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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Syracuse swept aside its first three opponents this season. It throttled Jacksonville 24-5 on Feb. 1, jumping out 10-0 and keeping the Dolphins silent in the third quarter. The Orange blew away Vermont 13-5, leading 10-1 at halftime. Then, after No. 16 Towson didn’t allow SU to pull away early Monday, the Orange outscored the Tigers 7-0 in the fourth quarter to secure an 18-7 win.

Syracuse’s first real test came Saturday against No. 6 Maryland. In his three years at the helm, head coach Gary Gait has never beaten the Terrapins, and SU hadn’t downed UMD since 2009. Saturday’s matchup against their recent bête noire was a Rorschach test to see if the Orange truly have National Championship credentials.

Gait entered the contest 9-22 all-time against ranked opposition (with six of those wins coming the past two seasons). After Saturday, you can add a 23rd loss and a fourth one against Tillman. SU led by one at halftime but was outscored 4-1 in the third quarter. The Terrapins pulled away to end the Orange’s unbeaten start to the season.

Here are some observations from No. 2 Syracuse’s (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 11-7 loss to No. 6 Maryland (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) Saturday:

McCool beaten frequently in 1st test

Replacing a two-time All-American honorable mention in Will Mark was a tall task for Jimmy McCool this season. But in his first big test against UMD Saturday, he was inconsistent. The Terrapins’ Braden Erksa sent a bouncing shot on frame in the first minute, and McCool tipped it aside. Daniel Kelly, who scored five goals in Maryland’s first two games, fired another from the right alley. Again, McCool stopped it.

Bryce Ford got in close midway through the first quarter and McCool parried the effort. McCool was finally beaten at the 3:12 mark of the first quarter when Elijah Stobaugh blasted a shot into the top right corner. McCool quickly regained his bearings when he denied UMD’s Thomas Gravino, who drove down the right alley.

McCool conceded four first-half goals but recorded five saves. He saved the Terrapins’ first two shots of the second half, including a Jack Dowd effort from point-blank range. But Eliot Dubick picked up and converted the rebound to knot the score at 5-5. McCool unraveled in the second half, allowing four third-quarter goals. The goalie continued to struggle in the fourth quarter, as he was beaten from close range.

In his first matchup against high-pedigree opposition, McCool logged a .522 save percentage and 12 saves while conceding 11 goals.

Weather leads to low-scoring affair

The temperatures before faceoff were in the mid-40s, with nine-mile-per-hour winds making it feel like 36 degrees. Rain started falling an hour before faceoff, making the SECU Stadium turf slick.

The weather contributed to the low-scoring start between the two squads, who sat tied at 2-2 after one quarter and didn’t find the back of the net until the 5:57 mark of the first. In the opening quarter, the Orange scored two of their six shots, while UMD notched seven.

The ball was on the ground frequently, causing scrums to try to pick it off the slippery field. Maryland’s third goal to take the lead resulted from a ground ball pickup that AJ Larkin took coast-to-coast in transition to slot past McCool in the bottom left corner.

UMD had eight first-half turnovers, while SU recorded seven. Possessions were long as both teams prodded strategically in the conditions. SU picked up 13 ground balls to UMD’s 11. Syracuse’s offense has been on-point to start this season, with 65.6% of its shots going on target. But, against Maryland, 19 of SU’s 41 shots (46.3%) were on target.

Spallina largely held in check

Last year, in then-No. 4 Maryland’s 13-12 overtime win over then-No. 5 Syracuse, Joey Spallina was shut down by UMD’s Ajax Zappitello, only recording one goal and two assists. Though Zappitello graduated after last season, the Terrapins frustrated SU’s star attack Saturday.

Though Spallina was only involved once in the first quarter, it was valuable. He worked from X, as he often does, and found a cutting Trey Deere to assist the first goal of the game. But in the second quarter, as Maryland’s defense forced Spallina out of the game again, he forced the issue. He fired two ill-advised shots that were smothered by UMD’s Logan McNaney in net. He also coughed up the ball, leading to Larkin’s goal that gave the Terrapins their first lead of the game at 3-2.

Spallina finally broke through in the final minutes of the first half, using a screen to cut from X on the left and lash a shot into the upper-90 of the net, equalizing the score at 4-4. Spallina etched his name on the scoresheet again, cutting around the goal and finishing a low shot under McNaney.

Spallina took another tough shot from an acute angle in the third quarter that didn’t trouble McNaney. After Maryland silenced the Orange in the third quarter, Spallina set up Owen Hiltz to trim their deficit to 10-7 in the fourth quarter. But, for the third year running — after he notched two points in UMD’s 15-12 win over SU in 2023 — Spallina was quieted by the Terrapins’ stifling defense.

3rd-quarter Terp takeover

With the Orange ahead 5-4 at halftime, UMD outscored them 4-1 in the third quarter, with a Hiltz finish with 17 seconds remaining, SU’s only score in the quarter.

It was a Syracuse penalty — the first of the game — that sparked Maryland’s leveler two minutes in. Michael Leo was called for tripping, handing UMD a one-minute extra-man opportunity. Dowd missed the first shot of the chance, but Dubick picked up the rebound and placed it past McCool to tie the score.

SU won the ensuing faceoff but committed a shot clock violation. It did muster some offense soon after, as Jackson Birtwistle hit the post. But after the miss, Maryland jumped ahead via Kelly at the 5:28 mark of the quarter.

SU committed another penalty, and the Terrapins again capitalized on the extra-man chance. Ryder Ochoa was called offside, a 30-second penalty, and Eric Spanos scored. Less than a minute later, UMD’s Spanos netted another goal to extend its lead to three. Finally, Hiltz drove and finished past McNaney, but the damage had already been done in a Maryland third-quarter domination.

Published on February 15, 2025 at 4:19 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal