Leo's Heroics Lift No. 18 'Cuse Past No. 12 UNC

Saturday, April 15

Olney, Md.

4 p.m.

Syracuse University

8-5, 1-3

North Carolina

7-5, 1-3

Syracuse

North Carolina

4/15/2023 6:45:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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Rookie Scores With 12 Seconds to Play

OLNEY, Md. – With one of the biggest goals of his young career, Syracuse University men's lacrosse freshman Michael Leo played the part of the hero on Saturday, scoring the game-winning goal with 12 seconds on the clock to secure a 15-14 win for the No. 18 Orange over No. 12 North Carolina.

The Orange (8-5, 1-3 ACC) had two goals from Leo to lock down their first ACC win of the season to keep playoff hopes alive. A trio of Syracuse players finished with four points: Joey Spallina scored twice with two helpers, Cole Kirst netted a hat trick with one assist while Owen Hiltz was the feeder with three dishes and one goal.

UNC (7-5, 1-3 ACC) had four-point days from Logan McGovern (3g, 1a) while Lance Tillman put out four assists. Collin Krieg was limited to eight saves as the Orange went 15-of-36 in total goals-to-shots.

How it Happened

UNC struck first but Hiltz buried his first of the day with 12:17 to go in the first to deadlock the action.
After a McGovern goal put UNC up 2-1, the Orange ripped off back-to-back goals from Finn Thomson and Griffin Cook. Hiltz assisted the former while Kirst helped the latter.
The Tar Heels strung together four unanswered for a 6-3 lead with six to play in the quarter, but the Orange responded with another pair of goals to make it a one-goal affair late in the second quarter. Kirst struck first followed by a power-play goal from Jackson Birtwistle on a Spallina feed.
Carolina took a two-goal lead into the break at 7-5. The Orange struggled on offense early, connecting on five of 13 shooting while the Tar Heels combined for 30 shots in the first 30 minutes. Will Mark had seven stops in the first half for the 'Cuse.
Out of the break, Syracuse surged to score four of the first five goals in the third quarter to regain a 9-8 lead. Kirst, Birtwistle, and Leo scored consecutively before Kirst scored his third of the afternoon on the other side of a Carolina goal.
UNC scored three straight to surge for a two-goal, 11-9 lead before Cook scored again with 25 seconds left in the third, cutting the Heels' lead to one.
The Orange surged into the lead again on back-to-back goals to open the fourth from Simmons on the man-up with a Hiltz feed, followed by Spallina's first of the afternoon.
McGovern struck again to deadlock the action 12-12 before another Spallina strike gave the Orange a 13-12 lead. Brandon Aviles picked a timely opportunity for his first of the year, grabbing a loose ball on the next faceoff and drive through the heart of UNC's defense for a 14-12 lead.
Carolina tied the game for the ninth and final time on back-to-back goals to make it 14-14 with 2:43 to play.
Leo drove from the wing with less than 20 seconds to play, sliding underneath his defender, snaking the crease and burying the winning goal with just 12 ticks left on the clock to secure the first Orange ACC win of the year.

Behind the Numbers

Carolina out-shot the Orange 50-36 across the 60 minutes, but Syracuse was efficient with a shooting percentage north of 40 percent for the day,
The special teams units for Syracuse played well as the man-up scored twice on four opportunities while the man-down team held UNC off the board on all three chances.
Syracuse overcame early troubles in the clearing game, missing five in the first half, but went 9-for-10 in the second half.
Spallina's efforts continued his climb on the 'Cuse freshman scoring record. His 34 goals are the fourth-most by an Orange rookie, as are his 27 assists. His 61 points to date are just two shy of the fifth-best freshman scoring season at Syracuse.
Hiltz brought his Syracuse career point total to 94 (51g, 43a), including 46 points this season.
The Orange picked up their first ACC win since besting No. 10 Duke 14-10 last season at the JMA Wireless Dome, snapping a seven-game league skid. Syracuse also ended a four-game slide against the Tar Heels, collecting its first win against UNC since the 2019 campaign. It was the six one-goal game in the last 10 meetings between teams.

Up Next for Syracuse

The No. 18 Orange continue their road stretch to round out the regular season next Saturday with a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Syracuse takes on No. 3/No. 2 Virginia at Klockner Stadium with an opening faceoff set for 2 p.m. on ESPNU.
It will be the one and only meeting between the 'Cuse and the Cavaliers this spring during the regular season.