Syracuse men’s lacrosse defeated Air Force 17-11 on Thursday afternoon at Falcon Stadium, improving to 6-2 and extending its win streak to three games during a six-game road swing.
Michael Leo led the Orange with five goals and an assist, while Joey Spallina recorded a career-high eight assists. Finn Thomson added three goals, and Tucker Kellogg finished with two goals and an assist. Payton Anderson also scored twice for Syracuse.
The Orange opened the scoring when Thomson finished a pass from Spallina, but Air Force responded with two early goals to take a brief lead. Syracuse answered with three straight goals as Leo scored twice on assists from Spallina and Luke Rhoa added another off a Spallina feed to give the Orange a 4-2 advantage.
Air Force trimmed the deficit late in the first quarter and stayed within one goal at halftime as Syracuse carried a 6-5 lead into the break.
The Orange created separation in the third quarter. Anderson scored early on a Spallina assist before goals from Matt McIntee and Bogue Hahn extended the lead. Anderson added another goal to push Syracuse ahead 10-6 before Air Force closed the period trailing 10-7.
Syracuse broke the game open early in the fourth quarter with quick goals from Wyatt Hottle and Thomson to stretch the lead. Leo and Kellogg added additional goals as the Orange pulled away for the victory.
John Mullen controlled the faceoff circle, winning 16-of-23 draws. Syracuse also held advantages in shots (45-35) and ground balls (38-26).
The Orange will continue their road trip Monday, March 16 at Denver with faceoff scheduled for 8 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].