Syracuse couldn’t overcome a pair of lengthy scoring droughts and fell 11-7 to Duke on Saturday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium. The loss drops the Orange to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in ACC play.
Joey Spallina led Syracuse with two goals and three assists, contributing to the team’s first four scores. Goalie Jimmy McCool made 15 saves, and John Mullen went 12-for-21 at the faceoff X. Despite a strong fourth-quarter surge, Syracuse was undone by a slow start and a scoreless third quarter.
Duke (10-4, 1-2 ACC) was powered by Eric Malever’s five goals and 13 saves from Patrick Jameison. The Blue Devils opened with a 4-0 run and took a 7-4 lead into halftime after Syracuse briefly cut the deficit to one.
The Orange were held scoreless in the third quarter while Duke extended its lead with four unanswered goals. Syracuse responded with a late three-goal flurry from Sam English, Finn Rhoa, and Trey Deere, but the rally came too late.
The Orange return home to close out the regular season against North Carolina on April 26 at 5 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].