool moves 3-0 on the season after a stellar nine-save performance, after earning ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors last week.  

The Orange and Terps went dead even at the face-off circle, winning 12 a piece, with draws being a talking point heading into the game. Each team’s players, John Mullen for Syracuse and Henry Dodge for Maryland, both won 11 draws each.   

After starting 3-0 at the Dome, the Orange will begin their six-game road trip in Cambridge, Massachusetts, against Harvard this Saturday before returning home on March 22nd against Georgetown.   

“I think that would be the real test for us to get out on the road and not be in front of 10,000 people on a cold winter day,” said head coach Gait.   

Syracuse cruises past Boston University in season opener

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The No. 2/3 Syracuse Orange opened the scoring and never looked back, as they took down the No. 16/17 Boston University Terriers Sunday afternoon in the JMA Wireless Dome.  

Senior Joey Spallina led the way for Syracuse with three goals and two assists in the afternoon.  He is now 57 points away from matching Mike Powell’s 307 career points while playing at Syracuse University. Whether taking it to the rack himself or firing the ball through the heart of Boston University’s defense, he showed why he is the USA Lacrosse Preseason Player of the Year. 

After the game, Boston University head coach, Ryan Polley, said the goal was to make No. 22 dodge and score on his own, limiting his opportunities to get teammates involved.

“I didn’t see the final stat sheet, but you know, try not to [let Spallina] have the three and four [assists] involving all of his teammates,” Polley said.

One of the biggest questions heading into 2026 for the Orange: Who would replace Owen Hiltz at attack?  Sophomore Payton Anderson had two goals and was able to show his versatility and why he won the job. For Anderson’s first goal, his 6-foot-2, 228-pound frame was on full display, getting underneath his defender and finding his way for a dunk on the doorstep.  His second came off of a perfect cross field feed from Spallina.  

“[Spallina] draws the attention of every defense. They have to know where he is at all times,” Anderson said, “And like you saw on my goal, he gave me a perfect pass right to my ear and I finished.” 

Seniors Michael Leo and Luke Rhoa each found the back of the net twice from the midfield.  Both were named Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans.  Leo had a few opportunities to invert and attack from behind the cage, but ultimately had success with a quick shot on the run and a step down, courtesy of the feed from senior Spallina.   

The specialists are where the Orange really jumped off the stat sheet on Sunday.  Jimmy McCool picked up right where he left off as last year’s ACC Goalie of the Year, making 12 saves, good for 67% in the crease.  John Mullen, the faceoff specialist went 14-19, 73%, and added a goal.  The extra possessions were crucial; Syracuse turned the ball over 17 times and struggled to clear against Boston’s 10-man ride all afternoon. 

Head coach Gary Gait now has the baseline for his 2026 season squad.  Gait claims he is happy to start the season off with a win, but knows there is still a lot to be improved upon. 

“Really, it’s just about guys that are going to now take a look at themselves and say, ‘What can I do better this week so that we can execute at a higher level?’”

The Syracuse team still has skills to work on and improve before they face off with Saint Joseph’s on Saturday.

“I thought our guys controlled the game throughout,” Gait said. “They won every quarter and played very smart. And I think we’re only going to get better as we go.”

Maryland Remains Syracuse’s Kryptonite in Another Tough Loss

At the start of this season, the lacrosse community and Syracuse fans started to ask a question: Is Syracuse back? This refers to the dynasty Syracuse was in the late 1980s, early ’90s, and 2000s.

The Orange were back in the Final Four for the first time since 2013 and were looking to punch their ticket to the championship game on Memorial Day. That trip got cut short as they lost to No. 3 Maryland, 14-8—a team they also lost to early in the regular season, 11-7.

“We dug the hole a little too big, especially against a team that controls the ball and makes it really difficult to come back,” said Gait.

Both of those games for the Orange had similar outcomes due to the same problem: shot selection and placement.

In the regular season contest, Syracuse had 41 shots with just 19 on goal. In the semifinal game, the Orange had 39 shots with 22 on goal. While the disparity of shots on goal was not as drastic in the semifinal matchup, it was too little, too late, as the number of shots increased in the second half. But Maryland goalie Logan McNaney had nine saves to combat Syracuse’s 15 shots on cage in that half.

While everything else in the stat book felt even, that was the tipping point of the game.

“We played the first half like it was the first time we’ve been here in 12 years,” said coach Garry Gait. “I give my guys a ton of credit, they never quit, and they didn’t quit today, and they played till the last minute.”

Maryland tallied a total of 49 shots, with 26 on goal, and when they were on goal, they were well-placed. Going on an eight-goal run in the first half, with Eric Spanos leading the Terps with four goals on the game.

This is now Syracuse’s eighth consecutive loss to Maryland. It also means head coach Jon Tillman remains undefeated against the Orange in his career, proving to be Syracuse’s Achilles’ heel over the years.

“The guys weren’t just happy getting here,” said Gait. “They wanted to have a chance to play on Memorial Day, and they believe they can do it.”

The Orange will need to crack the code on the Terps next season.

Syracuse Program Equips Athletes for Global Lacrosse

By: Jillian Schumacher

Lacrosse at Syracuse University is a long-standing tradition dating back to 1916.

Since then, the Orange have won 15 national championship titles and have made 39 tournament appearances.

That tradition has led various players to become professional athletes, and many compete in World Lacrosse field and box championships.

Twenty-five percent of this year’s Haudenosaunee team in the World Lacrosse Box Championships are either former or current players for the Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse’s Jeremy Thompson, Randy Staats, Cody Jamieson, Warren Hill, Trey Deere, and Brendan Bomberry are all competing for the Haudenosaunee box lacrosse team.

The World Lacrosse Box Championship has been held in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2024.

In those first five meetings, the Haudenosaunee team earned a spot to compete in the gold medal game.

Trey Deere, a Syracuse lacrosse sophomore on the Haudenosaunee team, says Syracuse has prepared him to play with professional athletes in games like these.

“This is a great testament to what we do at Syracuse and how we handle ourselves, and it just gets us ready,” Deere said.

Since being in Utica, Deere says he has learned a lot from other players on his team and is excited to translate what he has learned here to his spring season at Syracuse.

“Playing against the best, playing with the best, you know, it all translates over, and I hopefully take that, I look to take that to the spring,” Deere said.

His team will compete in the bronze medal game against England after falling short by one goal to Team USA in the semifinals.

Sixteen of the Haudenosaunee goals leading up to this bronze medal match have come from Staats, Deere, and Jamieson.

“Anytime I can represent my people on a world stage is amazing, and there’s really no words to describe that feeling,” Deere said.

Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse Falls to Duke in the ACC Championship Semifinal

Charlotte, N.C – With a rough start to the matchup, Syracuse was outscored by 5 goals within the first 5 minutes of the first quarter.

This is the second time Syracuse has played Duke this year, the last bout ended with a huge win for Syracuse as they won 10-4. However, in the ACC Semifinals, Syracuse struggled during the first quarter.

That dry spell didn’t last long for Syracuse as they began to climb back later in the first quarter, with two unanswered goals. Jake Stevens made both of those shots to get the Orange back on track.

At the start of the second quarter the tide began to tip in favor of Syracuse as they scored an additional two more unanswered goals. One goal from Joey Spallina and the other from Mason Kohn.

Stevens was able to score is third goal shortly after, getting another hat trick on the season and pulling the Orange closer with the score sitting at 5-9 with 8:30 seconds left in the second quarter.

With a barrage of goals from Syracuse, the team still had their work cut out for them as Duke continued to add to their lead. Syracuse trailed the entire game and struggled to stop Duke’s attacks all night.

Duke continued the third quarter with 6 straight goals, making the score 17-7. Syracuse began to climb back towards the end of this matchup, but it proved to be too little too late. Duke left Charlotte with a revenge victory against Syracuse, the final score of the game was 18-13.

Syracuse head coach Gary Gait felt that Duke was much more prepared in their second matchup against the Orange.

“It was a tough game against a motivated Duke team, they played outstanding. From the opening whistle they were ready to prove they weren’t the same team we played earlier in the season.”

Despite the loss, Syracuse has earned the number 4 and will face Towson University on Sunday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse Falls to Army in Overtime. 

Syracuse men’s lacrosse suffered another close defeat in a top 10 matchup against the Army Black Knights on Wednesday night in the JMA Dome, losing 14-13. This game echoed their recent loss to Maryland in overtime a few weeks prior, with both matches showcasing intense competition until the very end, ultimately marred by last-minute errors leading to defeat.

The game remained neck and neck, with the score tied eight times, the final tie coming from attackman Owen Hiltz, who managed to level the score at 13-13 with just 2:28 remaining in the fourth quarter.

A critical save by goalie Will Mark in the final seconds sent the game into overtime. Although Syracuse gained possession from the opening face-off in overtime, they struggled to create scoring opportunities against Army’s formidable defense. Sudden victory was within Syracuse’s grasp,when  fifth-year player Christian Mulé caused a turnover and found himself facing an open net. However, his shot from near midfield missed wide left, handing possession back to Army, who capitalized on the opportunity.

A look of defeat overcame the Orange when Army’s junior Jackson Eicher got out of a double team and scored the game-winning goal, securing Army’s third consecutive victory over Syracuse in their series.

“It was an incredible game, we gave ourselves the opportunity,” said head coach  Gait. “Another valuable game to develop this young team … I believe in these guys.” 

Sophomore standout Joey Spallina had a tough game, failing to score a goal and committing four turnovers while being closely defended by Army’s AJ Pilate. However, he did contribute with two assists. 

When asked about Spallina’s role in the game, sensing criticism, teammate Christian Mule quickly jumped into his defense. 

“Joey is a freshman and he’s getting the best defenseman on him every game… they’re trying to take him out the game,” said Mule. “It opens up our offense and people need to realize that. People are just way too hard on him.”

Looking ahead, Syracuse aims to bounce back when they host High Point on Saturday, March 2, at 5 PM.

Orange Lacrosse Aims for a Championship

Only four weeks into practice, each player on the Syracuse University Men’s Lacrosse team, has his mind fixated on winning the 2014 championship.

“We don’t really care who’s starting as long as we get that championship,” Junior goalie Dominic Lamolinara said.

That was the sentiment from most players and Coach Desko on Media Day.

How is this year going to be different?

“I think the glaring one [issue last year] was face-offs,” Desko said, echoing what most anyone who watched the team in the 2013 NCAA title match. “I thought everything else went well, in all aspects of the game. I thought we were efficient. We came out on top are most of our [games]. We had ten one-goal games last year.”

Desko said the strategy this year is simple – work on face-offs. “[We’ve] done more face-offs this year already, then we’ve probably did all of last year.”

Old players out/ new ones in

With players including Brian Megill, JoJo Marasco, and Luke Cometti gone, the team has big gaps to fill. Lamolinara said Megill was like another coach on the field, and with Megill gone he will have to step up, “and pick up the slack.”
Coach Desko said he is tackling the challenge of bringing in a bunch of younger players.

“Younger players don’t know the system yet,” he said and most of fall practice will be an opportunity for them to get familiar with it, possibly solidifying a spot for them in the spring.