Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

For Syracuse head coach Gary Gait, the biggest difference between sophomores and juniors is “confidence,” he said Wednesday. Gait’s prized 2022 recruiting class are now juniors and showed that poise in SU’s season-opening 24-5 drubbing of Jacksonville on Saturday.

Midfielder Michael Leo notched all four of his goals in the first half, finishing with five points. Attack Joey Spallina also recorded five points on three goals and two assists. On defense, Billy Dwan and third-year goaltender Jimmy McCool helped hold the Dolphins scoreless until under five minutes remaining in the first half and for the entire third quarter.

It was a near-complete victory powered by the juniors.

Spallina again proved Gait’s point Friday. High anticipation has percolated around Spallina since he arrived at SU and was handed the vaunted No. 22 jersey. The Long Island native showed again that hype is warranted against Vermont. Spallina scored five goals and provided five assists in No. 2 Syracuse’s (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 13-5 demolition of Vermont (0-1, 0-0 America East). His 10 points tied a career-high, matching his total from a 16-3 victory over Manhattan last year.

“We just played the way that we were supposed to,” Spallina said postgame. “And, it just so happened that my shots were falling, and I was able to find guys when they were off the ball. And I thought offensively we played pretty good.”

After Syracuse started inauspiciously, killing a 30-second penalty committed in the first 13 seconds of the game, Spallina opened the scoring. He operated from X, and Vermont goaltender Jake Dandrea approached him. SU’s attack bodied Dandrea to the turf, where he stayed down injured. Spallina then capitalized on the open net to finish.

Dandrea couldn’t continue, and Ryan Daly had to step in after only two minutes. After only playing three games last season and losing starting goalie George Egan to graduation, Daly’s net was under attack frequently, and he didn’t have much of a response, finishing with a 60% save percentage. Though he didn’t concede any goals in the final quarter and managed 18 saves.

Syracuse cruised to a 13-5 win over Vermont, securing its second straight win to begin the season. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer

Spallina played a part in the Orange’s next two goals, first setting up a cutting Trey Deere from X and then scoring his second of the game after he was left open on the left side of the cage, forcing the Catamounts to take a timeout trailing 3-0 just over five minutes in.

“He’s a hell of a player, so it was unfortunate we were on the other side of that,” Vermont head coach Chris Feifs said of Spallina postgame. “But he’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Vermont’s faceoff unit, which ranked 18th in Division I last season, returned its lead specialist Henry Dodge. Dodge had success at X early, winning four of the first six versus SU’s John Mullen and Johnny Richiusa. The Orange never gained rhythm at the faceoff X, losing the battle 12-9.

Despite the early faceoff losses, Syracuse kept piling on the goals. Attack Finn Thomson made it 5-0 with a between-the-legs shot while falling down away from the target that trickled past Vermont’s Daly.

On the other end, McCool recorded 11 saves. Vermont broke through with less than five minutes left in the first, as Jack Combs roofed his attempt to trim its deficit to 6-1.

After not scoring for more than eight minutes, Deere found the net to extend the Orange’s lead. Forty-five seconds later, Spallina completed his hat trick from a close-range goal off a feed from Owen Hiltz. Soon after, Spallina tallied his fourth assist, connecting with freshman Payton Anderson on a behind-the-back pass.

“He’s got eyes in the back of his head, he’s so savvy,” Feifs said. “His game has developed a ton, and he’s working above the goal line a lot more now than he used to. And I think it’s really expanded his ability to be a distributor but also a goal scorer, and he just lets the game come to him.”

Spallina echoed Feifs sentiment postgame, saying he’s evolved so far this season by “letting the game come to me.” He also noted he’s tried to step to a pass instead of waiting for it to come to him and finding better shooting angles.

Spallina showcased his growth by giving SU a 10-1 lead at the 5:21 mark of the second quarter. The attack operated from X, got to a spot on the left alley and fired the ball in the top right corner of the net like he was sticking a stamp onto an envelope.

Spallina picked up where he left off in the second half. The junior fed the ball to Thomson, who converted the one-on-one with Daly, giving SU a double-digit lead. Two minutes later, Spallina was given an open look after a Vermont turnover, and he made no mistake for his 10th point of the game.

In response to Vermont’s second goal of the matchup, Hiltz snatched another goal for Syracuse, firing back a first-time rebound like a tennis volley from close range on a saved shot by Thomson.

The Catamounts scored three straight goals to end the matchup and took control in the fourth quarter, going 3-0 at the faceoff X, outshooting Syracuse 8-4 and forcing five of SU’s 13 total turnovers.

But by then, the game had been decided by Spallina’s offensive onslaught.

Even after tying his career-high for points, Spallina wasn’t fulfilled. He said there were “a couple shots that we all probably want back.” He noted he wished he changed his shooting levels, aiming two straight attempts low and then two consecutive tries high to prevent his efforts from being too predictable.

If that’s Spallina’s assessment of a 10-point performance, then good luck to any defense trying to slow him down when he’s actually satisfied.

Published on February 7, 2025 at 8:13 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal