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Through two games, Syracuse has taken care of business: first defeating Jacksonville 24-5 before a 13-5 victory over Vermont. Joey Spallina shined against the Catamounts, tying a career-high 10 points (five goals, five assists), while SU’s defense held them to one goal in the first half.

Next up is Syracuse’s first legit test of the season, No. 16 Towson. SU defeated the Tigers 20-15 in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. They return plenty of their roster from a season ago and are again the favorites to win the Coastal Athletic Association.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 2 Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will perform against No. 16 Towson (0-1, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association):

Cooper Andrews (2-0)
Much better than the Bluejays
Syracuse 16, Towson 7

Towson is no slouch. It just took a top-10 team in Johns Hopkins to the brink in a game it was expected to lose by over three goals. The Tigers are an annual threat in the CAA, coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance, and this year’s squad looks like one of head coach Shawn Nadelen’s most talented groups.

But the Orange will pose a far different task than the Bluejays did. They’re firing on all cylinders. And while SU’s sample size includes weaker opponents in Jacksonville and Vermont, even the 17th-ranked team in the nation stands zero chance.

Johns Hopkins’s Russell Melendez-focused offense is formidable, though Spallina is better. Much better. Spallina is fresh off a 10-point effort against Vermont, and considering he dropped eight in Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament win over Towson last May, I see no reason to believe he can’t tally something similar.

Plus, it’s apparent SU’s defense has taken immense strides in its second year under defensive coordinator John Odierna. The Orange allowed five goals in each of their opening two games, highlighted by elite long-pole play and a ferocious man-down unit, not to mention goalie Jimmy McCool’s impressive .741 save percentage. Long story short, Syracuse and Towson may both be ranked, but only one is built like a superteam.

Zak Wolf (2-0)
No revenge here
Syracuse 15, Towson 12

Not to diss my friend, but I think Cooper is wildly underestimating Towson here. The Tigers showed in their first game of the season they could compete with just about anybody in the country, losing by just one to Johns Hopkins. Towson is coming into the Dome motivated by the fact Syracuse ended its season last year. Pretty much everyone from that team is back, and this is the Tigers’ chance for revenge.

Though I don’t think they’ll get it, they’re going to push the Orange pretty hard. Mikey Weisshaar is one of the best midfielders in the country, alongside a spread-out attack that returns all of its top scorers, other than Nick DeMaio. Towson will be a handful for Odierna’s unit, which has played completely lockdown to start the season. If SU’s defense was more leaky, I’d be tempted to pick an upset, but that isn’t the case.

On the flip side, Syracuse’s attack is too hard to contain. Spallina tormented Towson last season with eight points, and I don’t see any reason why that won’t continue Monday. I also expect a big game from Owen Hiltz, who’s due for an explosive outing. As talented as Towson is, Syracuse just has more across the board to bring home a win, albeit in close fashion.

Nicholas Alumkal (2-0)
First test passed
Syracuse 13, Towson 10

This is where Syracuse’s schedule difficulty gets turned up. The Orange eased into the season with two lopsided wins against inferior competition in Jacksonville and Vermont. Now, they host an NCAA Tournament rematch against the Tigers off only two days of rest.

While I don’t think rest will be much of a problem — SU got out to big leads in its first two games and could ease off the gas pedal — Towson led Syracuse at halftime before the Orange exploded for a 9-0 run in the third quarter. One area they were exposed against Vermont was at the faceoff X, where John Mullen and Johnny Richiusa lost the battle 12-9.

While Mullen has proven to be a capable faceoff specialist, particularly with his career game versus Towson last year, another off day versus Towson’s faceoff man Matt Constantinides could give the Tigers the edge Monday. Defensively, SU’s backline will be in for its first of many tests, but it’ll hold off the Tigers’ multiple strong attacks.

On the other end, it’ll be tough for Towson to slow down SU’s explosive offense. The Orange have too many weapons for the Tigers to stop them fully — they can only hope to contain them. So, Syracuse will pass its first major test of the season, though it may have to play a more complete game than it has in its first two outings.

Published on February 9, 2025 at 11:01 pm