SU men’s lacrosse downs Georgetown after five year matchup hiatus

It had been 37 days since No. 8 Syracuse men’s lacrosse (8-2, 0-0) took to the JMA Wireless Dome field and for the first time in nearly five years, it was No. 13 Georgetown (3-4, 0-0) facing off with the Orange. 

In front of more than 7,200 fans at home this time, Syracuse defeated Georgetown 18-12 in a game of momentum. The Hoyas raced to a 3-1 lead before the Orange surged ahead by halftime, a lead they wouldn’t lose.

Georgetown looked to emulate an 18-8 NCAA Tournament victory it pulled off over SU in 2021. On a four-game win streak, SU was set to avenge that postseason defeat with its fourth win versus ranked opponents in its last five games.

The Orange’s faceoff advantage was critical entering the match, but they finished the game at a tighter percentage than the season would indicate. Syracuse won at the X and recorded more assists, shots on goal and forced more turnovers than the Hoyas.  

“We knew they were going to be a really good team, really well coached,” SU goalie Jimmy McCool said postgame. “They never quit, they go 100%. So we knew we’d have a challenge.”

Syracuse men’s lacrosse now owns 18 wins versus Georgetown over the last 31 years compared to just six losses to the Hoyas in that timeframe. 

This season, the Orange have signature wins versus then-No. 1 Maryland and then-No. 11 Johns Hopkins but dropped two games to now-top-five Ivy League contenders in February.

Syracuse’s John Mullen won the opening faceoff. Georgetown sports a sub-50% mark from the faceoff X attack, while SU combines Mullen’s strength with stout defense, allowing nearly two less goals than the Hoyas at just 8.8 per game. Heading into the game, Syracuse put 150 more shots on goal than Georgetown while shooting a lower percentage, as the Hoyas play a motion system prioritizing assisted goals.

Georgetown struck twice in the first two minutes to go up 2-0 to screams from visiting fans. The Hoyas slammed a third goal into the Orange net after SU’s Matt McIntee scored his sixth goal of the year for a 3-1 lead. 

Back on defense, SU keeper Jimmy McCool began to make saves as he thwarted a screamer toward the stands. He stopped three Hoya shots in a row at the end of the first quarter. 

To start the next, SU’s Wyatt Hottle caught a crosser and took it the distance for a score, his 11th of the year, for a 3-2 Hoya lead. 

Averaging roughly six more shots on goal this year than Georgetown, SU’s Greg Elijah-Brown equalized up close after another faceoff win. After a turnover, the ball popped loose in front of the Hoya net as Finn Thompson rifled a shot past the keeper to end the first quarter, Syracuse now leading 4-3. 

“The guy just fell over his own feet,” Thompson said of the play. “Ball fell to me and I just picked it up and shot in the open net.”

Flipping sides, Syracuse put senior Michael Leo at the X with Thompson and star Joey Spallina at their usual wing posts. Young-gun sophomore Payton Anderson netted his 11th goal of the season from the top of the fan. Syracuse five, Georgetown three, with 13 minutes to play before half.

A Georgetown goal up-close by Natty Mason brought the score to 5-4 Syracuse, but the Orange immediately responded as Mullen dimed Spallina for the pro prospect’s 20th goal of the season. 

“I think the way I dodge is a little different than most,” SU attack Joey Spallina said. “I like to get into people.” 

The Orange slowed it down to set up another SU score — this time a face-first unassisted dive by Spallina. Fans lining each sideline pulsed, and the student section was packed to the rails. It exploded once again with a long-pole hockey assist to Michael Leo to put the Orange up 9-4. 

“WE ARE,” one Syracuse fan yelled. The crowd around him shouted “SU” in response as he repeated the chant. 

The score jumped to 12-4 with a fast-break dunk by Leo, sending the Dome into a frenzy. Now frantic, Georgetown fired consecutive shots past McCool to cut the lead to six entering halftime. 

The Orange recorded 23 first-half shots on goal compared to just 18 total versus the Hoyas in the 2021 loss. Syracuse lost the turnover battle inside that game by -5, but mitigated those errors with just three in the first half Sunday. SU recorded just one turnover through the first half of the third quarter and scored three goals on three shots in a flip of the script from five years before.

Directly out of half, Finn Thompson put the Orange up 13-6 to more “WE ARE” chants from the crowd. They roared nearly as loud on defense, erupting into claps for each McCool stop on goal. 

The Orange brought the lead to 15-6 with back-to-back Leo goals, giving him a haul for the day with more than 20 minutes left to play. Georgetown put together a three-goal run late in the third, capped by a jumping shot at 3:23 to cut the lead to six. Mullen picked up a draw violation that led to another Hoyas goal, igniting the bench and traveling fans behind it. 

After a Spallina score, the X set up Hottle for a goal and a 17-10 Syracuse lead. Syracuse started the fourth quarter with a deliberate approach on offense, wrapping the ball around the perimeter to preserve its lead after embarking on a fiery seven-goal run.

Georgetown’s Jack Shubert dunked with 8:42 left on the clock to bring it within six. A minute later, Hoyas fans gasped as Syracuse defenseman Chuck Kuczynski was ejected from the game entirely for an illegal body contact penalty.

Georgetown scored a few minutes later for a 17-12 deficit, the bench still not lacking for energy. Boos and awes erupted once more as flags flew near McCool and Syracuse took the lead in total penalties with four. 

“If that’s a one-goal game and we do that, it could cost us,” SU Head Coach Gary Gait said postgame.

Going back the other way, Leo hit the “Superman” celebration for his fifth goal of the night, pulling the “Syracuse” lettering apart on his jersey. It matches his career high goal total, set during SU’s recent win at Air Force. 

SU long stick Billy Dwan III rocketed the ball toward the rafters as the clock ticked over, completing the 18-12 victory. 

Syracuse was outshot in the second half 13-9 but preserved its halftime lead, switching tactics from rapid-fire shots in succession to perimeter motion and passing.

“What’s nice about our team is a lot of older guys, like a lot of older guys that have been in different situations,” Spallina said.

The Orange couldn’t translate faceoff and transition opportunities to goals in the 2021 NCAA tournament game. This time, Mullen’s speed and power out of the draw and Spallina, Thompson and Leo’s scoring fueled SU in transition. Syracuse squares off next with No. 6 Duke (8-0, 0-0) to open conference play.