SU defeats Towson 20-15 for 1st NCAA Tournament win since 2017

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Back in late January, Joey Spallina said Syracuse knew what it must accomplish for the program to regain national prominence. He recognized the “Orange Standard,” in which head coach Gary Gait preaches, has been missing for a while.

Heading into the NCAA Tournament, though, the Orange had checked most of the boxes to signify their return to lacrosse’s aristocracy.

Eleven regular-season wins. Signature upsets over Johns Hopkins and Duke. A 3-1 record within a gauntlet of an Atlantic Coast Conference. It all culminated in a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, clinching SU’s first postseason appearance of Gait’s tenure.

A premature exit in the ACC Tournament following a botched rematch against Duke elicited concerns for Syracuse heading into mid-May. And those concerns flowed throughout the JMA Wireless Dome as it trailed 9-8 to Towson at halftime of its NCAA Tournament first-round bout.

At that point, Spallina was SU’s main source of offense, while its defense faltered in one-on-one matchups and goalie Will Mark struggled to solidify the final layer of protection — he was 0-for-6 in first-quarter save chances, fresh off being pulled against the Blue Devils.

Still, like Spallina said before the 2024 season began, the Orange know they can leave no stone unturned by playing their brand of lacrosse. They did just that.

Gait’s squad unleashed a 9-0 run in the third quarter, the consequential stretch needed for No. 4 seed Syracuse (12-5, 3-1 ACC) to defeat Towson (13-3, 7-0 Coastal Athletic Association) 20- 15 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Spallina put together one of his best performances of the season, tallying four goals and four assists for a game-high eight points. SU’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2017 pits it against No. 5 seed Denver in the quarterfinals on May 19, a matchup which coincidentally takes place in Towson, Maryland.

The early portion of the game featured a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair. Though while Syracuse’s offense came from long, meticulous possessions, Towson scored at will.

Owen Hiltz and Alex Roussel traded goals to start the contest, then Spallina got on the board by daring out from X and finishing on the right side past Tigers’ goalie Luke Downs. Yet almost as soon as Towson cleared following a Finn Thomson turnover, it answered via a goal by Chop Gallagher to make it 2-2.

Rocco Mareno then beat Mason Kohn on the ensuing faceoff, and the Tigers scored less than a minute later as Josh Webber bounced a shot on the run past Mark — warranting Gait to call timeout at the 7:43 mark.

Out of the timeout, Syracuse’s attack moved with a sense of urgency. Christian Mulé passed from X to find Hiltz, who scored his 35th goal of the year off a twister finish. Then, Thomson set a screen for Spallina, allowing the latter to hit the former with a feed on the left side as Thomson netted a goal on a wraparound to give SU a 4-3 lead.

But Towson continued to make it look easy once he controlled the ball.

Mareno beat Kohn on the next faceoff to set up the Tigers’ attack. Gallagher received the ball, faked out SU short-stick Nathan LeVine on a stutter-step and ripped a mid-range release that flew past Mark. And while Spallina dished from X to a cutting Jake Stevens to put Syracuse up 5-4, Towson swiftly retaliated. Two straight goals from Mikey Weishaar gave the Tigers a one-goal advantage at the end of the first quarter, as Mark was 0-for-6 on save attempts.

Spallina was the catalyst behind Syracuse’s offense picking up the slack its defense left behind. To start the second quarter, he danced outward from X, leaned his shoulder into Towson long pole Conor Spagnoli and slotted a sidearm shot into the back of the net, tying the game at 6-6. SU’s star attack had two goals and two assists by that point.

Yet from the 12:16 mark of the second quarter until the 5:30 mark, neither side netted a goal. The firepower from the first quarter was quelled, as Mark’s timing improved to make occasional saves while Towson slowed Spallina’s impact through stout man defense and keeping up with cutters off the ball.

The scoring drought ended after Bode Maurer found twine to put the Tigers up 7-6. But for a few brief moments, the Orange gave Towson a taste of its own medicine.

Following the ensuing faceoff, Stevens scooped a ground ball and streaked across the field without any defenders in his way. He braced contact from Spagnoli, though he finished through the physicality and scored his second goal of the game. Kohn lifted Syracuse back on top 10 seconds later as he took a faceoff win downfield and scored a step-down past Downs.

At last, the Orange were scoring with ease. It was the formula necessary to pull away from the Tigers. But it didn’t last long.

The final five minutes of the first half were filled with turnovers, errant shots and a failure to win one-on-one matchups. While Kohn and Mullen remained consistent at the faceoff X, the Orange couldn’t take advantage. It left Towson’s Roussel and Webber to net the final two goals of the half, and Syracuse went into the break down 9-8.

Coming out of the locker room, though, the Orange returned to a different team. A fire was lit into them as they scored nine consecutive goals to begin the second half. Ball movement was crisp, and Syracuse’s key players on offense finished with consistency. It didn’t even need Spallina to dictate the offense anymore.

The fourth goal of the run was the most punctual of the night. Mullen took a faceoff victory over Matt Constantinides, bolted straight to the cage and fired a shot that Downs couldn’t handle. The faceoff man gave the Orange a 12-9 lead at that time, and Stevens completed a hat trick less than two minutes later to put them up four.

Within the blink of an eye, two goal contributions from Spallina — first an assist to Hiltz, then a lefty finish on the right flank — had Syracuse up 16-9, an advantage that continued to balloon in gaudy proportions.

The sheer talent mismatch between SU ​​and Towson flipped the game on its head from a potential upset, to an expected blowout as the Orange scored their season-high in goals and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.