Syracuse lacrosse finds a way past Boston U’s pesky 10-man ride to start 1-0 (Axe’s quick takes)
Syracuse, N.Y. —The Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team opened a season of great expectations at the JMA Dome with a 13-6 win against Boston University.
The Terriers hung in there for a half, but SU found its offensive groove after halftime and flexed its defensive muscles to start 1-0.
Here are some quick takes on SU’s 2026 season debut.
Second-Half Stride
Syracuse Orange attack Finn Thomson (23) and Syracuse Orange attack Joey Spallina (22) after Spallina’s goal. The Syracuse Men’s lacrosse team open their 2026 season in a match against Boston University at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse New York, February 1, 2026. Dennis Nett | [email protected]dennis nett | [email protected]
The Terriers held their ground and stifled a wave of SU offensive chances in the first half.
The Orange scored just six goals despite outshooting BU 14-8 on net.
SU was simply too cute at times with behind-the-back and one-handed pass attempts when it just needed to flush the ball in the net.
Finn Thomson will not enjoy the film review of this game as he had a number of point-blank chances squandered.
Michael Leo and Joey Spallina changed all that in the first 12 seconds of the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals to put SU up 8-3.
It felt like the moment the Orange’s offensive spigot finally thawed and started to flow.
SU outscored BU 7-3 in the second-half.
Spallina began his march to become SU’s all-time leading scorer (he’s now 57 points away from Mike Powell’s 307) with three goals and two assists.
Michael Leo, Payton Anderson, Luke Rhoa and Wyatt Hottle each scored two goals for the Orange.
D-Fence
SU’s defense certainly had the offense’s back, clamping down on the Terrier offense and sending a physical message for four quarters.
SU held BU to six goals, three in each half.
Senior Jimmy McCool, the 2025 ACC goaltender of the year, picked up right where he left off and stood tall with 12 saves on 18 BU shots on goal, denying the Terriers point blank on the doorstep time after time after time.
Boston attack Tim Shannehan, one of the best freshman in college lacrosse last season, was held to just two goals on eight shots.
10-Man ride trouble
BU’s 10-man ride certainly gave the Orange fits, especially in the first half.
SU mostly resorted to defenseman Billy Dwan III firing 40-50 yard shots at the open net on the other end and hoping for a backup on the play.
SU turned the tide a bit when it did beat the ride crisply with solid ball movement to cash in on a goal by Wyatt Hottle just one second before the halftime buzzer.
New faces in key places
Syracuse Orange Dante Bowen (24). The Syracuse Men’s lacrosse team open their 2026 season in a match against Boston University at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse New York, February 1, 2026. Dennis Nett | [email protected]dennis nett | [email protected]
― Sophomore Payton Anderson slotted into the third starting attack spot vacated by the graduated Owen Hiltz, who accumulated 239 points in his SU career.
Anderson, know as “Bear” to his teammates, can be more aggressive and charge the net with a combo of speed and size (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) to compliment the skilled stick tacticians Spallina and Thomson.
― Jordan Beck started in the third defense spot vacated by Michael Grace, giving SU three seniors at long pole along with Billy Dwan III and Riley Figueiras.
Beck adds more size (6-foot-4, 242 pounds) to give John Odierna’s defense a presence to go along with two of the better defenseman in the ACC.
― Freshman Bogue Hahn, rated as a top-20 recruit in the Class of 2025 by Inside Lacrosse, has taken on an early key role on SU’s second-line midfield. Hahn scored a goal in his Orange debut.
― Ohio State transfer Dante Bowen had an important-yet-underrated spot to occupy at short-stick defensive midfield with Carter Rice gone to the Premiere Lacrosse League.
Bowen is not as quick as Rice (few people are) but settled in quickly and has a bigger presence than his listed 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame.
― Graduate transfer attack Greg Elijah-Brown will try to replicate the success of Trey Deere on SU’s man-up unit.
Deere, who scored eight goals on the man-up unit last season, is out for the season with a leg injury suffered in a car accident.
