No. 10 Syracuse lacrosse offense explodes after scoreless first quarter in 18-2 win over Manhattan

After a nine-day layoff, 10th-ranked Syracuse men's lacrosse (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) showed signs of rust in the first quarter against Manhattan (4-4, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), being held scoreless in the opening frame. However, a strong offensive surge in the final 45 minutes led the Orange to an 18-2 victory over the Jaspers.

“I thought it was a good effort by our team,” Orange head coach Gary Gait said after the contest. “I thought they came in focused and ready to play.”

But in the first quarter, it seemed that the ‘Cuse wasn’t prepared. SU tallied zero scores through fifteen minutes for the first time since its 2023 opener against Vermont. However, Gait claimed the scoreboard didn’t tell the whole story.

“Well, we were playing well,” Gait said “I thought the execution was excellent. We got tons of great looks.”

Syracuse outshot Manhattan 14-3 in the opening frame, with 60% of the shots on target. For Syracuse attackman Joey Spallina, that was proof that the game plan was working.

“We were doing what we wanted to do, we just weren’t scoring,” Spallina said. “I think there are a couple of shots we would probably want back.”

Orange attackman Trey Deere ended Syracuse's scoring drought early in the second quarter with a highlight-reel, behind-the-back goal. After the game, Deere emphasized that the goal meant more than just a number in the box score for his team.

“It was a nice goal,” Deere said. “Just to get the guys started, I think it was important that we got that first goal. Then after that, they start falling.”

They sure did start to fall. The Orange outscored the Jaspers 18-1 from the second quarter onward, securing their second-largest victory margin of the season. Deere was a key contributor to the offensive surge, recording a career-high four goals in the win.

It was a crucial bounce-back performance for Deere, who has stepped in for an injured Finn Thompson in the Syracuse starting lineup. In his first game as a starter, Deere was held scoreless. With his four-goal effort in this game, the Orange improved to 4-1 when the sophomore scores at least one goal.

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A total of ten different Syracuse players scored in the game, including junior Joey Spallina. His two goals and four assists brought him just one shy of the 200-point milestone. After the game, however, the attackman said all he cares about is winning.

“I would much rather have four National Championships than 200 career points,” Spallina said. “My mind is with just making the play that’s in front of me, and trying to help my team out in any way I can.”

Spallina gets a chance to cross that 200-point milestone on Saturday at noon when 10th-ranked Syracuse faces 18th-ranked Colgate. Our coverage on WAER starts at 11:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.