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GENEVA, N.Y. — No. 6 Syracuse’s opening two road matchups were at neutral sites, starting in Charlotte, North Carolina, against then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins before heading to Chantilly, Virginia, versus then-No. 20 Delaware. The conditions were perfect for SU to rattle off back-to-back wins.

Saturday’s contest against Hobart couldn’t have been more different. Amid a snow storm, which dropped around six to 12 inches in central New York, the Orange were 57 miles east of the warm confines of the JMA Wireless Dome. The result was a scrappy, sloppy affair early as no team took more than a two-goal lead in the first half.

But Syracuse got back to its style of lacrosse in the third quarter. It turned defense into offense with a caused turnover from Matt Wright leading to Billy Dwan’s second long-pole goal of the afternoon. Then, it made the flashy play as a behind-the-back pass from Joey Spallina resulted in a twister score from Luke Rhoa. Both plays capped a 5-0 SU run, which doubled Hobart’s total with eight minutes left in the third quarter.

“We survived,” head coach Gary Gait said postgame, “in the beautiful weather of upstate New York.”

No. 6 Syracuse (9-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) entered Saturday’s contest against Hobart (3-5, 0-0 Atlantic 10) with three straight wins over ranked opponents, something no one on its roster has experienced before. Despite a grubby first half, the Orange left Geneva, New York, without a blemish to their resume in a 13-7 win, holding onto the Kraus-Simmons Trophy too. Christian Mulé led all SU players with a hat trick, while Spallina finished with three assists in its penultimate nonconference bout of the regular season.

Hobart led 2-0 in its two previous matchups against SU and Saturday was no different. The Statesmen took the first lead less than a minute in after Adam Shea won the opening faceoff against Mason Kohn. They got the ball to Chris Patterson, who snuck it past Will Mark off a tight angle from the left.

Mulé answered back for SU, finishing off a string of passes with a high strike over goalie Elhanan Wilson. Then Hobart leading scorer Anthony Dattellas scored from the crease, ripping the ball in between Mark’s legs. Finn Thomson developed a more acrobatic response, scooping up the ball after Leo’s attempt was deflected and flipping it behind his back to tie the game at 2-2.

Early against Hobart, a notable absence from Syracuse’s attack was Owen Hiltz. The Canadian junior entered Saturday’s contest after tying a career-high seven points against the Blue Hens. He could’ve played but Gait said they chose to rest him as he was day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Freshman Trey Deere took his spot, getting his most meaningful minutes at SU thus far. With three minutes left in the period, Spallina couldn’t find any room for himself charging down the right side, so he tossed it to Deere in the middle.

Deere caught the pass, getting enough space to take a few steps into his sidearm lefty attempt. He found the back of the net for the first goal of his collegiate career and the Orange’s first lead of the game.

“He just stepped in and looked comfortable,” Gait said about Deere. “He could have reacted differently on a cold, chilly day. He could’ve played a little nervous, but instead, he played with confidence.”

SU created a two-goal cushion after an unassisted score from Michael Leo and a low, long-pole strike in transition from Dwan. But the Statesmen quickly got back in it.

With nine minutes left in the first half, Dattellas fired low and scored before Shea won the ensuing faceoff. Saam Olexo immediately forced a turnover, providing a spark at multiple times in the first half by picking up four ground balls, but Mulé came up empty on the other end.

Dattellas received possession in the middle of the field, rocketing the ball into the bottom right corner past Mark’s stick.

Gait took a timeout with 45 seconds left in the half. Spallina tried to get a one-on-one, backing down his defender on the left side of the field. With no separation, Spallina lofted it to Sam English, who comfortably walked into a step-down shot to give Syracuse a 6-5 lead at the break.

The rest of the afternoon belonged to Syracuse. Gait said the Orange made the most mistakes defensively in the first half, including communication errors that led to missed switches and two players guarding one player. Once that was organized, the offense moved the ball more, granting Mulé an opportunity that he buried while falling to the turf.

Then, Leo and English worked together to get space on one defender, resulting in an easy attempt from English to give Syracuse a three-goal lead. It was the largest advantage by any team at that point. The Orange added fuel to the fire, completing a 5-0 run before Hobart could answer.

The Statesmen got back on the board after Will Delano finished on a lengthy possession. Then, Patterson completed his hat trick just before the final minute of the third.

But Syracuse, now settled in after its messy first half, knew how it could answer. SU got the ball to Mulé at X instead of Spallina, allowing him to work alone. Mulé curled to the front of the goal and slotted the ball in.

Then, with seven minutes left in the period, English sprinted down the left side before passing to Deere. From the right wing, Deere corralled the low pass and hammered his lefty attempt into the top of the net. Kohn won the ensuing faceoff and Jake Stevens scored off a feed from Leo, halting any semblance of a comeback attempt and continuing a five-game winning streak.

Published on March 23, 2024 at 6:37 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu