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An intrusive narrative swims around Joey Spallina: naysayers say he can’t perform well in big games nor lead his team to important victories.

For Spallina, the fabled No. 1 class of 2022 recruit, individual demands are intense. You lose, you get blamed. You win, the fanbase crowns you. You lose again, you’re back to being a punching bag. Spallina’s been through this cycle repeatedly over his last three years at Syracuse. It can’t be easy for someone who, as a teenager, was seen as SU’s savior after its golden era came to a close.

So, Spallina’s used to severe judgment from the dark depths of college lacrosse’s social mediasphere. But after he unleashed 11 points in No. 10 Syracuse’s 16-12 win over No. 18 Colgate Saturday, something no SU player had done since Casey Powell in 1997, he had nothing to say to his doubters. The junior leaned back in his chair, cracked a toothy ear-to-ear grin and doubled over from laughter at the thought he’d ever fall victim to bait from trolls.

“I only really care about winning,” Spallina said. “I could care less about what ‘Instagram user 145’ has to say.”

Silencing fair-weather fans is one thing, though Spallina accomplished much more than that in his historic game against Colgate — he put the lacrosse world on notice. Flashy feeds. Crafty dodges. Blistering shots. Spallina showcased everything that elicited his hype as a prospect. But this was different. This was the best performance of his career. And it came in a big moment, which albeit Spallina has often struggled in.

In his spellbinding display of five goals and six assists, which bolstered Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament resume with a top-20 victory, Spallina completed his maturation to superstardom. He’s a big-time player built for big-time moments. That narrative will remain throughout the Orange’s 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference slate and postseason play.

A proven Spallina is here to stay, and teams across the country should be scared to face him.

Joey Spallina’s career-high 11-point performance against Colgate was the highest single-game total by an SU player since Casey Powell matched that mark in 1997. Solange Jain | Photo Editor

Spallina’s nonchalant mannerisms Saturday made it seem as if all the pressure he dealt with as a freshman had evaporated. In fact, he’s never negatively dealt with pressure while at Syracuse. He’s craved it from day one and doesn’t shy away from his notoriety.

​​“I honestly love the pressure,” Spallina told The Daily Orange on Jan. 23. “I think it’s deserved. I wear number 22 here, so there’s going to be pressure whether I want it or not.”

He still faces plenty of criticism, but it’s usually unfair. When Syracuse falters in an anticipated top-20 battle, Spallina is often the butt of jokes, like in the aftermath of SU’s loss to Maryland on Feb. 15, where he was held goalless in the second half. He’s had other difficult outings in massive contests: zero goals in a loss to Army last year. No points in a defeat to Denver in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. But lacrosse is the ultimate team sport. And any competent defense keys in on limiting Spallina’s touches throughout the game. That’s not on him.

Why so much hate? Well, when you’re a program like Syracuse, known for elitism within college lacrosse, and you’re lucky enough to earn a commitment from someone like Spallina, people will expect the world.

Joe Spallina — Spallina’s father and head coach of Stony Brook women’s lacrosse — called out the outside noise suggesting his son is struggling in the limelight.

“Whoever thinks pressure’s getting to him, you’re crazy,” Joe said in a press conference on March 5, 2024, following a game against SU women’s lacrosse at the JMA Wireless Dome. “He was born for it. Look at the numbers. The numbers don’t lie.”

Joe’s right. The misleading narratives surrounding Spallina must end. He’s one of the best players in the country, arguably the best passer in Division I, and this season, he’s playing with consistency that he hasn’t showed before.

SU head coach Gary Gait said preseason that a player’s junior year is the point when they’re settled in and ready to maximize their potential. That’s rung true for Spallina — who’s turned a major corner, especially with his production in the big moments.

The attack has no bad games yet this season, tallying at least three points in every outing. Across his first nine contests, his point total rests at 54, currently ranking second in the country. He averages six points per game, the highest mark among all players in the ACC. He’s not far off from Tim Nelson’s Syracuse record of 6.4 points a game in 1984.

Spallina posted gaudy numbers in the Orange’s first two victories of 2025, dropping a hat trick on Jacksonville before exploding for five goals and five assists versus Vermont. Losses to then-No. 6 Maryland and then-No. 15 Harvard soon followed. But he swiftly bounced back with one of his most memorable days in an SU uniform, tallying five points in Syracuse’s win over then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins — highlighted by a shock-inducing hidden-ball trick goal.

The best example of Spallina magic, though, occurred Saturday.

Against a ranked foe in Colgate, Spallina made the Raiders’ defense look like a Division II roster at times. Colgate head coach Matt Karweck left Spallina alone at X rather than sticking a long pole on him behind the cage. It’s a strategy teams don’t typically use against Spallina, and he proved why that’s the case.

He picked the Raiders apart from X, regularly finding cutters and never hesitating to wrap around either crease and whip a sidearm release past Colgate goalie Matt LaCombe. Spallina said when he has the ball behind the net, he reads what the defense gives him and decides to dodge or pass off that. He didn’t seem to miss a single read Saturday.

And in the fourth quarter, Spallina fully dispelled the narrative that he lacks production against quality competition. The Orange had allowed three unanswered Raiders goals as their lead dwindled to 13-11. Yet, Spallina dished out an assist from X and found twine on a wraparound, providing SU enough cushion to clinch the victory.

“If you’re going to give Joey free space to bump and hit once above the goal, I think he’s going to win that most of the time,” Gait said of the way Colgate defended Spallina.

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Gait has put Spallina in an ideal situation. He’s had the keys to the offense for three years, but this is the year where it’s all come together for the junior. He’s comfortable. He’s aggressive. He’s accurate. He’s experienced the peaks and valleys that come with wearing the No. 22 jersey, and he now understands how to overcome those swings.

As he builds his legacy as one of SU’s all-time greats, Spallina has checked off a crucial box: he’s now at his best when the lights are brightest. Spallina may not hear the outside noise. But his scintillating 11-point effort against Colgate was the first major sign he won’t be doubted again.

The road ahead quickly becomes more difficult with Syracuse’s ACC slate beginning this Saturday against Virginia. Still, with how Spallina’s performance is ascending, the Orange are in for a scorching final month of the regular season. It’s too early to tell how far they’ll go. But regardless of the outcome, Spallina will seize the moment in the spotlight and dominate.

Tell that to Instagram user 145.

Cooper Andrews is the Managing Editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at ccandrew@syr.edu or on X @cooper_andrews.

Published on March 23, 2025 at 3:37 pm
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews