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Saint Joseph’s only scored two goals against No. 3 Syracuse Saturday, and, postgame, Joey Spallina had a sarcastic explanation.

In the bowels of the JMA Wireless Dome — which were much warmer than the feels-like-minus 23 degrees Fahrenheit outside — Spallina weighed in on SU goalie Jimmy McCool’s strong day in net.

“It’s like (the Hawks) were shooting a beach ball,” Spallina said.

Sure, the Dome felt like a tropical locale fitting for a post card relative to the outdoors. Or maybe a beach is where every inhabitant wished they were amid the gelid temperatures. But it was also an accurate metaphor.

McCool made it seem like the 28 shots SJU fired in his direction at rapid speeds were 11 inches in diameter like a beach ball rather than the 2.5 inches of a lacrosse ball. And putting his body on the line, McCool stood in front of the solid five-plus ounce rubber lacrosse ball en route to 10 saves and a career-high 83.3% save percentage as a starter. Maybe it felt like it was a lightweight beach ball flying his way.

“When Jimmy’s playing like that, it gives the offense some confidence,” Spallina said. “You gotta just go and play and make the correct play. And Jimmy’s always got us.”

It sure seemed like with each McCool save, SU’s offense built confidence. The scoreboard reflected it, too. No. 3 Syracuse (2-0, Atlantic Coast) demolished Saint Joseph’s (0-1, Atlantic 10) 20-2 Saturday in its second game of the season, and McCool was pulled with a quarter to play with a 12-goal SU lead.

What’s it like in McCool’s mind when he’s near-impenetrable in the net? He said it’s empty.

“I kind of try to not think at all,” McCool said.

However, he later elaborated the same words and sequence ring in his ears throughout a game.

“Just react, react, react,” McCool. “And, just thinking about seeing the ball, saving the ball and then clearing it.”

That’s the feedback McCool received from SU head coach Gary Gait and defensive coordinator John Odierna. When the ball is on the other end, that word — react — runs on a continuous loop in McCool’s brain.

He didn’t have much time to recite the mantra once the game started. McCool’s net was under fire in the opening minute. SJU’s Ben Dutton, who led the Hawks with 47 goals last season, sent a shot on frame from the left alley. McCool deflected it away with his stick.

Three minutes later, Jack Fiordalis put one on target from 10 yards away. McCool got his stick low and parried it. He added his third stop of the day at the 9:27 mark.

St. Joe’s head coach Scott Meehan said McCool “did a great job,” but admitted the Hawks gave him a “couple easy ones” early, criticizing his side’s shot selection and lack of ball movement.

“Guys end up forcing up shots when it’s not necessarily the right decision to make,” Meehan said. “So, I thought that played into the save percentage from McCool. But he’s a fantastic goalie. We knew that coming in, (but) didn’t do a great job of getting ourselves going with our shooting early on.”

Whether it was poor shot selection or McCool being equal to each effort, he compiled his 10 saves by halftime — five in each of the first two quarters.

For his fourth denial of the day, Syracuse’s goalie looked like a basketball center. Saint Joseph’s Will Barber charged in close down the right goal-line extended. Once he reached the crease, he leapt and directed a shot on frame. McCool erased the effort, placing his larger stick in front of Barber’s and gathering the shot.

McCool then kept his sheet clean for the quarter with a low block. He kept on going in the second quarter, with his sole blemish being a goal conceded. Still, he was nearly unbeatable.

McCool’s steadiness in net follows a bumpy 2025 season, where he said there were a lot of “learning opportunities.” In his first season as the starting goalie after the graduation of Will Mark, McCool’s nadir came in the Orange’s shocking 15-14 loss to then-No. 15 Harvard on Feb. 22. In that defeat, McCool was benched early in the third quarter after allowing 10 goals and saving only a third of the shots he faced.

Despite the ignominy of the benching, Gait consistently stated McCool was SU’s man in net. That trust paid off near the end of the year. McCool took home ACC Tournament MVP honors after he combined for 36 saves — including a career-high 20 in the semifinals — in Syracuse’s wins over No. 1 seed Notre Dame and No. 3 seed Duke. He also won ACC Goalie of the Year.

With the vicissitudes of 2025 under him, McCool felt more comfortable entering this season, he said.

“Today was just another example of that (comfort),” McCool said. “I think we held them to low angle shots that they know we’re willing to take, and I was able to make the saves we were able to clean up.”

Amid the ups and downs, the same refrain repeats in McCool’s head. He’s always looking forward, not reflecting back.

“I’m only focused on the next shot,” he said. “It could go in or could be a save on the last one, but the only thing that I’m focused on​​ is the next one.”

The next shot McCool will face in a game will come from the stick of No. 1 Maryland Friday. The Terrapins have had SU’s number since 2009. McCool conceded 25 goals combined against UMD in 2025.

See the ball, save the ball, clear the ball. That’ll be recited in McCool’s head. If he gets going, maybe that ball flying his way will look like a different kind of ball — a bigger and lighter one. One that belongs to the place Maryland sent Syracuse the last time it played the Orange, eliminating them in the Final Four — the beach.

Published on February 7, 2026 at 5:17 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal