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Throughout Syracuse’s history, offense is its modus operandi. Gary and Paul Gait revolutionized lacrosse under Roy Simmons Jr. with their creativity and flair. That continued with Casey, Ryan and Michael Powell.

Those legendary players set the foundation for SU’s brand of lacrosse. Fast-paced, peppering goalies with shots and clean execution. Current players like Joey Spallina, Michael Leo, Finn Thomson and others embody that.

Yes, there are moments where the Orange aren’t on their A-game, but usually their quality shines through.

However, there’s one team that consistently brings their offenses to a screeching halt: Maryland.

The Terrapins are Syracuse’s kryptonite. Head coach John Tillman’s gameplans always thwart SU’s typically explosive attacks. He’s won all eight meetings between the two programs since he took over in 2011. The last five have come with Gait in charge, including SU’s 14-8 defeat to UMD in last year’s Final Four.
The Orange have a chance to put their Maryland demons to bed Friday with a highly anticipated No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup in the JMA Wireless Dome. SU can prove it’s the best team in the country with a statement win. Or it could be the same old story, with Maryland’s hard-nosed defense prevailing.

“Get back to work. It’s the same thing. We’ll set our gameplan, go to practice, work hard and focus on the execution come Friday night,” Gait said following SU’s 20-2 demolition of Saint Joseph’s Saturday.

The numbers tell the tale when Syracuse meets Maryland. In its last five matchups with the Terrapins, SU hasn’t exceeded its average goals per game. During that period, the Orange have totaled 14 goals per game, which drops to 9.8 against UMD, including a measly eight and seven goals in both meetings last season. Those accounted for half of SU’s games scoring under 10 goals last year.

Syracuse came closest to ending its Terrapin troubles in 2024. The Orange outshot UMD 45-27 and scored 12 goals. SU seemed to have won the game in overtime, however a Leo goal was controversially ruled out because he landed in the goal mouth. George Stamos scored a game-winner seven seconds later.

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The Orange came close to solving the Maryland riddle that year, though it took a step back last season, handily losing both meetings.

“This group has a bad taste in their mouth, for sure,” Leo told The Daily Orange on Jan. 30.

Once again, Maryland boasts a gritty defense this season. Long pole Will Schaller is arguably the best player in the country (Spallina might have a word about that), Yale transfer Michael Alexander has 56 career games under his belt and Peter Laake made last year’s Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Maryland’s backline is experienced. But so is Syracuse’s attack.

Spallina will be at the center of it all. He’s the maestro of SU’s offense, dissecting defenses with precision. His 145 career assists are gaudy numbers, but he’s looking to score more this year after Owen Hiltz — SU’s leading goalscorer the past two seasons — graduated. Spallina’s taken 21 shots through two games. It’d shatter his previous career-high of seven shots per game when he was a freshman. Schaller will look to bring that to a halt. He held Spallina to two goals and three assists across the two matchups in 2025.

If Schaller quiets Spallina, SU’s supplemental options like Thomson, Leo, Payton Anderson and Luke Rhoa will be crucial. Thomson totaled four goals last weekend after being shutout in SU’s opener. SJU head coach Scott Meehan explained “outside of giving him a bear hug and tackling him, there’s not many great ways to keep him from at least getting the ball in his stick.” Thomson’s job will be to find any crevice in Maryland’s defense.

Anderson — who missed SU’s last game with an illness — and Leo are speed dodgers. They can win one-on-one matchups and force defenses to slide early, which creates openings elsewhere. Rhoa and SU’s early-season breakout star Wyatt Hottle have similar jobs.

“We got a lot of guys that can do a lot of things super well off-ball shooting-wise, so I’m just gonna do what I can to make this team win,” Leo said.

SU’s firepower doesn’t mean it’s top-heavy. Fourteen different players have found twine through two games, including 11 in its last contest. Those came against lesser opponents, but Syracuse still spread the wealth.

“It’s always important. It makes it difficult for opponents to gameplan when you have 11 different goalscorers in a game, and if we consistently do that, we’re gonna be tough to cover and to gameplan for,” Gait said on Saturday.

SU’s balance is a weapon offensive coordinator Pat March may employ in his gameplan to pierce Maryland. He’s already done so in replacing Hiltz, who registered a point in all 64 of his appearances for Syracuse.

March has replaced Hiltz’s production — 46 goals and 27 assists — by committee, explaining “we’re different in different ways, and maybe for the better.” Anderson is the chief beneficiary as SU’s third attack next to Spallina and Thomson. Anderson dodges more than Hiltz due to his speed at a 6-foot-2, 228-pound frame. At 5-foot-8, 186 pounds, Hiltz was better known for his precision passing and elite shooting.

The differences doesn’t mean Anderson didn’t learn from Hiltz last season, especially when he started four straight games after Thomson broke his arm. He mentioned Hiltz taught him how to release the ball quicker and find little gaps in the defense through off-ball cutting.

Hiltz’s lacrosse IQ and connection with Spallina on cross-field feeds were consistently evident. Even in high-pressure situations, Hiltz came up big, scoring game-winners against Harvard and Princeton in the NCAA Tournament, both of which were set up by Spallina.

Those moments are starting to appear for Anderson. He knows Spallina and Thomson attract so much of the defense, meaning it’s his job to find the openings.

During Syracuse’s win over BU, Spallina got a short stick midfielder switched onto him. The senior backed him down and surveyed his options while Anderson held his stick up, begging for the ball across the field. The sophomore knew, if Spallina saw him, the pass would be on point.

Spallina saw Anderson, and the feed was perfect.

A simple stepdown resulted in a goal for the sophomore, increasing SU’s lead to 12-6. Three minutes earlier, Spallina completed a similar action with Leo.

“He does so many little things right,” Anderson said of Spallina. “He’s able to find you, walk you through anything the defense is doing. He puts you in positions to score the ball.”

Those moments of brilliance will decide Syracuse’s game versus Maryland. Though Spallina can’t do it all himself, the Tewaaraton Award favorite will be the driving force behind it. The Terrapins typically don’t beat themselves. SU has found that out the hard way in recent years. Syracuse needs to punish any Maryland defensive mistake.

Droughts that plagued the Orange last season — including a 26-minute one in the Final Four — can’t arise.

Finally, getting over the hump against a program that’s caused SU nightmares would boost its psychology.

A win could change the narrative around this core of players. And that will have to come from an elite offensive performance.

Published on February 9, 2026 at 10:51 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22