3 takeaways from No. 5 Syracuse lacrosse’s 14-7 win over Colgate

Following three hard-fought contests against ranked ACC foes, Syracuse lacrosse’s hardcore schedule gave it a brief repreive in the form of a matchup with unranked Colgate Saturday night. In a game that Syracuse was expected to dominate, it took care of business.

With an electric home crowd behind them for the final time in the 2026 regular season, the Orange rolled past the Raiders. Michael Leo and Finn Thomson helped lead the charge with four goals and an assist each, while attackman Joey Spallina made history amid a seven-point outing as Syracuse pulled away from Colgate behind a dominant second half.

The victory stretched Syracuse’s perfect home record to 7-0, marking the third consecutive season SU has logged at least seven wins at the Dome.

Here are three main takeaways from SU’s eighth win in its last nine games.

Spallina reaches historic mark

As the Orange took the field against their longtime rival, all eyes were on Spallina from the opening draw. Starting the night just two points shy of setting the new Syracuse all-time points record (308), a matchup with an inferior Raiders squad was the perfect avenue for the star attackman to reach the mark.

Before the first quarter was over, Spallina did just that. Less than three minutes into play, he used an aggressive pursuit of the ball to force a turnover off the stick of Colgate defender Nick Lancaster. Once he corralled the ball, Spallina wired his trademark shot past goalie Andrew Lehrman.

Riding the Orange’s consistent pressure in the offensive end, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Spallina broke through with either a second goal or assist from there. He opted for the latter. After receiving a pass at the right side of the net, Spallina aired out a behind-the-back pass to Leo who flipped a shot into the cage from close range.

Chants of “Joey, Joey, Joey” could be heard echoing throughout the Dome in celebration. Spallina then went on to pot another tally moments later just for good measure.

“It’s a crowd that truly understands lacrosse. To hear the crowd go that crazy was just awesome, (but) we have bigger things to do,” Spallina said.

Leo lights up the Raiders

While his offensive partner Spallina was chasing a big piece of program history, Leo also had the chance to set a significant mark of his own on Saturday.

Heading into Friday, setting a new career-high in points was very much on the table for Leo. He sat just three shy of the personal mark as he took the field, and did so emphatically with a hat trick in the first quarter. From the opening draw, the veteran mdifielder was playing his best brand of lacrosse. He even flexed his skill with a slick behind-the-back goal to extend SU’s lead to 4-2.

When the final buzzer sounded, Saturday marked the fifth time this year he’s racked up five or more points in a game. Though Leo’s greatness was overshadowed by Spallina’s accomplishment, his impact was one of the main reasons Syracuse didn’t fall victim to an embarrassing upset.

John Mullen’s face off struggles continue

The 2026 campaign hasn’t been Mullen’s best. Throughout this season, Syracuse’s top face off specialist has enjoyed games where he’s been able to scoop up a solid chunk of draws he’s taken. During SU’s matchups with opponents like Boston University, St. Joseph’s and Air Force, his ability was a big reason why Syracuse made it out of those games on top.

But during most other games, his struggles have been evident. However, thanks to the strong offensive weapons around him who can score at will, SU’s record hasn’t been harmed very much by Mullen’s inconsistency.

Coming off back-to-back games that saw Mullen turn in 7-for-21 and 8-for-22 marks on faceoffs against North Carolina and Virginia respectively, Saturday’s battle with a weaker Colgate unit on faceoffs gave Mullen a great opportunity to right the ship.

Instead, another day to forget for Mullen followed. After starting the first half strong with an 8-for-11 mark on draws, he failed to maintain that level of play out of the break. Mullen wrapped up the evening going 11-for-20 (.555) on face offs, as Syracuse’s dominant offense once again had to pick up the slack.

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