Syracuse dominates Holy Cross 15-6, cracks Inside Lacrosse poll

No. 18 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued its winning ways in a 15-6 performance over Holy Cross (0-3, 0-0 Patriot League) on Sunday. After finishing 4-10 last season, SU has won each of its first three games. The Orange have outscored opponents 42-18 during the win streak and have yet to allow double-digit goals in a game.

The Orange got out to a hot start, outscoring the Crusaders 5-1 in the first quarter. SU extended its early two-goal lead after finding the back of the net three times in just under two minutes of game time. On the defensive end, Syracuse held Holy Cross to just 11 shots and forced 14 turnovers in the first half. Following a 9-2 halftime deficit, HC found some momentum on the other side of the break, especially in the fourth quarter. Following a third frame in which ‘Cuse did not allow a goal, the Crusaders scored four goals on 19 shots in the final quarter. Holy Cross’ Thomas McIntire scored three goals, two of which came in the fourth quarter.

Freshman and top-rated recruit Joey Spallina led the way for the Orange, racking up five goals against the Crusaders. After scoring just one goal in the first game against Vermont, the Long Island native has netted 10 over the last two contests. In addition to Spallina, fellow freshman Finn Thomson put together his most productive outing of the season. In Friday's matchup with UAlbany, Thomson failed to record a single point, this time however the attackman found the back of the net four times against Holy Cross.

“We didn’t take too many bad shots today… we were doing what we were supposed to do,” Spallina said about the offensive performance.

In the net, starting goalie Will Mark picked up nine saves for the Orange. The LIU transfer looked stout once again, finishing the day with a 75% save percentage. The 6’3 senior has stopped 36 shots and currently sits at a 70% save percentage on the season.

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Syracuse played aggressively on both ends of the field, using its physicality and athleticism to speed up Holy Cross’ slow and methodical game plan. Takeaways were key all game for the Orange, forcing 23 Crusader turnovers. SU defenseman Nick Caccamo and long-stick midfielder Saam Olexo combined to knock the ball loose five times. The long-stick midfielder leads the team with six caused turnovers this year.

“Our offense rode pretty well and got some turnovers before they got the ball cleared, we got turnovers on faceoffs and then our defense went after them when they did get the chance,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said about the turnover battle.

Next on the docket for the No. 18 Orange, who made the Inside Lacrosse poll for the first time this season, is a matchup with the defending national champions and No. 9 Maryland (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten Conference). The Terps are coming off of a 12-7 loss to Loyola, it was their first loss in over a year. SU has dropped four in a row against Maryland, it’s the first time the Orange will travel to College Park since 1995. Syracuse and Maryland are set to battle on Saturday, Feb 18th at 1 p.m. WAER’s coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. with McClurg Team Countdown to Faceoff.