Mike Powell has jersey retired as Syracuse falls to Johns Hopkins

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (SYRACUSE ATHLETICS) –

On a day that Syracuse retired one of the greatest players in lacrosse history’s jersey, the sport’s two winningest programs played a back-and-forth battle in the JMA Wireless Dome that came down to the final moments.

Ultimately, ‘Cuse (3-4) was unable to take down No. 11 Johns Hopkins (5-2), falling 11-9 in a game that featured nine ties and five lead changes.

Syracuse had plenty of offensive chances, but Blue Jays’ netminder Tim Marcille made a game-high 21 saves to thwart Syracuse’s offense.

Joey Spallina (1-3) and Owen Hiltz (3-1) led the team with four points each, while Finn Thompson (2-1) and Michael Leo (2-0) notched multi-goal efforts as well.

Goalie Will Mark once again posted double-digit saves, making 12 stops in the loss. Caden Kol led the defensive unit with three caused turnovers.

Russell Melendez’s three goals and Jacob Angelus’ (1-3) four points led the Blue Jays’ scoring effort, which came from eight different players.

The faceoff X ultimately ended up nearly even, with ‘Cuse holding a 12-11 advantage in wins. Jack Fine (8-of-14) was the Orange’s best performer on restarts.

The Orange highlight of the afternoon came when two-time Tewaaraton winner, two-time national champion and four time Turnbull Award winner Mike Powell had his No. 22 jersey permanently hung in the rafters in a halftime ceremony. He is the second men’s lacrosse player to have their jersey retired, alongside current Orange coach Gary Gait’s No. 22.

The Orange return to the road for a Tuesday matchup with Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Lacrosse TV. The next home game will be on March 21 when St. Bonaventure visits the Dome.