6-seed Syracuse men’s lacrosse defends home turf, advances to quarterfinals of NCAA Tournament after 16-15 win over Yale

6-seed Syracuse men’s lacrosse (12-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) prevailed 16-15 over Yale (9-6, 4-2 Ivy League) in round one of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The win results in a perfect 8-0 record for the Orange in the JMA Wireless Dome, the first time SU’s gone undefeated at home in a full season since 2015.

Syracuse wasted no time getting things started. Orange faceoff specialist John Mullen won the opening faceoff and scored just six seconds in. The junior has struggled at the X this season, winning 52.5% of his chances after converting on 63% last year. However, Mullen bounced back and finished the day 21-33 (63.6%) at the dot. SU Head Coach Gary Gait is optimistic that the FOGO can continue his output throughout the postseason.

“That’s what we were hoping. That he would get things together and be at the top of his game come playoff time. He’s in a good mental spot. He’s been working hard and having some great practices,” he said.

After SU midfielder Wyatt Hottle extended Syracuse’s lead to two, Yale’s offense got going. The Bulldogs cracked the scoring column after a goal from midfielder Luke Pascal five and a half minutes in. A score from midfielder Cole Jackson three minutes later evened the game at two.

However, the Orange stayed hot. SU midfielder Payton Anderson gave the ‘Cuse a 3-2 lead to end the opening frame.

It was more back-and-forth to begin the second quarter. Yale midfielder Cole Cashion tied the game at three before Syracuse midfielder Luke Rhoa gave the Orange back the lead.

SU held a 6-4 advantage with just under six minutes to go in the first half before Yale rattled off four straight goals. During the stretch, Bulldogs attackman Peter Moynihan recorded two of the four scores for his sixth multi-goal game of the season. Syracuse trailed 8-6 going into the locker room.

SU’s offense came back firing to start the third quarter. Orange midfielder Michael Leo notched his second goal of the game to cut the deficit to one. Minutes later, attackman Finn Thomson etched his name into the scoring column to tie the game at eight. The senior poured on with another score less than a minute later to give the ‘Cuse back the lead. Thomson knows his success stems from those around him.

“I think it’s definitely a testament to my teammates and coaches. [In] the first half I hit a couple pipes and then Joey [Spallina] told me to shake it off and keep going, so that’s what I did. You got to shoot to get hot, shoot to stay hot. That’s kind of what I did and what I live by,” he said.

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After Yale took a 10-9 lead, Thomson responded once more and tied the game. The attackman tallied his eleventh career hat trick and fifth of the season. Leo quickly joined Thomson’s company with a third goal of his own before midfielder Tyler McCarthy cemented an efficient third frame with a score. Over the 15 minutes, Syracuse found the back of the net on all seven of its shots. The Orange led 13-11 ahead of the fourth quarter.

Syracuse goalie Jimmy McCool dominated the final frame. After allowing eight goals on just five saves in the first half, the netminder rebounded with 12 saves in the second for 17 on the day. The two biggest stops came in the final thirty seconds with a one goal lead. SU’s anchor came through with a double save to keep the game at 16-15 in favor of the Orange. McCool ended the day with a .531 save percentage. Attackman Joey Spallina reflected on the goalie’s performance.

“We live with him, so we get to see all the stuff behind the scenes. Jimmy works his tail off and I’m just happy for him. There’s no other guy that I would rather have in goal for us,” he said.

Syracuse advances to the quarterfinals to take on 3-seed North Carolina in Hempstead next weekend. The Orange hope to avoid falling to the Tar Heels for a third time this season. Most recently, SU lost to UNC in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

Both teams duel Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Our coverage on WAER begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Faceoff at 2 p.m.