Observations from No. 2 SU’s win over No. 1 UMD: Spallina shines, hot Hottle
Syracuse faceoff man John Mullen was streaky Friday against Maryland's Henry Dodge, but his 11-of-21 was just enough to help SU eke out an 11-9 win Friday. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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This game needed no introduction, no ballyhooing. It was No. 2 Syracuse hosting No. 1 Maryland.
It was a litmus test for the Orange on multiple levels. They hadn’t defeated the Terrapins, their nemesis, since 2009. A pair of losses last season — including a Final Four clocks-cleaning — left an awful taste in Syracuse’s mouth. But in 2026, the culmination of SU’s vaunted 2022 recruiting class as seniors, it was the Orange’s best chance to exorcize their UMD hex.
SU didn’t need ghost busters, it just needed this 2026 team to do the trick. Syracuse ended its 17-year wait for a victory against Maryland with a 11-9 win Friday. The triumph was propelled by the Orange’s near-complete showing, a five-goal first-half scoring run and four goals from Joey Spallina, who stepped up against a team that silenced him a year earlier.
Here are some observations from No. 2 Syracuse’s (2-0, Atlantic Coast) streak-ending 11-9 win over No. 1 Maryland (1-0, Big Ten):
Spallina vs. Schaller
The heavyweight fight within the game of the year pitted the top two players on Inside Lacrosse’s Preseason Player Rankings against each other — and they were locked in all night.
In one corner, you had Spallina, the No. 1 2022 recruit and Promethean attack, who took the top spot in the publication’s rankings and is the Tewaaraton Award frontrunner. Maryland’s Will Schaller — second in IL’s rankings and the preeminent lockdown defender in the sport — marked him tightly last season, limiting him to one — garbage-time — point in the Final Four.
“I think we’re going to see a much better version of Joey (in) this game,” Gait said. “I’m excited to see what he can do.”
Gait was right.
With Spallina’s tough assignment, SU opted to not run the ball through him as much. When he did dictate play, he tried to get to the goal-line extended versus Schaller and back him down. Spallina had no success against the bigger Schaller.
Though, when open, Spallina proved giving space to him is like showing a bare neck to Dracula — he’ll make you pay. He was afforded a few yards in the first quarter and bounced a bid home to make it 2-2.
Spallina isn’t the fastest player — he kills opponents with his unparallelled lacrosse IQ — but he showed some legerity to hand the Orange their first lead of the game four minutes later. He used a wise Bogue Hahn pick to cut inside, then spun around his defender Peter Laake, bounced off Laake and then blasted his finish.
A pick was integral for Spallina to peel away from Schaller like skin on a tangerine and complete his hat trick midway through the second quarter. Spallina got separation, then rifled his low shot in. He raised his arms in celebration. The man who’s had hype and pressure piled on him had just insouciantly flicked it aside.
How would he finish? In style. He transformed a stagnant possession, stalled on the left wing into a thunderous finish when he lasered an effort in. No one saw it coming. But that’s the thing about Spallina and his lacrosse legerdemain: he makes the insane become predictable.
Mullen up to task
Yes, Spallina-Schaller stole the spotlight in this one. But that’s OK for John Mullen; he prefers to be in the shadows, working out in the wee hours of the morning and donning dark clothing everywhere he goes.
Friday, SU’s junior faceoff man was up against the man who boasted the best winning percentage at the X (70.9%) last season in Vermont transfer Henry Dodge.
Mullen held his own against Dodge, winning five of the first six draws. He was so determined that the sole faceoff he lost in that span, Mullen stayed on the field for more than 20 seconds checking Dodge, trying to regain possession to make up for his lost faceoff.
Mullen’s consistent faceoff wins — 6-for-7 in the first quarter — allowed the Orange to go on a five-goal spree to stretch their lead to 6-2. By halftime, Mullen commanded his matchup, winning 9-of-12 faceoffs.
But things started to unravel in the third quarter, when the Terrapins won seven straight. That allowed UMD to pull within one goal of the Orange. Frustration overcame Mullen in the third quarter when he recklessly checked Dodge from behind. Fortunately for him, the Terrapins didn’t capitalize on the error and ensuing man-up opportunity.
In the final stages, Mullen regained his bearings. In a wafer-thin game, his 11-for-21 line was enough to nudge Syracuse toward its elusive victory.
HOTtle
How much speed, swagger and shot power can you pack in a 5-foot-7 frame? Wyatt Hottle may take the record. The junior midfielder is part of Syracuse’s man-down group nicknamed “The Junkyard Dogs,” and his scrappy play has powered the Orange to open the season. It continued in the biggest game of the year.
He pitched in two first-quarter goals that looked like carbon copies of each other. But Hottle packs so much speed — Dash-from-the-Incredibles fast — Maryland couldn’t stop him. He raced around X like a bee after a sip of Cuban coffee then tattooed his finish into the roof of the net.
The diminutive Hottle tried to leap to catch a high Spallina feed late in the third quarter, but the supposed alley-oop attempt was too high for him to dunk into the net.
He’s far from a one-trick pony, but Hottle certainly has speed in abundance. Two goals in each of SU’s first two games and then two more Friday prove his contributions aren’t a flash in the pan. He sustained it against the gritty UMD defense. You can’t spell “hot” without Hottle, and he’s on an incredible heater to begin the season.
Could the Orange end the curse?
Syracuse entered the fourth quarter up two goals. Could they end the curse and get over the finish line against the Terrapins? It was appointment viewing.
UMD struck first in the final stanza, as Elijah Staubaugh found the back of the net.
When it came to ending SU’s 15-minute scoring drought, the spark came from an unlikely, inexperienced source. Freshman Bogue Hahn buried a worm burner to restore Syracuse’s two-goal cushion in the middle of the fourth quarter. It’s the first of what will likely be a plethora of big-time contributions for the No. 17 2025 recruit.
SU began to taste a flavor it hadn’t tasted since 2009 — winning against Maryland — near the 3:30 mark. Jimmy McCool, who had nine saves on a 50% saving percentage, gathered a ball in the crease. The JMA Wireless Dome crowd rose to a crescendo.
In this mouthwatering clash, that flavor — finer than any dungeness crab in the Chesapeake Bay — was delivered on a fine plate in a hearty, tasty helping. Eat up, Syracuse. The Orange and their rabid fanbase have been starving for 17 years. Now, that starvation is over.
