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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Syracuse-Virginia is one of college lacrosse’s greatest rivalries. The Orange and Cavaliers are two of the most iconic programs in the country, sharing 52 Final Fours and 17 National Championships. Whenever they match up, there’s always fireworks, with both teams holding 21 wins in 42 all-time meetings.

The latest rendition certainly isn’t the most-hyped showdown in a storied rivalry, though its significance still rings true. Saturday marked the beginning of Atlantic Coast Conference play and the start of a stretch that will define both teams’ seasons. Syracuse entered winners of four straight and couldn’t afford to slip up against Virginia, which desperately needed a win to kick-start its season.

Saturday was another tightly contested battle. Syracuse started slow but grew into the game, which turned into a back-and-forth affair. In the end, SU survived. It scored the game’s final three goals to pull out a win.

Here are some observations from No. 8 Syracuse’s (8-2, 1-0, ACC) 12-10 win over Virginia (5-5, 0-1, ACC):

UVA gets hot early

Virginia’s offense has been below average this season. Without Connor Shellenberger and Payton Cormier, who combined for 162 points last year, the Cavaliers have boasted a young offense led by the trio of McCabe Millon, Truitt Sunderland and Ryan Colsey. They entered Saturday averaging 11.78 goals per game, but they were hot early.

Johnny Hackett curled around from X to get inside of Carter Rice to open the scoring. The ensuing possession, Charles Balsamo worked his way from the wing, feeding Sunderland right on the crease for an easy score. UVA’s chemistry was on full display. Even when the Cavaliers didn’t score, they were getting dangerous opportunities, clanging a couple shots off the post.

Following a transition goal from long pole Ben Wayer, Millon got on the board. The sophomore lost Riley Figueiras after a quick cut to gain separation, firing high to low past Jimmy McCool in net. The Cavs peppered McCool throughout the first half. He faced 14 shots on goal and denied eight of them.

If it wasn’t for McCool at the end of the first quarter, the Orange could’ve been down 6-1. Thomas Mencke collected a loose ball right in front of the net in the dying embers of the first quarter but was denied by McCool.

Even with McCool’s save, Syracuse’s defense allowed five goals, which was its second-most in a quarter all season.

Anderson starts

With Finn Thomson out since getting injured against Utah on March 1, Trey Deere has started alongside Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz. Deere’s production has been serviceable, with eight goals in his past two games.

However, Syracuse made a change to its starting lineup pregame. Head coach Gary Gait decided to start freshman Payton Anderson in his place. Anderson was Syracuse’s highest-ranked freshman as the No. 18 recruit by Inside Lacrosse. His production has mostly come during blowout victories for Syracuse, recording five goals, but he got his chance against Virginia.

With SU’s offense reeling in the first quarter, Anderson provided a jolt. Michael Grace fed Anderson on the wing. With time winding down, the freshman got inside of his man and flew across the crease for an acrobatic finish.

Anderson added a second in the third quarter. With UVA implementing its 10-man ride, Grace found Anderson all the way down the field. Anderson attacked the space, ripping a low-to-high shot, making it 9-8 Syracuse.

Spallina held quiet

Coming off the best game of his career, Spallina had the chance to put on an encore.

He finished with a career-high 11 points against Colgate, the most from an SU player since Casey Powell had 13 in 1997. UVA has given Spallina trouble in the past. Last season, the Cavaliers held him without a point for the first time in his career. The year before, he recorded just two assists.

Spallina’s impact was minimal once again against Virginia, recording just one assist. Early on, SU didn’t play through Spallina like it typically does. The Orange chose to go down the alley through Luke Rhoa and Michael Leo, but it was to no avail.

Spallina was primarily guarded by John Schroter, who had a noticeable size advantage. When Spallina did get the ball, Schroter was extremely physical with him. Due to the height disparity, Spallina tried to use his leverage to get inside of the long pole. Spallina’s first attempt, he got inside, yet could only fire a weak left-handed shot that Matthew Nunes saved.

Throughout the first half, Spallina was frustrated whenever he got the ball. He didn’t have his normal flow and rhythm to his game. He was trying to force the issue instead of letting the game come to him. He controlled the ball on the wing, firing a skip pass, which was intercepted by Luke Hublitz.

Chances to attack were few and far between from Spallina. With Syracuse trailing 6-4, he attacked from X again. Spallina ended up shoveling a ball toward the net, but his shot was weak, though it led to Sam English’s rebound goal.

Spallina never got going against Virginia. Tied 9-9 in the fourth quarter, he telegraphed a look from the wing, which was easily saved.

Mullen’s up-and-down day

John Mullen has been steady at the faceoff X this season, though his offensive production was lacking. It wasn’t that he didn’t try to get involved. Mullen played as a midfielder in high school and is a goal-scoring threat, but this season he hasn’t displayed that.

With Syracuse’s offense dormant for a large portion of the first half, Mullen gave it a little spark. The Orange trailed 2-0 prior to Mullen winning a faceoff out in front of himself. Hiltz was flanked by Mullen and received a pass on the wing, immediately firing a shot past Nunes.

Later in the second quarter, Mullen repeated the same action, although this time he took it himself. No slide came, and Mullen rifled a shot into the roof of the net. Of Syracuse’s four first-half goals, Mullen created two by himself.

Mullen wasn’t as dominant as he usually is in terms of purely winning faceoffs. Going up against Andrew Greenspan and Anthony Ghobriel, Mullen struggled mightily at the X, especially in the second half.

He went just 9-of-22 at the X but came up with a couple key wins late to help seal the game for Syracuse.

Leo provides a spark

Syracuse needed someone to step up in the second half. Its offense couldn’t get anything going. The Orange’s ball movement wasn’t crisp, and when they got chances, their shots were going awry. That’s when Leo took over.

Leo failed to record a point in SU’s last contest and didn’t have one in the first half against Virginia. Leo’s first goal was slightly lucky. Hiltz fired a pass, which was deflected, and Leo caught the ball in the middle of the defense, which led to an easy finish.

Less than a minute later, Leo faked out his defender on the wing and got free for a step down. Leo’s second goal in quick succession put Syracuse in front for the first time, with four minutes gone in the third quarter.

Leo completed his hat trick soon after. English tried attacking down the alley but slipped and fell. The possession looked to be broken until he fired a pass right to Leo, who wasn’t going to miss.

Outside of Leo in the second half, Syracuse’s offense largely remained the same. After gaining a two-goal advantage, the Orange proceeded to score one over the next 15 minutes.

Published on March 29, 2025 at 3:28 pm
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