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As Syracuse trotted onto the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium turf entering the fourth quarter, its minds must’ve been on the 1,500-mile flight home to central New York. No, the Orange weren’t thinking about 80-degree sunshine. That’s a CNY rarity in March.

They likely were thinking about the warmth and comfort that come with being home. The Orange have been on the road for a while — 32 days to be exact. The six-game road trip was tied for the longest in program history, matching one from 1972.

So forgive Syracuse if it started thinking about the luscious JMA Wireless Dome turf. A couple miscues here would be forgiven as long as SU got over the line. But it almost didn’t. A one-minute locked-in penalty on Drew Angelo led to three straight Denver goals early on, which was eventually cut to one with 3:44 left.

Syracuse was reeling, and it looked like it was about to end the road trip on a sour note. However, the Orange’s defense tightened their grip, and as Marek Tzagournis’ shot flashed well wide at the buzzer, they could take a collective sigh of relief.

Near collapse aside, No. 8 Syracuse’s (7-2, Atlantic Coast) offensive performance in its 13-12 win over No. 14 Denver (4-3, Big East) shouldn’t be glossed over. Statistically, the Pioneers’ defense is by far the best in the country. That didn’t matter to the Orange. They had the most proficient outing against the Pioneers all season and had the most goals from a road team since DU’s season opener last year. And if it weren’t for a sloppy fourth quarter, it could’ve been more.

Joey Spallina’s fourth-quarter strike ended up being the difference, helping him pass Casey and Ryan Powell as SU’s second all-time points leader. Luke Rhoa was also huge, scoring four goals as Syracuse’s midfielders totaled nine. Payton Anderson and Finn Thomson each had two goals and two assists as SU finished its road trip 4-2.

“What a game,” Gait said postgame. “(It was) a bit of a circus, but we got through it. (The) team stuck together, believed, trusted each other, made plays when they needed to against a very scrappy and very good Denver team. (I’m) just proud of our guys for stepping up when we needed them, making plays and finishing the game.”

Denver’s defensive stats speak for themselves. A 16.7 defensive efficiency, according to Lacrosse Reference. Just 6.33 goals per game allowed. Goalie Grayson Manning’s 67.3% save percentage. You get the idea. The Pioneers’ defense is elite. It has always been.

Payton Anderson and Finn Thomson celebrate an early first-half goal in Syracuse’s 13-12 win over Denver Monday. The Orange held a 6-5 halftime lead, an impressive start against the Pioneers’ dominant defense. Courtesy of SU Athletics

Under seven-time national champion Bill Tierney, DU became known for its defensive grit. That continued when Matt Brown took over in 2023 following Tierney’s retirement.

Syracuse knows that all too well.

The Orange were blanked in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal matchup, in which they scored a season-low eight goals and their attack was held to one score.

Postgame, Michael Leo sat on the podium. Tears threatened to pierce the smothered eye black on his face as he made a bold statement.

“We’re going to be on top next year, for sure,” Leo said.

Leo was close, but wrong. SU fell in the Final Four last year. But in 2026, the expectation is to win it all. And to do that, close road tests like those in Denver need to be won.

Early on Monday, Denver looked like it was putting on another defensive masterclass. The Orange scored 55 seconds in and were blanked for the rest of the quarter, trailing 3-1.

Denver’s defense wasn’t impenetrable, but it forced shots from distance, which Manning gobbled up, playing right into Denver’s hands. The Pioneers want early leads so they can bleed clock with elongated possessions and rely on their defensive stability. It’s not as effective as Maryland, but the same principles apply.

Eventually, Syracuse found its shooting touch. Rhoa unleashed a furious shot from deep, while Thomson equalized soon after. Both teams exchanged blows, though Rhoa’s man-up goal with five seconds left in the first half gave SU a one-goal lead for the second straight game.

Rhoa’s score gave Syracuse a platform for an explosive third quarter. He added to his tally, with Tucker Kellogg, Anderson, Billy Dwan III and Thomson all getting in on the fun.

It looked like how Syracuse’s offense should. Fast paced. Quick ball movement. Decisive shots. Denver’s backline couldn’t keep up, and the typically elite Manning was flailing.

That hasn’t always been the case this season. SU’s been prone to prolonged droughts — an issue that recurred last year — which have cost it. Facing Denver’s stout defense at the end of a long road trip could’ve been a recipe for disaster.

Instead, the Orange answered the bell and looked like they delivered a knockout blow once Thomson put them up 12-7 mere seconds after Cody Malawsky’s tally. It was deja vu after Syracuse blitzed Air Force out of halftime three days ago with four goals.

“We’ve been doing a great job of coming out of halftime and starting hot,” Spallina said of SU’s burst. “It’s definitely difficult to come back from a big lead on us. But our coaches do a great job of putting this in the correct spots, coming out of the half and we’ve just been doing what we’re told.”

By the frame’s end, Syracuse doubled the number of goals Denver usually allows and was in complete control.

Then came Angelo’s costly penalty. After a scrappy groundball win, Angelo collided with a Denver player as he ran to the substitution box, resulting in a one-minute full-time penalty. When asked about the infraction, Gait said he’d have to review the film, but didn’t sound too thrilled with it.

Denver didn’t care. The Pioneers tallied three goals in 33 seconds, cutting Syracuse’s lead to two. Spallina calmed things down with his only tally of the day, but strikes from Chase Bruno and Chris Merageas made things hairy down the stretch.

Syracuse’s offense went quiet, despite having three separate man-up chances. Rather than trying to score, the Orange bled clock, and it nearly came back to bite them.

Jimmy McCool — who didn’t have his best day with a 45.5% save rate — came up with a clutch save on Cody Malawsky at the back post, which was Denver’s last shot on target. McCool didn’t have to come up big again on DU’s last possession.

“It’s just all about resetting,” McCool said of the SU’s defense. “The defense did a good job of just staying together, playing as a family and (we) got the stop at the end that we needed and going home with another win.”

Spallina mentioned that defensive coordinator John Odierna repeated the age-old saying that it doesn’t matter how much Syracuse wins by, as long as you have one more goal when the buzzer sounds.

That definitely applies to Monday’s outing. It wasn’t pretty, but Syracuse got over the line, and with it, the marathon road trip comes to an end.

Now, SU returns to the much friendlier confines of the Dome for four out of its last six outings.

“We’ve kind of been all over the place,” Gait said. “(It’s) been cold, it’s been warm, it’s been all sorts of things. We’ve adapted to all of it and came through. And now we get to go back to the friendly confines of the dome. So we’re excited.”

Published on March 16, 2026 at 10:47 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22