Before No.10 Syracuse men's lacrosse's (7-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) matchup against No. 18 Colgate (5-4, 2-1 Patriot League), SU attackman Joey Spallina didn't focus on the fact that he was one point away from 200 career points.
“I do not care about any of that stuff, I only care about winning,” Spallina said.
But against the Raiders, the preseason All-American did both in a 16-12 win over Colgate. Spallina finished with a career-high 11 points (five goals, six assists). The last time an SU player had 11 or more points was in 1997, when attackman Casey Powell recorded 13.
Attackman Joey Spallina and goalie Jimmy McCool had career days during No. 10 @CuseMLAX's 16-12 win over No. 18 @ColgateMLax.@Dellie_5 and @kleinjake_ had the call for Syracuse's fourth straight victory. pic.twitter.com/XaZKODrPKi
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Spallina started his strong performance with a pair of assists—one to attackman Owen Hiltz and another to attackman Trey Deere—to put the Orange up 3-1 midway through the first quarter. The assist to Hiltz officially cemented both players in the 200-point club, making them the 18th and 19th players in SU history to cross the threshold. Spallina’s motivation remained the same when reflecting on the milestone.
“I am just happy we won the game. The only thing that I thought was cool is that me and Owen did it on the same play. I don’t think that ever really happens,” Spallina said.
The junior tied Tim O’Hara as the second-fastest player to reach 200 points, trailing only Tim Nelson, who accomplished the feat in 34 games. Spallina and O’Hara did it in 42 contests. Trey Deere was the recipient of Spallina’s second assist of the day and finished with four goals, tying a career high for the sophomore. He also had four goals in Tuesday's matchup against Manhattan.
Hiltz and Spallina connected once more before the first quarter ended, sending the Orange into the second with a 5-2 lead. The following period featured less scoring for both teams. Syracuse added three goals, all with Spallina contributing, but the real story was the Orange’s defense. Colgate failed to score for the full 15 minutes, with SU goalie Jimmy McCool standing out. The junior tallied 13 saves in the first half alone.
“The guy made saves. We got shots on all (extra-man opportunities), and they were good opportunities. (McCool) made some good saves on man-up. Statistics alone, I think we got the shots that we wanted,” Colgate head coach Matt Karweck said postgame.
A career-high 13 saves for @CuseMLAX goalie Jimmy McCool in the first half was the difference in a close win.@JohnBoccio23 says the junior's strong performance overshadowed a sloppy SU defensive display.
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In the third quarter, things went better for Karweck’s squad. Colgate scored six goals but still trailed the Orange 13-8, capped off by a Spallina buzzer-beating goal for his fourth of the game and ninth point of the day.
After three strong quarters, the fourth was more challenging for Syracuse. The Raiders opened with three unanswered goals, cutting the Orange's lead to two with under eight minutes to play. But once again, when Syracuse needed someone to halt the momentum, Spallina delivered with a well-placed pass to Trey Deere for his fourth goal of the afternoon. Still, Spallina saw room for improvement.
“I don’t think there is pressure to win the game. I don’t think today I played well,” Spallina said.
Spallina capped off his performance with his sixth goal of the contest, securing a 16-12 victory. It marked the fourth straight win for the Orange, but the road ahead only gets tougher. A visit to Virginia awaits next Saturday before four consecutive matchups against top-10 opponents to end the season. Coverage for the game against the Cavaliers begins at 12:30 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff.