Syracuse Lacrosse Blows Out Albany to Start Season 2-0
This is the Syracuse we’ve been waiting to see.
The offense roared to life against UAlbany, dominating the Great Danes in a 20-7 victory. Just about everything that could have been improved from last week’s game against Vermont looked better, went smoother and resulted in more chances for players to have a breakout game.
After last year’s Syracuse squad lost a sloppy game to UAlbany, head coach Gary Gait wanted to improve upon previous errors against the Great Danes. With a young team under his wing, the Orange rose to the occasion and delivered a revenge victory.
“We’re just happy with the overall performance,” coach Gait said. “We learn from our mistakes, and I hope that continues.”
After last week’s 15-shot, one-goal performance, freshman Joey Spallina led the offense with five goals on seven shots. The number one recruit found his footing with the first stellar performance of many, much to his and coach Gait’s delight.
“I just took a deep breath and got myself together,” Spallina said. “I was getting the same spots as I was last week, I just got them in this time.”
Jackson Birtwistle and Owen Hiltz followed with a hat trick each, creating a dangerous triple threat in the opponent’s end of the field. Eight of the Cuse’s 20 goals were scored by players coming off the sidelines, including two each from Cole Kirst and Carter Rice, both of whom scored their first goals this season.
UAlbany did all they could to stop the Orange offense, but it wasn’t enough. Senior Tommy Heller started in goal and was subsequently replaced by Jake VanValkenburgh in the second quarter, but the swap couldn’t get the defense over the hump.
On the offensive front for the Great Danes, Silas Richmond and Jack Pucci had a couple goals each, but that was all the offense UAlbany could muster, as Will Mark notched another double-digit save game with 14 shots denied.
Syracuse improves to 2-0 on the season and prepares to host Holy Cross on Super Bowl Sunday to complete the three-game homestand to start the year. UAlbany falls to 0-1 and will host Cornell on Saturday, Feb. 18.
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