Opponent Preview: What to know about No. 5 Boston College

Matthew Hassan staff writer

Syracuse solidified its No. 1 spot on the Inside Lacrosse Women/Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association rankings with a tough 14-12 win over thenNo. 5 North Carolina.

Syracuse’s trip to Chapel Hill last Saturday started with UNC taking an early 1-0 lead off Melissa Sconone’s goal. But the Orange responded with three straight scores. SU maintained that lead until the Tar Heels made a run at the end of the second period and the beginning of the third.

North Carolina tied the game at eight apiece six minutes into the second half. Then, the teams continued to trade blows for the rest of the contest, staying within a goal or two of each other the whole time.

Meaghan Tyrrell’s goal with 5:40 left in the game gave her the second spot on Syracuse’s all time point list and the Orange a 12-11 lead. UNC answered soon after, but backto-back goals by Megan Carney and Emma Tyrrell put the game out of reach late.

SU will now host No. 5 Boston College, the last stepping stone of an undefeated regular season. The two teams will face off at the SU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night.

Here’s everything you need to know about Boston College (12-3, 7-1 Atlantic Coast):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 17-9.

Last time they played

Although Syracuse won the first 12 games it ever played against Boston College, the team has lost seven out of the last nine matchups. Most recently, the Orange fell to the Eagles 15-13 on April 22 of last year in Chestnut Hill.

Syracuse controlled this game at the beginning. Meaghan put her team up 1-0 just two minutes into the first, with several more SU goals to follow. The Orange found themselves up 4-2 with under two minutes left in the quarter, but BC’s Kayla Martello scored two fast goals to even it up going into the second frame.

Boston College started pulling away after halftime, leading 12-8 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Eagles extended the lead to five in the opening moments of the final period, but Syracuse began to surge back. The Orange scored four times in three minutes to bring the game back within one. It stayed at 13-12 for a while, but BC tacked on two more as the Eagles handed Syracuse its fourth loss of 2022.

The Eagles report Boston College has been one of the premier teams in college lacrosse in recent memory, appearing in the last three national cham - pionship games and winning in 2021. Last year, it blew a fourth quarter lead to UNC in the championship, losing 12-11.

BC started the season just 3-2 after losses to powerhouse Northwestern on February 19 and North Carolina on March 1. The Eagles proceeded to win nine of their next ten games, dropping one to undefeated Denver.

Five of the team’s top seven points leaders from last season are back this year. Attack Jenn Medjid leads with 79 points off 61 goals and 18 assists. She’s also third in the nation in points per game and first in the ACC in goals per game. Fellow attack Mckenna Davis is second in the conference behind Syracuse’s Emma Ward in assists per game.

How Syracuse beats Boston College

Similar to the UNC game, a big difference in this year’s matchup against Boston College is that Syracuse will have its top midfielders. Emma and Sierra Cockerille missed the 2022 matchup with ACL tears. This could allow Syracuse to win the possession battle, something it couldn’t achieve against the Eagles in 2022 when it fell behind in shots, turnovers, ground balls and draw controls.

Syracuse might have to rely heavily on Delaney Sweitzer as Boston College is exceptional at applying pressure on opposing goalies. The Eagles have gotten off the sixth most shots of any team in the NCAA this season, averaging over 33 per game. But Sweitzer should be ready for the challenge.

The Eagles have rotated two goalies this year, with Rachel Hall starting seven games and Shea Dolce starting eight. Collectively, the pair saves 7.47 shots per game, which is the least in the conference. The Syracuse offense has the best shot percentage in the nation and should have no trouble breaking through as long as it loads up the net with shots.

Stat to know: 13.40

The Eagles struggle to scoop up loose balls. The team only picks up 13.40 ground balls per game, which is third to last in the ACC. Syracuse, on the other hand, is second in the ACC with 15.80. Boston College does a good job on the draw control and winning the turnover battle, but this is the one area it struggles to win possession.

Player to watch: Sydney Scales, defense, No. 45

Junior Sydney Scales is Boston College’s standout player on defense. She ranks second in the conference in caused turnovers per game with 1.87. Scales also leads the Eagles in ground balls, with eight more than anyone else on the squad. In 2022, Scales earned IWLCA Second-Team All-American honors as well as a spot on the All-ACC First Team. mahassan@syr.edu

Leo’s trainer and former Premier League Lacrosse star for Archers LC.

As eighth graders, 40 miles away from each other, Spallina and Leo were both pulled up to their high school’s varsity squads. Spallina became the first eighth grader to start for Mount Sinai’s varsity team in decades, receiving all-county and rookie of the year honors with 39 goals and 45 assists.

Leo said that being the young guy helped him build more confidence, competing against players who were five years older than him. He had 19 goals and 12 assists as MacArthur High School’s main scoring threat.

Being young players on varsity helped the duo hone in their strong suits. Mike said that Leo became a physical, downhill dodger, reliant on his speed to get past any defender and pinpoint accuracy to score. Spallina wasn’t the fastest, instead using his hips and shoulders to shake off defenders, said Mount Sinai assistant Luke Daquino.

Their coaches also helped them add more skills it’s gonna be a huge advantage for us.”

Brown made quick changes after arriving. Before, players had the choice of eating with the team or taking food to-go, Pena said. Now, it’s mandatory for players to sit and eat during team dinners, ensuring they’re getting the proper food. Brown makes sure players eat before and after practice, defensive lineman Kevon Darton said.

The expectation for a team nutritionist is that players can stay healthy and avoid injuries, they said. That comes through staying hydrated, eating well and avoiding certain meals, but also by stretching and taking ice and warm baths, defensive back Isaiah Johnson said. Since Syracuse practices early in the morning — typically starting around 8 a.m. — getting enough sleep is difficult, but important, Johnson added.

“I would say everybody looks a little more healthy with Tori here,” quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson said. “Some players are coming out full speed, no holding back, with Tori putting nutrients and vitamins in our body.”

Syracuse has numerous players trying to gain, lose or maintain weight, Johnson said, and Brown has been crucial. Wide receiver Oronde Gadsden II said he talked with Brown about what food and supplements to take to stay healthy. Enrique Cruz Jr. said having a nutritionist helps “tremendously” to their arsenal. Schreiber made small tweaks to Leo’s form, helping him control more of his lower, nontraditional release points. Daquino improved his patience and ability at X, a position which has since defined his career. Leo started to use more shot fakes and learned how to “set up his dodge.” Spallina figured out how to score from tough angles. Both worked on their nondominant hand too.

“You get a feel of what they think and how they look at the game,” Leo said about working with different trainers on the island.

As juniors, Leo and Spallina were invited to the Under Armour Classic with Joe as head coach of Long Island’s squad. It wasn’t the first time the pair played together, but Spallina said it was the first time they dominated. Soon after the showcase, Leo thought it was a good idea to start building chemistry with Spallina, so he joined Team 91.

But for most of his life, Leo was a mainstay on the left wing of the attack, equipped with a quick release that allowed him to score against the tightest coverage. Syracuse already had a player like with the offensive line’s development by ensuring players eat enough healthy food.

“I’ve been super happy about it,” linebacker Marlowe Wax said. “You can just feel the energy around her, and how happy the team is with her being here. It’s definitely a big thing.”

Brown’s hiring had been a long time coming, said Garay, who recognized the need after arriving in Syracuse in 2005. She was surprised SU was one of the few major conference programs without any full-time sports dieticians despite having strong athletic and nutrition programs.

Garay said she presented a proposal outlining the duties of a dietician for all sports to a Syracuse athletic department administrator several years ago. There was interest, she said, but was told it was a budgetary decision not to create a new position.

There was some headway made on creating the position a few years ago, but those conversations “died completely” when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Garay said. Brainstorming sessions with athletic department officials included the details of the position, how the person would work with existing people in athletics and how to work with students in the nutrition program.

The newly renovated Lally Athletics Complex has two cafeterias — one for football, and one for all other sports — which furthered the need for a nutritionist, Garay said.

Syracuse lost several key players — including Garrett Williams and Chris Elmore — for the that in Owen Hiltz, so Joe and Leo switched him to midfield in preparation for his arrival at SU. forward and trust that Spallina, who was the quarterback of Team 91’s offense, would give him the ball back. Once he did, the offense opened up.

Spallina said it took only one tournament for the duo to realize they perfectly complemented each other. Leo’s athleticism helped him get open or underneath defenders, leading to easy goals. Spallina said that opponents putting a short-stick matchup on Leo is “disrespectful.” Leo said he could care less.

The pair dominated with Team 91 through tournaments like Mesa Fresh and Laxachusetts. It got to the point where Leo said Spallina had eyes in the back of his head. Spallina said he knew exactly where Leo would be at all times.

“This was a situation where he got a little ahead of the curve. It has allowed him to make a tremendous instant impact (at Syracuse),” Joe said.

Leo was always open to learning both midfield and attack, Schreiber said. The biggest difference between the two positions is the dodging angles, requiring players to free their hands up top versus coming around the goal. Leo said his speed actually helped the switch.

Joe said Leo had to learn to advance the ball

“Us together is really, really good,” Spallina said.

Joe had the pair run plays that he knew they’d run at Syracuse. They dodged the alley, fired it through X and played big, little around the cage. There’s still one play which they haven’t showcased — the fish hook. Opposing defenses can expect that soon. anish.sujeet@gmail.com @anish_vasu season last year, and others, like Garrett Shrader, missed time too. Shrader also missed last year’s spring game with a mild hamstring injury suffered in practice, and later said he should’ve drank more water beforehand.

In November, Babers said the injury numbers were concerning and warranted the need to evaluate “everything.” A week later, Director of Athletics John Wildhack told syracuse.com SU was in the process of hiring a dietician and making other enhancements to alleviate the injury problem.

“We’re not quite sure what happened last year,” Babers said on March 21. “I’ve been around a long time. I’ve never had a year like that. And you know, sometimes it’s just happening. But if it happens twice, it’s not.”

Babers said Syracuse investigated the problem and changed some things in the weight room and in other areas, declining to share specifics.

With those changes now in place, Babers and SU will await the results. The Orange return 17 of their 22 starters — ninth-best nationally — in addition to a slew of players who missed time during last year’s 7-6 season. The hope is that Brown can help Syracuse improve in 2023.

“Now that we have (a dietician), it just feels like we’re taking another step to being one of those teams that has a nutritionist (and is) just competing with everybody else,” Wax said.