CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Kevin Rice wound up along the hash marks about 15 yards from the cage and released a low screaming shot which beat John Galloway low and away for a goal in the first quarter of Thursday night’s MLL All-Star Game.

Rice, a 2015 graduate of Syracuse, fist pumped before being congratulated by several teammates as Galloway (‘11), broke down the goal with his defense. Down the other end of the field stood the youngest of the bunch, Brandon Mullins (16’), while former teammates Matt Abbott (‘09) and Joel White (‘11) greeted each other throughout the game before lining up on opposite sides of the 50 yard-line for faceoffs.

“It’s awesome,” Rice said. “You sort of cross the generations of Syracuse lacrosse. I didn’t get to play with Galloway, Matt Abbott or Joel White. So it’s nice to play with and against them at this level.”

Brandon Mullins (left) and Kevin Rice (right) pose together after the game. Josh Schafer | Sports Editor

In the Team USA vs. MLL All-Stars, five former Syracuse players suited up in total, Galloway and White for Team USA and the other three as MLL All-Stars. All five currently play in the MLL and are among the 17 active former Orange players in the league. Three teams, the Atlanta Blaze, Dallas Rattlers and the Florida Launch each have four SU players on their rosters.

Syracuse was the third most represented university on the field, tied with Johns Hopkins and trailing just Duke and Maryland. All five SU alumni wore the numbers they donned for the Orange: White and Mullins duplicated as No. 11’s, Galloway dressed in No. 15, Rice wore the famed No. 22 and Abbott was in his traditional No. 3.

“I think coming from a school like Syracuse you’re part of a family,” Mullins said. “Whenever we play each other we’ll take the extra time to see how each other is doing and catch up a little bit.”

Abbott and White did just that before a faceoff in the first quarter. The two former teammates paused before the action continued, slapped hands and shared a brief embrace.

“It was the first time I’ve seen him this summer but always good to see him,” Abbott said. “I liked it a lot better when he was in the same color jersey as me.”

For Galloway and White, the 15-14 loss to the MLL All-Stars carried a little more weight than a normal mid-summer showcase. Thursday marked Team USA’s last live scrimmage before it travels to Netanya, Israel, at the Federation of International Lacrosse Men’s World Championship in July.

White and Galloway also play on the Rattlers together and White said since the pair started playing together in 2008, he hasn’t played in front of another goalie.

“I think Syracuse really represents itself well in the lacrosse world,” Galloway said. “You see it in the MLL, but there are so many ambassadors of our sport. I think coach Simmons started that and it’s so important at that school, lacrosse is big deal.”

“So for us to be able to continue to play our playing career professionally keeps Syracuse in the main fold, and hopefully we’ll continue to do so for years to come.”

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Published on June 28, 2018 at 11:04 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44