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Joey Spallina sought inspiration ahead of No. 2 Syracuse’s highly-anticipated matchup with No. 1 Maryland by watching the last team to defeat the Terrapins.

Spallina flicked on last year’s national championship, where Cornell defeated UMD 13-10 to claim the Big Red’s first title since 1977. Spallina’s eyes keyed in on Cornell attack CJ Kirst, who scored six goals in its championship-clinching victory.

Kirst’s explosion came two days after Spallina was held to a single point when he faced Maryland in the Final Four — and that came in the dying moments when SU was already down by seven goals.

Before Friday’s rematch with Maryland — which the Orange hadn’t beaten since 2009 — Spallina studied Kirst. His movement off the ball. His dodging ability, even though Spallina admitted he’s not as strong of a dodger as Kirst. His creativity on the ball, allowing him to find advantageous matchups when the primary defender was UMD’s Will Schaller, who Spallina called the “best defender in the country.” How his six-goal haul against the same Terrapins defense that held Spallina and SU in check came together.

“It wouldn’t be smart and advantageous — that’s a pretty good SAT word — if we got their top cover guy (Schaller), every dodge, every time,” Spallina said.

That studying — of Kirst, not necessarily for the SAT — paid off for Spallina Friday in his test against Schaller and Maryland. He exploded for four goals, equaling what he’d managed in his previous four matchups with the Terrapins combined. Spallina dissected Schaller courtesy of smart picks and blasted each bid into the net with a cathartic fire. Each finish was met with cacophonous pandemonium in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Why? It powered No. 2 Syracuse’s (3-0, Atlantic Coast) statement 11-9 win over No. 1 Maryland (1-1, Big Ten). More broadly: it ended a 17-year wait to beat UMD.

“It’s just the mindset of just doing what I have to do to help the team win,” Spallina said postgame. “Whether that’s being a dodger or being more of an off ball guy. And just doing whatever I can to just help our offense do what they’re supposed to do.”

Sure, the four goals against Schaller and Maryland were noteworthy. But something else stuck out to Spallina when he first glanced at the box score postgame at the press conference podium.

“Outside of scoring, I saw I picked up five ground balls. It’s gotta be the most that I’ve had in the game,” Spallina said.

You’re right, Joey. That tied a career high he set against North Carolina in 2024.

Spallina’s held sky-high expectations since sixth grade. Every performance has been scrutinized tediously, looking for supposed holes in his game, looking to undercut the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class.

Spallina said he didn’t try to do too much versus the Terrapins. Whether it was dodging and sharing the ball to set up a teammate. Whether it’s occupying his marker so another teammate could have an advantageous position. For the altruistic Spallina, it was solely about putting Syracuse and others in the best spots.

But how about some credit to Spallina? He had Inside Lacrosse’s No. 2 player in the country on him most of the night — No. 1 is the subject of this story. And, Spallina was the one who was on all night like a set of porch lights.

Maryland head coach John Tillman — who’s now 8-1 against Syracuse — said Spallina appeared in some unanticipated spots on offense.

“They certainly, early on, were trying to put him inside, make him more of an inside presence,” Tillman said. “And if we had to slide, then you change the matchups.”

In other words: get free of Schaller. Two early Spallina backdowns against the 6-foot defender were denied. So, Spallina positioned himself left of the goal, ceding the offensive keys. When Finn Thomson drove toward the net midway through the first quarter, Schaller moved off Spallina to try to deny the path.

Unwise.

Thomson found Spallina in an advantageous spot. With some space and the ball in his stick, he tied the game at 2-2.

“(Spallina) had some opportunities to get his hands free,” Tillman said. “One was in transition, and that’s what Joey does really well. I feel like I’ve been seeing it for a long time. Joey’s a great player, and you let that guy get his hands free, more times than not, he’s usually going to have success, so got to get to his hands.”

Easier said than done against the virtuosic attack. Even if you do get close to Spallina, he’ll bounce right off you, as he did for his second goal to make it 3-2. A Bogue Hahn pick gave Spallina an avenue to the center of the field on the move.

Once there, bearing down on goal, he charged into the onrushing UMD defender Peter Laake. But Spallina embraced the contact with Laake, got free, gathered his bearings and sent his shot past goalie Brian Ruppel.

“(Syracuse) does a good job setting picks,” Schaller said postgame. “I think today they just played well as a group of six (attacks).”

Another SU pick allowed Spallina to separate himself from Schaller with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter and push the Orange’s advantage to 7-4. Luke Rhoa got in Schaller’s way, and Spallina used the opening to laser a low shot in. He raised his fists in celebration.

Spallina’s dénouement was Maryland’s coup de grâce. The game winner. This time, UMD stayed locked on him. But, from an acute angle to the left of the net, Spallina overcame it with a moment of magic: a sizzling roofed shot on the move. Afterwards, in celebration, he brandished his lacrosse stick like it was a wand.

It was the latest reminder to any remaining detractor he doesn’t just show up in big games. He can dominate them.

Friday’s reversal of fortunes proved as much. The last time SU played Maryland, it ended with Spallina standing alone, outside the Orange’s huddle with the game long-decided in the fourth quarter. How did Friday end? With Spallina cavorting around the Dome turf to celebrate with his squad. This time, he was part of the team gathering, and the emotions were the reverse.

Studying Kirst roused Spallina to rise to the occasion and raze the negative narratives.

More similarities to Kirst may be next. The former Cornell attack won the Tewaaraton and the national championship in 2025. Spallina and Syracuse’s acing of Friday’s proverbial SAT test proved he can do the same.

And for all the noise around Spallina — the rankings, the hype, the pressure — a championship is the only thing he cares about.

Published on February 13, 2026 at 11:39 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal