Takeaways from No. 5 Syracuse lacrosse’s 16-15 win over No. 6 Duke

Syracuse secured its win over Duke Saturday in the final seconds, in front of a loud announced Dome crowd of 9,304.

Holding onto a one-goal lead, the No. 5 Orange needed one more stop of the No. 6 Blue Devils with just under 30 seconds left. Duke had a chance to tie it but an illegal screen turned the ball over, leading to a 16-15 win by the SU.

In what was each program’s Atlantic Coast Conference opener, both teams’ offenses got out to hot starts. However, it was the Orange that had its stars shine brightest.

Joey Spallina tallied a six-point day, while Payton Anderson had a career-high five points. On the other end, SU’s defense slowed down Duke’s two leading scorers Benn Johnston and Kyle Colsey to four total points.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s sixth-straight win.

Capitalizing on opportunities

Syracuse locked in when it had to lock in. Duke committed five penalties and SU scored on 3 man-up chances.

The Orange’s first man-up goal came in the third quarter from Luke Rhoa. He wound back and strung the back of the net for SU’s third straight goal, lifting SU up 12-10.

A few minutes later, the Blue Devils cut the Orange’s lead to one but it was Rhoa again, scoring on the man-up to stretch SU’s lead to two.

“We knew coming into the game that certainly they were really, really dangerous [on] their men up unit,” Duke head coach John Danowski said.

One of SU’s clutchest moments came from teamwork between Bogue Hahn and Matt McIntee. The underclassmen combo kept their composure late in the shot clock and Hahn found McIntee as the final seconds ticked down for another Syracuse response to lead 14-12.

The Blue Devils didn’t learn their lesson of giving SU man-up chances from earlier in the game. Late in the fourth in a one-score game, Spallina found Rhoa to capitalize on the chance, which wound up being the game-winner. Spallina said Rhoa’s range makes opposing defenses have to respect him more and he made Duke pay.

“He's one of probably a few guys on our team that can probably hit a 16 yarder,” Spallina said of Rhoa.

McCool, Defense strong late

Syracuse head coach pointed out that Syracuse’s defense wasn’t at its best during the first three quarters. He said the middle of the game was tough with Duke getting good looks.

After all, Duke scored 13 points in the first three quarters which was the most SU had allowed in a single game this season.

But what mattered most showed in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense stuck with [McCool], and he made some great saves in the fourth quarter,” Gait said.

McCool made two saves in the opening minutes of the frame, helping SU maintain a 15-14 lead. He made plays when he needed to similar to other times on SU's winning streak.

“That’s incredibly important to have a goalie that we can trust and believe and when it's not going well you know he can turn it around,” Gait said.

Even with SU’s offense turning the ball over on the other end, Syracuse’s defense didn’t back down given the added chances for Duke. McIntee turned the ball over, but Jordan Beck had SU’s back, getting the ball right back with a big play right away on defense.

The Orange won the ground ball battle over the final eight minutes, and it needed to lock in for one final play in the final 30 seconds. That’s when Duke’s illegal screen gave SU the ball back, sealing the win for SU.

Scoring depth elevates SU

Syracuse has had a high-octane offense throughout the season. It makes opposing defenses have to prepare for a plethora of scoring options.

Today, when an undefeated opponent visited the JMA Wireless Dome, SU’s scorers were ready. The Orange had 9 different scorers.

Spallina had a strong day with six points, but he didn’t contribute to a goal until early in the second quarter.

It was SU defenseman Billy Dwan who opened the scoring for the Orange and a symphony orchestrated by Finn Thomson and Anderson followed.

Anderson had four points by halftime, at times turning up the energy when Duke wasn’t paying attention.

“We allowed him to get to his strength, and to do some things that we knew about. He took advantage of a lack of discipline,” Danowski said.

Thomson had four points and Michael Leo, who had a team-high five goals last game, had just one point. SU’s depth kept it in this one and protected it from a late collapse.

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