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It’s been a mixed bag for Syracuse this season. At times, it looked like an unstoppable juggernaut, running through teams like Vermont, Colgate and Utah. But it fell against ranked opponents like Army and Maryland. Although SU’s losses have come in overtime, its failed to get the job done.

In the last leg of its seven-game home stretch to start the season, Syracuse faced off against High Point for the first time. The Panthers came in winners of three straight, but in their lone game against a high-level opponent they faltered, as they fell 21-9 to then-No. 2 Duke. It was another chance for SU to assert its dominance over a lesser opponent.

Syracuse seemed to be running away with things early on, racing out to an 8-1 lead in the second quarter, but a 13-minute scoring drought helped High Point get within three at halftime. The Panthers cut Syracuse’s lead to one in the third quarter, but another outburst from the Orange led to a comfortable victory in the end.

Here are some observations from No. 7 Syracuse’s (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 19-13 win over High Point (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference):

Blitzing start

Against unranked teams this season, the common theme for Syracuse is that it gets out to fast starts. Oftentimes before their opponents blink, the Orange have put multiple goals past them. Against Colgate, Syracuse scored the first five. Against Manhattan, it was three. Saturday it was seven.

Finn Thomson opened up the scoring after he picked up a loose ball in front of the net before Joey Spallina’s back-to-back goals put Syracuse up 3-0 early. Jake Stevens then dodged from the wing and found Jackson Birtwistle on the doorstep for SU’s third goal in 74 seconds.

Michael Leo continued the onslaught with his first of the game, firing low past Zack Brenfleck. Christian Mulé then added his first of the day to put Syracuse up 7-0. High Point finally got on the board late in the first quarter when Jack VanOverbeke scored to get the Panthers on the board with seven seconds left.

Spallina bounces back

After being held scoreless for just the second time in his career against Army, Spallina bounced back in a big way. He finished with nine points (seven goals, two assists).

The sophomore attack has racked up plenty of points this year, including a career-high 10 against Manhattan. Spallina had another strong performance Saturday. After opening with SU’s second goal, on the ensuing offensive possession he controlled the ball on the left wing. Spallina cut infield, avoiding his initial defender, and had a wide-open lane to the net to score his second of the day.

Operating from the same wing, Spallina absorbed contact from his defender and ripped a low shot to complete a first-quarter hat trick. The attack then added his fourth of the game in transition after SU forced a turnover. Billy Dwan found Spallina in space on the wing and nobody could close him down in time to put SU up 8-1.

As High Point looked to scratch its way back into the game, Spallina answered. First, he scored his fifth of the game to make it 13-8, then Stevens found Spallina on the wing for his sixth. The rip from Spallina set a career-high, breaking his previous career best which he set against Holy Cross and UAlbany last season. Spallina added a seventh in the fourth quarter. He sat at X for much of the shot clock looking for cutters to get open. When nobody opened up, Spallina took it himself, cutting around and ripping a shot off Zack Overend’s helmet and in.

Defensive lapses

Against Army, Syracuse’s short-stick midfielders struggled with the Black Knights’ physicality. Army often found the mismatch and attacked it, highlighted by Jackson Eicher’s game-winner in overtime which came while defended by a short-stick. Against High Point, SU’s defense struggled differently. This time the Orange failed to deal with the Panthers’ cutters in front.

High Point’s offense relied on off-ball movement and in the second quarter especially Syracuse couldn’t keep up. The Panthers scored four straight goals, highlighted by Colin Cooke’s score with 3:22 remaining in the first half to cut Syracuse’s lead to three. VanOverbeke controlled the ball from X before hitting Cooke in the middle, who finished past Will Mark.

High Point’s momentum carried into the second half as the Panthers looked to get within two. But Riley Figueiras poked the ball away from a Panther attacker. Yet on the ensuing ground ball, SU failed to pick it up as Jack Sawyer fed VanOverbeke in front for an easy finish. Less than 45 seconds later, VanOverbeke had the ball on the wing before a quick cut from Brayden Mayea caught Syracuse sleeping. High Point’s leading goal-scorer on the season used a nifty behind-the-back move to cut SU’s lead down to one.

Hiltz finishes the job

Syracuse was reeling. Its offense was all out of sorts after an electric start. After eight goals in the first 16 minutes of play, the Orange only scored two over the next 20 minutes and led by one. SU’s offense looked tentative at times, afraid to shoot and when it did, the Orange took ill-advised shots.

That’s when Owen Hiltz stepped up and provided the Orange with a spark. Spallina operated from X and Hiltz lost his marker on a cut. In one motion, Hiltz caught the feed and flicked the ball into the net for his first goal of the game. Then Henry Mudlaff was called for a slashing penalty, giving Syracuse a man-up chance.

Hiltz operated from his normal spot on the right wing and dodged to beat his initial defender. As the attack closed down on Overend in net, he squeezed the ball into the top right corner for his second straight goal. Just 33 seconds later Hiltz went unassisted for his third goal in under four minutes. Hiltz’s spark came at a crucial point for Syracuse as the Orange created separation.

After Hiltz’s second put Syracuse up 11-8, the Orange proceeded to score five more in two minutes, and High Point never threatened from that point forward.

Published on March 2, 2024 at 7:32 pm

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