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CHANTILLY, Va. — Homage was paid to a vintage age of lacrosse on a cloudless afternoon at St. Paul VI Catholic High School. A modest setting that contains only one set of bleachers which extend the length of the field and has no capabilities to permit a video review system, paired alongside zero television coverage from national outlets, shaped Syracuse’s top-20 showdown versus Delaware into a no-frills, old-fashioned environment.

It was a throwback to 1986, the last time the two sides squared off. The Orange were amid the golden days of the Roy Simmons Jr. era, while Gary Gait hadn’t joined the program yet. And though plenty has changed in almost 40 years since — the implementation of rules that prohibit the barbaric play style of the 80s and Gait now helming his alma mater — one element stayed the same: a Syracuse win over Delaware.

The result didn’t come easy. A brief injury to Joey Spallina and some early troubles at the faceoff X were causes of concern. Yet, the Orange eventually flexed their muscles, unleashing on a 7-0 run from the second to the fourth quarter. Tyler Owings beat Will Mark early in the fourth to end the dominant stretch, but an instant answer by Owen Hiltz rendered UD’s response meaningless.

“Coach (Pat) March had some new offense going after halftime,” Hiltz said postgame. “(We) stuck to it, and scored some goals.”

No. 6 Syracuse (7-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) widened its all-time record over No. 20 Delaware (3-3, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) to 4-0 in a 14-6 neutral-site win. The Orange nabbed their second straight ranked victory following their March 9 triumph over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins. Hiltz led the attack with a six-goal performance while Mason Kohn and John Mullen combined for a 61% clip at the faceoff X versus OJ Morris, who entered the contest with the third-best faceoff rate in Division I (.694).

“It’s been a great week of lacrosse for Syracuse,” Gait said. “…Everybody stepped up, stuck to the game plan and we came out with the win.”

Early on, the Orange’s attack displayed pristine ball movement. Spallina, Christian Mulé, Hiltz and even Finn Thomson rotated around the cage to create space. Their classic set — Spallina distributing from X — led to Hiltz’s first goal to even the score at 1-1. Mulé then got in front of the net and finished a close-range shot by UD’s Kevin Ellington to make it 2-1.

Right afterward, though, Delaware embarked on a 3-0 run which spurred from its success at the faceoff X. Kohn, who entered Saturday with the fifth-best faceoff percentage in the nation (.645), took two of the first three faceoffs. Yet Morris responded by taking two in a row midway through the first quarter. Each resulted in Delaware goals, which gave the Blue Hens a 4-2 advantage.

Still, Kohn answered, beating Morris on the ensuing faceoff. The Orange regained some offensive rhythm as Mulé fed Thomson in front of the net to get back within one of UD. Kohn won the next faceoff, too, and at that point, time was dwindling down to the end of the first quarter as SU looked to generate an equalizer before the second.

Spallina charged downhill toward the cage and was met by Delaware defender Louie Atkinson, who pummeled Spallina, sending the attack to the ground where he writhed in pain. An SU athletic trainer had to assist Spallina off the field, and an unimaginable reality set in.

“It definitely lights a fire,” Hiltz said after seeing Spallina go down. “But it’s kind of the game of lacrosse. You’re going to get hit if you take those angles to the dirty areas.”

Atkinson got whistled for unnecessary roughness and Syracuse received a man-up chance without Spallina. The ensuing possession to start the second quarter culminated in a goal from Hiltz, who took in a feed from Sam English and ripped a 15-yard shot into the top left corner of the net to tie the game at 4-4.

Once they were at full strength, the Orange’s adjustment without Spallina didn’t appear promising. Syracuse’s attacking trips could only materialize in forced and errant shots. On one possession, English tried a between-the-legs shot that dribbled significantly wide right of the far crease. Though SU’s back end held together just enough as by the time Spallina returned, it was only down 5-4 halfway into the second.

Just after Spallina re-entered, Billy Dwan provided some crucial insurance. The long pole hauled in a pass from Mark at midfield and had nothing but green turf between him and the cage. Dwan took a few long strides — winding up for the ensuing shot — and bounced a scorching release by Ellington to tie Delaware at 5-5.

Syracuse was back at square one. Spallina’s scare became merely an afterthought. And once Mulé caused a turnover following a Morris faceoff victory, Spallina spearheaded the run that sealed the win.

The Blue Hens interestingly continued to leave Spallina untouched at X. He made them pay, dishing to Mulé along the right crease for an easy go-ahead goal at the 6:40 mark of the second quarter for a 6-5 SU advantage. Despite Syracuse going scoreless for the rest of the quarter, it poured on goals in the third.

Kohn won the opening second-half faceoff, charged at the cage and found an open Saam Olexo for another pole goal. Kohn beat Morris again right after, and Jake Stevens dished to Michael Leo to make it 8-5 SU.

Dominance continued to reign upon the Blue Hens from there. Spallina assisted Hiltz — for one of his season-high six goals. Then the sophomore attack took it himself to end the half, wrapping around the cage from X to find space in front of the net for a crafty finish and his lone goal of the game. A goal from English to start the fourth quarter was only an insult to injury.

That previous victory over Delaware in 1986 reflects what Gait’s squad strives to be — a program that can rival what Simmons Jr. built. Syracuse still faces a long, winding road to re-harness Gait’s “orange standard,” and return to consistent, national prominence.

Two early-season overtime losses to Maryland and Army steered SU off its track. Yet, a pressure-relieving win succeeded by taking care of business versus a formidable foe means the Orange are back on course, for now.

“We know we can play with anybody in the country at this point,” Gait said. “But we still have to win the close games. We did a better job against Johns Hopkins and we’ve certainly got some tough ones ahead. Hopefully, it’ll pay off.”

Published on March 16, 2024 at 5:28 pm

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