Syracuse defeats Johns Hopkins 12-8 at Homewood Field

Joey Spallina paced No. 10 Syracuse to a 12-8 victory over Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field in Baltimore, igniting a mid-game run that the Orange used, along with stout defense, to pull away from the Blue Jays. Syracuse’s performance snapped a rough stretch that included losses at Harvard and Princeton and an overtime win at Penn, and it featured Spallina’s seven-point outburst as a decisive factor in the rivalry game.

Both teams struggled early, combining for 14 turnovers in the first quarter, a sequence Syracuse coach Gait summed up bluntly. “The game definitely started out pretty sloppy,” he said, and he added, “Clearing the ball was tough for both (teams). Bunch (of) offsides.” Gait also said the Homewood Field atmosphere “amped up” his team and that he was proud Syracuse “got through the ‘messy part’ of the game and started executing,” according to the Daily Orange recap.

Spallina supplied much of that execution. Nicholas Alumkal of the Daily Orange wrote that “Spallina oversaw Syracuse’s return to its proper identity,” noting Spallina connected with Finn Thomson to make it 2-1 midway through the first quarter and that the same combination struck early in the second quarter. Alumkal added color: “The Baltimore Symphony’s Marin Alsop might want a word. There’s a new conductor in town, and his name is Joey Spallina,” and the game story said, “Joey Spallina ignited for seven points in the derby.” Spallina himself framed the result as a course correction, saying, “The two Ivy League games (at Harvard and Princeton), I don’t think were Syracuse lacrosse at all,” and, “Penn, I think we started to do it a little bit towards the end of that game. I think today was the first time in a bit where we looked like ourselves.”

Johns Hopkins mounted a comeback effort in the third quarter, with hopkinssports reporting that Cody Radziewicz led the Blue Jays with three goals, including two in the third quarter that “helped JHU erase a 7-4 halftime deficit,” and that Hopkins’ attack produced goals from six different players. That account said Johns Hopkins “fell behind 4-0 in the first quarter and never led during regulation,” but chipped away before Syracuse’s defense and late offense closed out the win.

Johns Hopkins entered the weekend with season context Johnsons Hopkins Athletics described in its game notes: “Johns Hopkins' 13 regular season opponents compiled a 128-82 (.610) record in 2025 with its eight non-conference opponents rolling up a 74-54 (.578) record,” and hopkinssports added the Blue Jays “have allowed just eight fourth-quarter goals in five games and held Robert Morris and Towson scoreless in the final period.” The Johns Hopkins site also reported the team “played without head coach Dave Pietramala, who missed the game due to an infection in his lower back.”

Pre-game materials listed Syracuse as No. 10 and 4-2, while Syracuse and Daily Orange references identified Johns Hopkins as No. 11 and 4-1; Johns Hopkins pages at times referred to the Blue Jays as No. 8 and 4-2 in other entries. Syracuse’s victory at Homewood Field gives the Orange a signature result against a ranked rival and, by the players’ account, a return to the identity that produced their early-season win over then-No. 1 Maryland.