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The wait finally ended. The countdowns, the questions, the calculations — they were all over. Joey Spallina became Syracuse’s all-time points leader when his behind-the-back pass was met with a behind-the-back Michael Leo finish in the Orange’s 14-7 win over Colgate Saturday.

With that deadly dexterity, Spallina had his 308th career point, surpassing Mike Powell atop the leaderboard.

The combination was fitting. Spallina and Leo hail from Long Island, playing together in middle school for club squad Team 91, coached by Spallina’s father, Joe. The two arrived at SU together in 2022, a part of a highly touted recruiting class. They hoped to “bring the excitement back,” change the culture and “bring the community back” to Syracuse, Spallina said.

Well, judging on the 6,498 in attendance at a nonconference game Saturday, the ingenuity synonymous with Syracuse lacrosse and the alacrity at every turn, you could say the 2022 class has done that. In one of their final games at the JMA Wireless Dome — although Lacrosse Reference gives the Orange a 100% chance of earning an NCAA Tournament seed and hosting a game — they had their curtain call for Spallina’s accomplishment.

However, he didn’t stop there. The attack ended the day with seven points on two goals and five assists. Safe to say, if Spallina has his way, the record will be razed — just like any remaining negative narrative surrounding him.

Here’s a breakdown of Spallina’s seven points on his history-making day:

Tying the record

Entering Saturday’s game, Spallina was one point shy of Powell’s 307. He’d been in earshot of the record for three weeks — fielding reporter’s questions “every other day,” he joked to ACC Network postgame.

Spallina’s carried expectations like Atlas carries Earth. And he could finally release some of that pressure when he tied the record less than three minutes in. Spallina got his first touch of the game at X, like a conductor returning to his podium. He threaded a chameleon-eyed pass to a frequent target, Finn Thomson. But the fellow senior was denied from point-blank range.

A ground-ball scramble ensued. Colgate gathered possession but couldn’t clear the Orange’s unrelenting ride. Thomson tipped an attempted Nick Lancaster clear, and Spallina pounced on the errant pass. He gathered the loose ball, and in one motion, cannoned it into an empty Raider net.

No. 307. Even-stevens with Powell.

The Record-breaker

Ten minutes after Spallina tied the program record, he snagged sole possession of the honor.

The play started with a Spallina restart on the end line. He tossed the ball to Charlie Kraftson on the right wing, then the Orange swung it around the packed-in Raider defense. Eventually, Spallina picked up the ball on the left wing from Bogue Hahn.

Running away from goal, with Colgate’s Charlie Lohman closely trailing, Spallina flicked a behind-the-back pass to Leo in tight. Leo collected the ball and copied the maneuver, roofing it past goalie Andrew Lehrman.

After he released his pass, Spallina didn’t stop running. So, once the ball landed in the net and the record was his, he was near the center circle. His teammates embraced him. The Dome crowd crescendoed, having just witnessed history.

“It’s not the first time that we’ve done it,” Spallina said of him and Leo’s behind-the-back moves. “But it just so happened that we did it on that goal.”

“I’m super proud of Joey,” Leo added. “I’ve seen the work that, really, none of you guys really see. Since he was younger, he was just always a guy that was the last guy at practice, first guy at practice. So I’ve seen all the stuff, but it’s special.”

Spallina with a behind-the-back goal of his own

On Spallina’s banner day, Syracuse turned up the flair. Behind-the-back attempts kept flying like SU was a cabal of spies trying to doublecross their bosses, and Spallina was on the end of one in the waning seconds of the first quarter.

The Orange’s second midfield line of Hahn (#16), Tucker Kellogg (#40) and Matt McIntee (#10) tossed the ball around to begin the possession. Then, McIntee took off down the left flank. He found Spallina at X, and the man of the hour looped a cross-field pass to Hahn.

With the clock trickling under 15 seconds, Hahn tried to dodge his way inside, dropping a Colgate defender in the process. But the Raider defense held strong, and Hahn passed it to McIntee on the left side. McIntee pulled out a behind-the-back dish to Spallina farther wide.

Spallina arced another high pass to Leo at X, but with the clock dwindling under 10 seconds, Spallina took off after throwing the pass. He cut across goal, a step ahead of his marker, John Carrabine. Sprinting at high velocity with no interest in slowing down, Spallina released a behind-the-back bid on goal. Genius.

That sorcery came with three seconds left in the opening stanza, making it 5-2 with Spallina and Leo switching roles from three minutes earlier.

Joey assists brother Jake

For as much attention Spallina received Saturday, his favorite moment from the game was assisting his younger brother and short-stick defensive midfielder, Jake Spallina, for a goal in the third quarter.

SU’s defense forced a Colgate turnover, jump-starting an attack. Billy Dwan III grabbed the ground ball and looked downfield to launch the Orange attack. He found Jake as an outlet, and the junior hit the gas pedal toward the open field.

Jake dished a pass to his left to Spallina as he entered the attacking zone, but he didn’t abandon his marauding run there. Spallina exchanged passes with long-stick midfielder Vincent Bolognino around the restraining line.

With the Raider defense still regrouping, Spallina spotted an open Jake near the cage. He fired a pass to his brother, and Jake turned and tucked away his shot before Colgate recovered.

The two charged at each other in celebration, chest-bumping after the goal that led to a 10-5 SU lead. It was only Jake’s second career goal in 50 games played, and his first since Feb. 21, 2024, his fifth career college game.

The record’s cool and all. But for Spallina, it doesn’t hold a candle to that brother-to-brother connection.

Published on April 20, 2026 at 8:41 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal