Second-Half Play Lifts No. 8 Syracuse Over Virginia, 12-10

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia’s offense scored five of the game’s first six goals, but only managed five more the rest of the way as No. 8 Syracuse mounted a second-half comeback to win 12-10 at Klöckner Stadium Saturday afternoon (March 29). With the win, the Orange (8-2) tallied their fifth consecutive victory and took a 22-21 lead in the storied all-time series with Virginia (5-5). 

Cavalier faceoff specialist Andrew Greenspan, who entered Saturday’s contest having won 5o percent of his faceoff attempts on the season, finished 13 for 18 at the stripe, primarily against Syracuse’s John Mullen. Entering the game, Mullen had the nation’s third-best faceoff win percentage among all Division-I players. 

Both team’s starting goalies stood out in Saturday’s dramatic showdown. Virginia’s Matthew Nunes (3-2) finished with a season-high 16 saves, while Syracuse’s Jimmy McCool (8-1) made 17 saves, including six in the third quarter.  

For the second straight matchup between the two teams, Virginia defenseman John Schroter held star attackman Joey Spallina scoreless, and limited him to only one assist. Offensively, Virgina was led by McCabe Millon (3g, 3a), who recorded a game-high six points. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Midfielder Johnny Hackett (2g) kicked off the scoring on an unassisted dodge from the wing, which marked his second consecutive game with a goal. Minutes later, Truitt Sunderland (2g) scored what appeared to be UVA’s third goal, but it was waived off after he was pushed in the crease by an Orange defender. On the Cavaliers’ ensuing man-up chance, Sunderland made up for the erased goal with his fourth extra-man score of the year, which was assisted by Ryan Colsey (1g, 1a). Virginia ultimately extended its lead to 5-1 after Ben Wayer (1g, 3gb) scored in transition and Millon connected on an unassisted roll-back dodge from the wing. Cuse’s only two goals of the first came on unsettled situations, a faceoff win and in transition with one second remaining in the first respectively.

To make things worse for the Hoos, the Orange netted their second goal in a matter of eight seconds off the opening faceoff of quarter No. 2. Five minutes later, Cuse trimmed the UVA lead back to one, 5-4. Coming out of a timeout Millon found Hackett on the doorstep, who buried his second score of the game. The Cavaliers clung to a 6-4 lead at the half. 

The Orange scored the first four goals of the second half, three of which were at the hands of Michael Leo. Back-to-back unassisted strikes from Millon tied the score, 8-8. The two teams traded goals with under 5:00 left in the third to enter the fourth knotted, 9-9. 

Millon assisted on Colsey’s lone score of the day, which also gave the Hoos their first lead since early on in the third quarter. However, the Orange held UVA scoreless for the final 11:38, a span in which Cuse notched three scores, including an empty-netter, to pull away. 

NOTES 

• With the win, Syracuse took a 22-21 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1938.
• Through 43 games played in the series, the Orange lead in goal differential by three (567-564). 
• Syracuse took 52 shots, the most by a UVA opponent since last year’s regular-season meeting between the two teams at JMA Wireless Dome. 
• Syracuse only committed eight turnovers. 
• Matthew Nunes finished with a season-high 16 saves, his most since making 17 stops at Harvard in 2024. 
• Virginia’s man-down unit, which entered Saturday’s game as the No. 3 team in man-down defense nationally, held the Orange scoreless on two chances.  
• Opposing EMOs are now 5 for 37 against UVA’s man-down this season. 
• For the second consecutive matchup, close defenseman John Schroter held Cuse attackman Joey Spallina scoreless. Spallina finished with one assist. 
• Andrew Greenspan (13-18 FO) won a career-high 13 faceoffs, primarily against John Mullen, the nation’s No. 3 faceoff specialist entering today. 
• Virginia won the faceoff battle, 16-9, which marked only the second time this season SU did not win at least 50 percent of its faceoffs, and largest margin of defeat at the stripe since its 2024 regular-season game against Notre Dame.
• Midfielder Johnny Hackett scored a season-high two goals. 
• Wills Burt logged his first career assist on Ben Wayer’s first-quarter goal. 
• The goal was Wayer’s fifth of the season, but first since Richmond (Feb. 15), UVA’s second contest of the season. 
• Virginia’s man-up finished 2 for 4. 
• UVA won the ground ball battle, 37-31. 
• Saturday’s contest served the Cavaliers’ Military Appreciate/First Responder Appreciation game.  
• Two U.S. Navy jets performed a ceremonial flyover above Klöckner Stadium during Saturday’s national anthem. 

UP NEXT
The Cavaliers travel to No. 5 North Carolina (7-2, 0-0 ACC) Saturday (April 5). Opening faceoff from Dorrance Field is set for 4 p.m. on ACC Network and WINA (1070 AM/98.9 FM). 

The Har Heels had their three-game win streak snapped by No. 9 Army, 13-12, in West Point, New York Saturday afternoon.