Takeaways from Syracuse's 11-9 win over No. 1 Maryland

Syracuse defeated top-ranked Maryland 11-9 on Friday. It was their first win against the Terps in the last nine contests. The win marked the first time Syracuse has been the No. 1 team since 2017.

The Orange led 7-4 at halftime, even with Maryland starting the second half strong, Syracuse never lost the lead and held on to get Gary Gait’s biggest regular season win as head coach.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Spallina shows up

Joey Spallina had only 1 point and 3 turnovers against Maryland when the teams last met in May for the NCAA National Semifinal. Syracuse lost that game 14-8, but with redemption on his mind, he had his most impressive performance of the season.

Spallina led all players with 4 goals, all unassisted, with his final goal being the deciding factor. He took matters into his own hands and found the top left corner of the net through a crowded area.

“When plays break down, you can't really script those things,” Maryland head coach John Tillman said. “In the unsettled [Syracuse] are great skills.”

Only five of the 20 goals scored were assisted meaning individual talent had to take over on offense. On the biggest occasion the USA Lacrosse Preseason Player of the Year rose above the rest.

Hottle with a spark

Wyatt Hottle has had a hot start to the season. The junior midfielder had three points against Maryland, two goals and an assist. He’s up to 7 points this season after having 12 all of last year.

The recipe was Hottle was making runs from behind on the net from the goalie’s left side. He used the attention that Joey Spallina drew to his advantage as Spallina set effective picks for Hottle throughout the first half.

On his two scores he came from behind the net and fired in a score. In the second period he started the same routine, but instead passed to Payton Anderson who was free and scored.

The defense holds strong

Syracuse started the second half defending a 7-4 lead. They went 1-7 on faceoffs in the third period. They had 10 turnovers in the second half and went 0-2 in extra man opportunities. Their defense had to be special given the poor second half of offense and given the talent playing for Maryland.

“There were a lot of mistakes out there today,” Gait said. “So I know they can play better,”

Eric Spanos haunted the Orange last season with 9 points across both matchups. Billy Dwan III had the task of keeping one of the top Terps in check. On Friday, Spanos only managed to fire four shots.

He scored twice, the first goal not the fault of Dwan who did an excellent job handling the 6-foot-5-inch attacker.

Gait was especially proud that down the stretch his defense was able to out-execute John Tillman’s Terrapins. His defense stopped both of Maryland’s extra man opportunities, including a sixty-second penalty in which Maryland couldn’t get a shot off.

“[Syracuse] came to gameday today, prepared, ready to execute and against a Maryland team known for out executing, pretty much everybody,” Gait said.

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