Syracuse men’s lacrosse snaps four-game losing streak in 16-8 win over Hofstra

Syracuse men’s lacrosse (4-4, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) overcame a sluggish start to defeat Hofstra (2-5, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) 16-8. The victory put an end to a four-game losing streak for the Orange.

This marked the first meeting between the two programs in twenty years. The Pride wasted no time on home turf, scoring three goals in the opening six minutes. That included a pair from Justin Sykes and one from John Madsen. In response, SU head coach Gary Gait called a timeout.

“Hofstra had ten games to prepare for this and they came out and played like it. We prepared to stop the run, take a breath and take over. That’s exactly what we did,” said Gait regarding the early timeout.

With 5:21 remaining in the opening quarter, the Orange finally got on the board courtesy of Jackson Birtwistle. That is when the tide started to turn as Owen Hiltz found the back of the net and Jackson Birtwistle notched his second of the game to tie the score at 3-3.

With 1:16 left in the first quarter, Rory Jones capitalized on a man-up opportunity, slotting one home for his 11th goal of the season. Hofstra would not score again until the third quarter. A 7-0 run for Syracuse began with a statement end to the first quarter. Long Island native Michael Leo tied the game with just nine seconds left. Moments later, long stick Saam Olexo scored a buzzer beater, launching a shot from just inside midfield and bouncing it past netminder Mac Gates.

Possessing its first lead of the game, Syracuse tacked on two more in the second quarter to add to the lead. Those goals came from Finn Thomson and Alex Simmons to give SU a 7-4 halftime lead.

To start the second half, Long Island native Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz tallied their second goals with a Griffin Cook score sandwiched in between. All three goals came within the first six minutes of the frame and gave the Orange a commanding 10-4 advantage. Off the ensuing faceoff, Colton Rudd ended a 22 minute scoring drought for the Pride.

Both teams traded man-up goals, including Joey Spallina’s second of the night. The scoring in the third frame was capped off with Finn Thomson’s second goal of the game. That marked the freshman’s second consecutive multi-goal game.

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To open the scoring in the fourth period, Michael Leo became the fourth Syracuse player to score at least two goals in the game. After Matt Elder found the back of the cage for the Pride, Joey Spallina fired one home for his fourth hat trick of the campaign. Long Stick Danny DeSanti notched his second goal of the season for Hofstra before Owen Hiltz tallied his third hat trick of the season.

Joey Spallina provided an exclamation point with the game’s final goal and tied a season-high in points with seven. Returning to familiar territory, Tuesday’s contest provided a unique opportunity for the freshman.

“I remember scoring goals on this field when I was five or six. It was just cool to be out there on the winning side of things.”

Hoftsra outshot Syracuse 51-48 in the contest, but SU had seven more shots on goal with 28. The Orange took advantage of their opportunities, converting on 57% of their shots on target. Mac Gates finished with 12 saves for the Pride while his counterpart Will Mark made 13. Despite the win, faceoff struggles continued for Syracuse. Jack Fine and Johnny Richiusa went a combined 9-for-28 against Chase Patterson.

Syracuse returns home for its first ever meeting with St. Bonaventure (1-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. WAER’s coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. with McClurg Team Countdown to Faceoff.