A slow start on the road nearly doomed No. 8 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (8-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) in its ACC opener, but a second-half surge fueled by midfielders Michael Leo, Sam English, and goalie Jimmy McCool propelled the Orange to a 12-10 victory over rival Virginia (5-5, 0-1 ACC) at Klöckner Stadium on Saturday.
Despite a three-goal disadvantage after the first quarter, @CuseMLAX rallied back for a 12-10 win over @UVAMensLax.@GiffMD and @RyanRandone had the call for SU's first conference win of the season. pic.twitter.com/3IDzudL0Tt
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) March 29, 2025
The first quarter saw the Cavaliers control the tempo early, capitalizing on Syracuse’s miscues. UVA jumped out to a 5-1 lead by the 4:43 mark of the first quarter. McCabe Millon picked apart the Syracuse defense, finishing with six points. SU’s faceoff specialist John Mullen struggled, going just 9-for-22, while Joey Spallina was held scoreless through the first 30 minutes.
“We just didn’t execute the game plan,” English said of the sluggish first half.
Freshman attack Payton Anderson kept the Orange afloat with an airborne goal in the final second of the first quarter, trimming the deficit to 5-2.
Spearheaded by Leo’s hat trick, the Orange stormed out of the break with a 4-0 run to seize a 9-7 lead. SU’s defense caused 10 turnovers, led by Chuck Kuczynski’s four. McCool anchored the effort with 17 saves and a .630 save percentage.
"The biggest difference was we made plays when we needed to in the second half,” SU head coach Gary Gait said.
Virginia clawed back to tie the game at 10-10 in the fourth quarter, but the Orange stood firm. Kuczynski and Jake Spallina forced back-to-back turnovers, setting up English’s cross-field pass to Owen Hiltz for the go-ahead goal with two minutes remaining. Hiltz added another insurance goal moments later.
If you give @CuseMLAX attackman Owen Hiltz too much space, the redshirt senior will make you pay.@RyanRandone illustrated the ripper from the lefty.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) March 29, 2025
📻@waer883, https://t.co/BG0Q3sGXTn pic.twitter.com/nZeF1HKfuU
Even though SU committed more penalties than UVA and John Mullen struggled at the faceoff X, finishing 9-for-22, clutch performances from Hiltz, Leo, and English carried the day. Syracuse now rides a five-game winning streak, tied for the longest of Gait’s tenure.
The Orange return to the JMA Wireless Dome next Saturday for another pivotal ACC matchup against two-time defending champion No. 7 Notre Dame. Faceoff is set for 2 p.m with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff at 1:30 p.m.