Syracuse mens lacrosse: #7 Orange offense collapses again in 11-7 loss at #12 Duke

The Orange had no answer to Dukes stifling defense in Durham despite a great showing from Jimmy McCool

The #7 Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse (9-4, 2-1) team lost their first ACC game of the year against #12 Duke (10-4, 1-2) 11-7 away at

Koskinen Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Orange offense struggled throughout the hot day in Durham and was stifled by Duke’s elite defense and their own mistakes.

SU entered the matchup following a disappointing outing on Long Island against #1 Cornell, where they were dominated across the field. Having snapped a six-game win streak, the Orange were eager to get back to winning ways and set up an ACC regular-season title clash at the Dome against UNC next week.

The Blue Devils entered the matchup winless in the ACC, having lost by one to UNC last week and having been battered by Notre Dame earlier in the year.

The Orange started the game on defense and on a mission, as the entire unit appeared locked in from the first whistle, forcing a shot clock expiration on the first possession.

Despite a few early saves from Jimmy McCool and strong defensive possessions, it was the Devils who struck first to get the game underway. In a trend that the Orange have struggled with all season, the Devils saw much more of the ball in the first quarter as the Orange dug themselves into a 3-0 hole early.

It was the Orange offense that struggled the most in this window, turning the ball over five times in the opening quarter. SU was also outshot 16-7 and outhustled on groundballs 9-3 in the period.

The Blue Devils struck again out of the break to make it four, before SU found the net for the first time of the day as Joey Spallina ended a 19-minute scoreless stretch.

It was then a beautiful series of ball movement for the Orange that saw Joey Spallina set up Owen Hiltz to make it 4-2.

John Mullen began to dominate from faceoff through the period, which saw SU earn more and more time on the ball, allowing them back in the game.

Duke grabbed a goal back before Luke Rhoa used Spallina’s second assist of the day to make it 5-3. Spallina then picked up another point on the back of more excellent ball movement to narrow the gap to one.

Duke went on a 2-0 run to end the half up 7-4, but the Orange offense had begun to hum in the second quarter, and the game felt much more in the balance than the scoreline showed.

The Oranges’ eight turnovers and inefficient shooting proved the difference between the sides in the first half. Duke had 16 shots on goal to Cuse’s eight, and also won the groundball battle 15-9.

The margin could have been worse if not for the individual heroics of Jimmy McCool with nine saves and Joey Spallina, who scored or assisted all four of SU’s goals. Duke’s Eric Malever, their top scorer this season, also shone with four goals in the half.

It was the Devils who scored first out of the break to make it 8-4, the largest lead of the day. They seized full momentum moments later after scoring again to make it 9-4.

The Cuse defense fully collapsed at this point as Duke continued to pile on the goals, making it 11-4 in just a matter of minutes.

The scoring for both sides stagnated over the following period, but the Blue Devils were in no rush as they continued to chew away at the clock and took extended, patient possessions through the remainder of the game.

The Duke defense continued to swarm Cuse ball-handlers, giving them no hope of finding the second and third passes that normally make the offense hum. Through the third quarter, the Cuse players and coaching staff were unable to find a solution to this predicament.

Sam English and Rhoa cut the lead back to five out of the quarter, but the game was in the clocks hands at this point, and SU’s offense continued to be wasteful with their limited opportunities.

The game ended 11-7 in favor of the hosts. Although the Orange offense had shown bursts of quality, particularly in the second quarter, their stagnation through the rest of the game was the main difference between the sides.

Jimmy McCool was the standout performer for SU with an impressive 15 saves at a rate of 57%. Joey Spallina’s two goals and three assists were the lone bright spot on offense.

The Orange had one of their worst days in terms of ball retention with 18 turnovers, including three failed clears and multiple sloppy mistakes.

Following this difficult loss, the Orange will conclude their regular season in a top-of-the-ACC clash against UNC, which could decide who takes home the regular-season title. The game is set for 5 pm on April 26 in the Dome and looks set to have huge ramifications on postseason play.