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Nine days after a season-altering win over then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins, Syracuse returned to action against Manhattan Tuesday. SU’s win over JHU was its first ranked victory of the season after falling to No. 1 Maryland and No. 12 Harvard. After faltering in the second half of its losses, Syracuse dominated down the stretch to secure a 13-10 win.

Tuesday presented a far inferior challenge. Manhattan entered the game boasting no significant wins on the season. Last season, the Orange dispatched the Jaspers 16-3, where Joey Spallina registered a career-high 10 points. Their second-ever meeting was much of the same.

Besides a quiet first quarter, the Orange took care of business. They scored nine goals in the second and never looked back. Spallina led the way with two goals and four assists, while SU’s defense held Manhattan’s offense dormant.

Here are some observations from No. 10 Syracuse’s (6-2, Atlantic Coast) 18-2 win over Manhattan (4-4, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic):

Hapward stands on his head

Syracuse boasts one of the most potent offenses in the country, so if Manhattan wanted to pull off a shocking upset, its goalie Connor Hapward needed to put on a mammoth performance. Hapward is no stranger to big-time performances. He averages 14 saves per game, the third-most in the country, and he was up to the task against the Orange.

Hapward couldn’t do enough for the Jaspers to win, but he certainly provided the Orange with a challenge.

For the opening 16 minutes, Syracuse couldn’t beat him. Whatever SU tried, Hapward was equal to it. Whether it was a whipped behind-the-back attempt from Spallina or a low bouncer from Sam English, Hapward stopped it. SU’s opportunities weren’t few and far between. It had eight shots on target in the first quarter and Hapward got to all of them.

It wasn’t like Syracuse was getting bad looks. It wasn’t forcing shots from 20 yards out and taking right-angled shots. Hapward was just stuffing attacks every chance he got. During SU’s scoreless drought, Michael Leo wriggled free of his defender, trying to bounce one between Hapward’s legs, but he reacted quickly.

Hapward’s effort kept Syracuse scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since Feb. 4, 2023. Trey Deere finally broke SU’s drought with a crafty finish to tie the game at 1-1 a minute into the second quarter.

Eventually, Hapward started to break, but he maintained a strong performance, recording a career-high 24 saves.

Deere sparks offense

Syracuse’s offense was nonexistent in the first quarter. Much of that was due to Hapward’s effort, but Deere gave Syracuse a spark in the second. Starting in place of Finn Thomson — who was ruled day-to-day by an SU spokesperson pregame — for the second-straight game, Deere had his most productive outing in a Syracuse uniform.

Before Tuesday, Deere had never recorded more than two goals in a game and only had three multi-goal games in his career. He had a career-high four against the Jaspers. It started with his behind-the-back effort to get SU on the board. Deere received a pass from Spallina at X and didn’t have an angle on his favored left hand. He still whipped a shot past Hapward.

Deere loves to do his damage from close. Due to his box lacrosse background, Deere operates in tight spaces. He rarely shoots from distance and uses crafty finishes to get most of his production. That was on display twice more before halftime.

Michael Leo got past his initial man while dodging downhill, getting free for a rip. Hapward denied the initial effort, but couldn’t keep the ball in his stick. Deere was the first to react, collecting the ball on the crease and finishing into an open net. Spallina set Deere up for his first career hat trick five minutes later. Once again, he broke free after cutting past his man, setting up a simple finish.

After sputtering early, Deere gave Syracuse a much-needed spark. SU finished with nine goals in the second frame, its second-most across 15 minutes all season. Tyler McCarthy and Leo added two goals in between Deere’s second and third. Luke Rhoa, Leo and Sam English capped off the half with three more, too.

Mullen dominates again

John Mullen picked up right where he left off in the second half versus Johns Hopkins by winning 10 straight faceoffs. In SU’s previous contest, Mullen had a rough go, losing the first five faceoffs before bouncing back in the second half to finish 13-of-23.

That momentum continued Tuesday. Early on, there weren’t many opportunities for Mullen to get going, due to there being just one goal in the first quarter. Once the offense picked up, Mullen kept giving SU possessions.

Manhattan came into the contest as a poor faceoff team, winning just 42.9% of its attempts. Mullen continued that trend. He varied up the ways he dominated the X. On a couple of occasions, he flipped the ball forward to himself, looking to spark early offense.

Other times after winning the clamp, Mullen dragged the ball behind him uncontested. The sophomore also used his wings to his advantage. Being first to the ball every time, he put the ball between his legs to players like English.

In three quarters of action, Mullen finished 14-of-15, marking the fifth time he’s finished at least 60% this season.

Aggressive defense

SU defensive coordinator John Odierna’s unit has come into their own lately. After a disastrous performance against Harvard, where it let up a season-high 15 goals, Syracuse’s defense has turned a corner. Though Manhattan’s offense didn’t set the world on fire, the Orange still kept the Jaspers quiet in the contest.

Syracuse’s defensive breakdowns were few and far between. Even when Manhattan did score, it was due to a lucky bounce. Drew Hiner opened the scoring on a play where SU’s defense had to scramble due to a wicked deflection. The same happened for the Jaspers’ second. Fighting for a loose ball, it popped high into the air, and no Syracuse defender saw where it was. Jack Miller was in the right place at the right time to finish past Jimmy McCool.

That was the last goal Syracuse allowed. It didn’t exert any heavy ball pressure on every possession, but when it decided to, it gave Manhattan trouble. Billy Dwan III, Riley Figueiras and Michael Grace exerted their dominance, forcing Manhattan into 20 turnovers.

The Jaspers rarely beat their initial defender on the perimeter, but Syracuse slid perfectly to shut down any danger. When Manhattan did get the chance to fire away, McCool stood tall. He wasn’t tested much but finished with five saves, three of which came on a single possession in the third quarter.

Published on March 18, 2025 at 9:13 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22