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TOWSON, Md. — The foundation of Syracuse men’s lacrosse rests in its offensive prowess. The program’s all-time record 10 national title victories were all propelled by some of the greatest attacks and offensive-minded midfielders to ever pick up a stick.

First, it was Gary and Paul Gait, who revolutionized the sport in the late 1980s with their high-flying nature, smooth stick work and powerful shooting ability. Then, Mike Powell led the transition which formed SU into an early 2000s powerhouse, earning four First-Team All-American honors and scoring the most points in program history. Even Mike Leveille comes to mind, winning the Tewaaraton in 2008 and lifting Syracuse to a national title.

The next generation of great SU attacks are now led by Joey Spallina, who’s supported by fellow stars Owen Hiltz and Christian Mulé. Syracuse’s offense built it back into one of the country’s best programs in its first trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals since 2017. The Orange know it’s their identity. So does their opposition.

“Well, it’s hard to defend them,” Denver head coach Matt Brown said of Syracuse’s attack following the two teams’ NCAA Tournament quarterfinals matchup. “That ball moves like crazy, they have great sticks, they’re very talented, they’re very sharp.”

Yet Sunday afternoon, in the 60 minutes it had to clinch its first Final Four appearance in 11 years, Syracuse’s attack was limited to a degree it hadn’t experienced all season.

Spallina was held scoreless. Hiltz mustered a pair of late points. Other than one turnover, Mulé’s stat sheet was empty. Without a productive attack, the Orange found no rhythm early and trailed by five in the third quarter — a deficit that proved to be insurmountable. No. 4 seed Syracuse’s (12-6, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) uncharacteristic attacking woes were the nail in the coffin for its 2024 season, falling 10-8 to No. 5 seed Denver (13-3, 5-0 Big East).

It was the only game of the year where SU ended with single-digit goals.

“We were hoping to develop a few more slides, and (Denver) didn’t slide as much as we would hope,” head coach Gary Gait said of Spallina, Hiltz and Mulé’s struggles.

The Orange never gained offensive momentum until the fourth quarter. They outscored the Pioneers 3-0, displaying the pristine ball movement and finishing consistency that’s been so apparent all season long. Before that, Syracuse’s attack was utterly silenced.

Spallina, Hiltz and Mulé didn’t register a single shot in the first half. Nor did either of them even tally an assist. Forced to resort to midfield options, Michael Leo (three goals) and Sam English (two goals, two assists) delivered solid outings. But that wasn’t enough. The Orange were completely thrown off of their usual playstyle.

“There was nothing special,” Leo said postgame of Denver’s defense. “They were chippy off (the) ball, got good sticks and just played good defense for most times of the game.”

Brown said postgame that, heading into the week, he knew his team would have to play physically and cohesively to fend off Syracuse. Defender Jack DiBenedetto said the Pioneers’ scout team offense was crucial for their preparation, as they helped simulate the speed in which the Orange often play with.

DiBenedetto added that they were well prepared to defend SU one-on-one, yet they needed to slide with precision to cancel out any defensive lapses and keep the field covered. Brown agreed, highlighting the mindset he instilled into his group before the contest.

“We felt like we could cover them on all our matchups, but we had to be off-ball All-Americans,” Brown said. “It wasn’t just good enough to defend the ball.”

The first-year head coach said he watched No. 7 seed Maryland’s defeat of No. 2 seed Duke in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon and planned to play a similar defense to the Terrapins. Brown lauded their coverage off the ball and how each player worked in unison to stall a Brennan O’Neill-led attack. His team wound up taking it up a notch.

Syracuse was held to season worsts in nearly every offensive category, including a measly three assists. Brown complimented his team’s communication skills during the game and credited defensive coordinator John Gallant for getting defenders positioned in the right spots.

All the while, Denver’s pure physicality forced the Orange into uncomfortable positions, errant shots and costly turnovers. Syracuse’s patented offensive set, where Spallina works from X and dishes to cutting players, was all but eliminated. Spallina barely possessed the ball behind the cage and open cutters rarely materialized.

For Spallina, it was the second game of his career where he accumulated zero points. The first time that happened was on April 20 in SU’s win over Virginia. Yet the Orange adjusted to Spallina’s shortcomings that day without any hiccups. They couldn’t do the same versus Denver.

SU continued to have trouble finding shooting space on the wings. It couldn’t even penetrate the middle of the field due to the Pioneers’ quick-footed, physical short-stick midfielders and long poles. It had no true way to generate offense, as its transition game was non-existent too.

But the Orange still had chances, ones they failed to take advantage of. Finn Thomson fired two shots that hit off the posts. Billy Dwan missed a step-down on a transition look. The most high-percentage chances came at the end, where Spallina rattled a shot off the crossbar with just over 2:00 left and Jake Stevens missed a point-blank look with under 1:00 to go.

“When we did get (opportunities), we didn’t finish them,” Gait said.

None of those opportunities would have been under scrutiny if not for how thoroughly dominated Syracuse’s attack was. On a day where its defense performed as good as it has all year, while Mason Kohn and John Mullen won twice as many first-half faceoffs as Denver’s Alec Stathakis, SU’s offense didn’t come through.

Down 7-3 midway into the third quarter, the Orange garnered a one-minute man-up chance after a cross-checking penalty on Stathakis. A goal would have temporarily stopped the bleeding from what was a 4-0 Pioneers run dating back to the first half.

Syracuse passed in a full circle around the net for the first 45 seconds of the penalty. With the shot clock ticking down toward zero, a sense of urgency was needed.

Spallina passed to Mulé, who passed to Thomson, who passed back to Spallina, who passed to Hiltz. There was no direction, only uncertainty. Once Hiltz cradled the ball for a few seconds, he could only roll the ball to the officials in frustration as time on the shot clock — and SU’s season — ran out.

Published on May 19, 2024 at 5:59 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews