Syracuse, N.Y. — We need to enact the Ferris Bueller rule on this one.
It was Bueller, played by Matthew Broderick in the 1980s classic, who once said that “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
Joey Spallina is now the leading scorer in the rich and illustrious history of Syracuse University men’s lacrosse.
Sure, the job isn’t done for Spallina and the Orange, who have not hidden their desire to win SU’s first national championship since 2009.
But we need to stop, look around and don’t miss what this scoring mark means.
Spallina passing Mike Powell fulfilled a lacrosse prophecy.
Spallina arrived in Central New York as the No. 1 recruit in the country as part of SU’s vaunted Class of 2022.
He embraced taking on SU’s famed No. 22, worn by lacrosse royalty like Gary Gait and the Powell Brothers.
Spallina not only had the weight of history on his back wearing No. 22, the legacy of the number had fresh scars in the wake of the Chase Scanlan scandal at Syracuse.
When Spallina arrived, he did so with a jackhammer in the same bag as his lacrosse stick as Syracuse needed to be gutted and rebuilt.
The Orange were 4-10 in the season prior to Spallina’s arrival.
Syracuse was barely in contention to make the NCAA tournament, let alone compete for a title.
The memories of 22 straight Final Fours had faded enough that they required squinting just to recognize them.
Spallina has invoked the memories of the greats he passed on the way to the top while establishing his own legacy.
It was downright poetic that the play that set him apart from every great scorer in SU history was a behind-the-back pass capped by a behind-the back goal by Michael Leo.
At every turn, Spallina has brushed off the pursuit of the greatest individual mark in favor of his obsession to bring SU another national championship.
It’s that mentality that Syracuse coach Gary Gait is thankful for most that Spallina has put back in the Orange bloodstream.
“I think he came in, all of these seniors came into this program with an old-school mindset and that was that they’re here to win a championship,” Gait said.
“We haven’t done it yet. We’ve made it to Final Four last year and this year, I know these guys, I think the only thing they would call a successful season is if we finish it.
“So they brought that attitude back. I think this year we’re in the mix and have a chance to win. They brought that back to the program, so I appreciate it.”
Winning a championship is an achievement Spallina is laser-focused on but should not be a burden that rests completely on his shoulders.
No matter what happens from this day forward, Spallina has left Syracuse lacrosse better than he found it.
He doesn’t need a championship to validate that.
Syracuse Orange attack Joey Spallina (22) signs autographs after the Orange defeated the Colgate Raiders at the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday April 18, 2026, in Syracuse, N.Y. Spallina became Syracuse’s all-time scoring leader surpassing Mike Powell.
Scott Schild | [email protected] Scott Schild | [email protected]
He’s got scoreboard as the greatest scorer in the history of Syracuse.
But to quote another movie, “it’d be a lot cooler if he did” win a championship, right?
You want to talk about legacy?
The steady stream of selfies with Spallina, autograph signings and chats with droves of young fans with widened eyes as cries of “Joey!” rung out is all you need to validate what he did for SU.
One of those young fans, 9-year-old Max Shaler of Liverpool, shared a handwritten note with his hero on Saturday night.
“Dear Joey,” the note reads. “Thank you for being my favorite player. You made me want to work hard and never give up. I hope I can be like you someday. Good luck after college. I will always cheer for you.”
The note came with several photos from the various times Spallina had stopped after games to share moments with Max.
Syracuse Orange attack Joey Spallina (22) signs autographs after the Orange defeated the Colgate Raiders at the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday April 18, 2026, in Syracuse, N.Y. Spallina became Syracuse’s all-time scoring leader surpassing Mike Powell.
Scott Schild | [email protected] Scott Schild | [email protected]
Now that’s a legacy, perhaps inspiring the next generation to chase down his record.
“It’s the best feeling,” Spallina said.
“Coach Gait always talked about what it was like, when he was here playing and it was 20,000 (fans) almost every game. It probably started with kids like that getting to see Coach Gait play and kind of begging their parents to go see the next one.
“It’s a continuation thing. That kid is going to remember that just the same way I remember Casey Powell being the absolute man. I’ll never forget.
“If that’s what I’m remembered for, that would be unreal.”
