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UTICA, N.Y. — Joey Spallina and Trey Deere are no strangers to each other. The Syracuse men’s lacrosse teammates lived with each other the last couple of summers while tearing up the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League with the Orangeville Northmen. Deere even taught Spallina how to fight ahead of his first OJLL game in 2022.

Though for the first time Friday, the two faced off on opposing teams. Spallina donned the red, white and blue for Team USA while Deere suited up for the Haudenosaunee National Team in the opening game of the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships.

In preparation, Deere attempted to play mind games with his counterpart. During the week, Spallina and Deere ran into each other in the hotel lobby and decided to go upstairs together. When Spallina started walking to his room, Deere realized they were only a couple of doors away from each other. Deere went the other way, pretending to go to the wrong room.

“I was just trying to stay away from (Spallina) and remember that he’s not my friend for the next few hours,” Deere said.

Deere’s antics didn’t work. Spallina tormented the Haudenosaunee, scoring a game-high four goals as Team USA opened up the World Lacrosse Box Championships with a 16-9 win. Deere was quiet, going scoreless with just one shot on goal.

It didn’t take long for Spallina and Deere to come face-to-face Friday. On one of the first ground balls of the game, they matched each other.

“Just to be out there with (Deere) was an unreal experience for the both of us,” Spallina said.

Following Spallina’s freshman season at Syracuse, he traveled north to spend the summer with Orangeville. At the time, Deere was an incoming freshman, but had plenty of box lacrosse experience. The duo quickly fostered a close bond while living with a host family. Deere helped teach Spallina, who wanted to refine his offensive repertoire.

It didn’t take long for Spallina to get the hang of box, creating a deadly duo with Deere. The two terrorized defenses, combining for 616 points across two seasons. Spallina led the league in points (202) this summer, while Deere finished fourth (159). They led Orangeville to an OJLL title.

Spallina and Deere come from vastly different backgrounds. Spallina hails from Long Island, New York, while Deere grew up on the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory just outside of Montreal, Canada.

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With their host family, they spent hours in the yard throwing passes to each other and off rebounders while firing shots on net. Deere said the sticks almost never left their hands — even inside the house. In the upstairs loft, the two caused a ruckus by playing one-on-one with mini sticks, usually to their host family’s dismay.

“We’d get in trouble sometimes for being too loud and (left) a couple holes in the wall,” Deere said.

Despite their successes in box, Spallina and Deere have had varied careers so far with SU. Deere saw limited action during his freshman season, despite coming in as Syracuse’s highest-rated recruit in the class of 2023. At the same time, Spallina has helped bring Syracuse back into the national spotlight, totaling 156 points across his freshman and sophomore years.

But Friday provided a chance for both to showcase their box skills at the highest level. The night started with the opening ceremonies, as all 28 teams and 600 athletes gathered on the field, about an hour before the opening faceoff. As Spallina walked onto the field during the ceremony, he saw his mom, Mary Beth, and his father, Joe.

“That was the first time I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, this is unreal,’” Spallina said.

Team USA came in as the underdog against the Haudenosaunee. In the previous five meetings, the Americans faltered. Yet for 2024, the U.S. put an added emphasis on putting together a roster to compete with Canada and the Haudenosaunee. The U.S. compiled a team full of National and Premier League Lacrosse stars, highlighted by Jack Hannah, Charlie Bertrand, Blaze Riorden and Joe Resitarits.

Even as the youngest player on the roster, Spallina still found ways to shine through, albeit in a different role than at Syracuse. With the Orange, their offense typically runs through Spallina. But with Team USA, he was placed off the ball.

“My goal is to be a leader on the (Syracuse) team. But obviously for the U.S., my role is just to kind of just work my ass off,” Spallina said.

During his shifts, Spallina was often placed on the left side with Resitarits controlling the offense from up top. Deere saw less action but at times, he initiated the Haudenosaunee’s offense.

Deere never got into much of a rhythm in the first half. In the second quarter, he was forced to serve a five-minute major penalty.

While Deere tried to find his footing, Spallina grew into the game. After two Haudenosaunee goals cut Team USA’s lead to one in the second quarter, Spallina got on the board. He received a feed on the left side and the defense backed off. With adequate space, Spallina rifled home his first game of the night to put Team USA up 8-6.

Joey Spallina (No. 22) recorded a game-high four goals for Team USA against the Haudenosaunee in the World Lacrosse Box Championships Friday. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

Hannah and Riorden added two more before Spallina struck again. During a power play, Riorden was knocked to the ground on the opposite wing as Spallina. He still dished a pass to Hannah, who flipped a behind-the-back pass to Resitarits. While drawing two defenders, Spallina was left open on the crease. He placed the shot between Warren Hill’s legs to give the Americans an 11-6 lead.

The Haudenosaunee scored three of the next four goals before Spallina produced the highlight of the night. Resitarits threw a wild shot, which bounced off the boards to midfield, and Bertrand collected it.

Spallina made himself available and received the pass just past midfield. Seemingly too far out to let one rip, nobody closed down Spallina with urgency. He took advantage, ripping a missile from long distance to complete his hat trick, extending Team USA’s lead to 13-9. Spallina called it the hardest shot he’s ever taken while boring a wide grin postgame.

“He shows up at big moments,” Team USA head coach Regy Thorpe said of Spallina.

With two-and-a-half minutes left, Spallina put the icing on the cake with his fourth score of the night, sealing a 16-9 win. Deere could do nothing but watch on the opposing side, yet he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. He’s had a first-hand look at Spallina’s dominance along with his dogged work ethic.

Even though Spallina stole the show Friday, Deere hopes to get the last laugh in a potential meeting during the knockout rounds.

“Hopefully we get (Team USA) in the final and send them home,” Deere said.

Published on September 22, 2024 at 10:03 pm

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