To say that attackman Joey Spallina came to play in No. 2 Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse’s (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 13-5 win over Vermont (0-1, 0-0 America East Conference) may be an understatement.
A career-performance from attackman Joey Spallina propelled @CuseMLAX to a 13-5 win over @UVMmlax. @Hudson_Ridley and @Dellie_5 were on the mic for the Orange's 950th program win. pic.twitter.com/uQ8TFeAhDJ
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 8, 2025
In SU’s season opening win against Jacksonville last Saturday, Joey Spallina put on a rock solid performance, with three goals and two assists, but his night against Vermont takes the cake for performance of the season thus far. The junior tallied five goals and five assists for a career-high 10 points.
“It just so happened that my shots were falling and I was able to find guys,” said Spallina after the contest, “I’m just letting the game come to me.”
The historic performance got started fast when Spallina opened up the scoring with a goal in the first couple minutes. The score ballooned to 4-0 for the Orange at the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, and Joey Spallina was involved in all of the scores.
Junior Joey Spallina had a dominant night for @CuseMLAX. The attackman finished with ten points against @UVMmlax.@SokolskyJish and @adam_gotkin were thoroughly impressed by Spallina's performance.
— WAER Sports Talk (@WAERSportsTalk) February 8, 2025
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Last year, Spallina had a similar performance against Manhattan where he notched 10 points as well, but so far this season Spallina already notices a difference in his game.
“This year I've been able to attack the pass more and take advantage when guys get open… I’ve gotten good angles on goal and been able to finish my shots.”
There’s no doubt that Spallina put the team on his back, but it wasn’t all about the Long Island native. Eight different Orange players recorded a point. Faceoff specialist John Mullen led the team with six ground balls, and defender Chuck Kuczynski had an SU best four caused turnovers.
Despite the comfortable win, there were a couple key players who weren’t as involved, headlined by midfielder Michael Leo. The junior led the ‘Cuse in goals last week against Jacksonville with four, but today had no points. Just one of his four shots were on target. This Syracuse squad has proven to be deep enough to withstand off-games from some players, but that may not last too long.
The quality of opponent now takes a big turn for Syracuse. Next up SU takes on #17 Towson, a rematch of last year's first round matchup in the NCAA tournament. It was… you guessed it… Joey Spallina, who led the Orange to a 20-15 win tallying eight points on four goals last May. All time, the Orange are 10-3 against the Tigers.
Game time is slated for 5 p.m. inside the JMA Wireless dome on Monday, but turn your dials to WAER starting at 4:30 p.m. for McClurg Remodelling Countdown to Faceoff.