Joey Spallina was practically a nonfactor in last year’s two meetings between No. 1 Maryland men’s lacrosse and No. 2 Syracuse. The senior attacker was faceguarded by Will Schaller, and it worked to perfection. Spallina totaled just two goals and three assists in those games.
But with two departures from last year’s starting group — a defense that conceded just the second-fewest goals in the nation — Spallina found success Friday night.
Advertisement
The Orange used off-ball picks to free up one of the nation’s top attackers. Spallina capitalized on those favorable matchups, torching Maryland for a first-half hat trick. The Terps’ inability to cover Spallina was just a microcosm of their early struggles.
Maryland’s difficulties winning possession combined with its one-on-one defensive lapses was too much to overcome. The Terps fell to Syracuse, 11-9, at the JMA Wireless Dome for their first loss against the Orange since 2009.
Henry Dodge controlled the X in Maryland’s season-opening win over Loyola (MD). The Vermont transfer entered the contest with the nation’s top faceoff percentage. But Friday’s first half was a completely different story.
During Syracuse’s first-quarter run, the Terps couldn’t win faceoff battles. The Orange’s faceoff specialist John Mullen won nine of the first 10 clashes to fuel their offensive onslaught. Those extra possessions paid off.
Advertisement
While Spallina had seven goals and seven assists in Syracuse’s first two contests, its depth has helped shoulder some of the scoring load. That continued in the first half.
Midfielder Wyatt Hottle gave Maryland’s defense fits. The junior’s quick pace created openings from behind the cage. Hottle scored half of the Orange’s first four goals, leading the way alongside Spallina.
Even with Maryland’s defensive adjustments to double-team Hottle, his passing opened the door for his teammates. Hottle spotted attacker Payton Anderson early in the second quarter for Syracuse’s fifth unanswered goal.
But the Terps weathered the early storm and chipped away at their four-goal deficit. Elijah Stobaugh was a big reason why. After a breakout sophomore campaign, Stobaugh’s two-goal performance in the season opener was a sign of what’s to come this year.
Advertisement
His elite dodging ability was successful against Syracuse. Stobaugh scored consecutive goals to stop the bleeding and trim Maryland’s deficit to two goals. He finished with a team-high three scores to fuel the Terps’ offense.
Alongside Stobaugh’s stellar performance, Eric Spanos helped Maryland stay within striking distance. Despite scoring two goals on nine shots against Loyola, Spanos was largely absent from the Terps’ win. He turned in a more efficient outing on Friday, scoring two goals on just four shots.
Those two performances helped Maryland only trail 7-4 at halftime.
While Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons linked up for the Terps’ first goal after the break, Maryland couldn’t draw any closer. Despite winning seven of the eight faceoffs in the third quarter, Maryland failed to take advantage.
Advertisement
Sloppiness hindered the Terps in the second half. Maryland committed four turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, finishing with 14 miscues. Syracuse’s physicality slowed down the Terps’ talented attackers, leading to six caused turnovers.
While Maryland’s late fight was admirable, it couldn’t beat Syracuse goalie Jimmy McCool. After allowing 25 combined goals in last year’s meetings, McCool turned in arguably his best performance. He made four third-quarter saves and finished with nine stops.
Three things to know
1. Shaky performance from Brian Ruppel. In his toughest test since being named the full-time starter, Ruppel shined early on. He stopped five of Syracuse’s first seven shots. But the Orange’s relentless attack ultimately wore him down. Ruppel conceded 11 goals for a dreadful 47.6% save rate.
Advertisement
2. Syracuse breaks through. In John Tillman’s 15-year coaching tenure, he’s had unprecedented success against the Orange. Maryland won the previous eight meetings, and they weren’t really close. But Friday night was Syracuse’s best performance against the Terps, dominating from the opening whistle.
3. Chris Lyons was a nonfactor. After a strong four-goal debut, Lyons couldn’t make his impact felt in Friday’s game. Lyons totaled three shots and dished out an assist to Johnson early in the second half. Outside of that score, Lyons was largely shut down by Syracuse.
