Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Michael Leo’s last time sitting on a chair with a bunch of cameras pointed at him was May 19, 2024. That afternoon in Towson, Maryland, Leo lamented Syracuse’s 10-8 season-ending loss to Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinal. He sat there with a white towel draped over his head, eye black smeared on his face, disappointed at the moment but assured for the future.

“We’re going to be on top next year, for sure,” Leo said.

Fast forward to Saturday, Leo’s next game, his tone flipped 180 degrees. Instead of a defeated gaze, Leo was wide-eyed and brimming with confidence. Syracuse had just stomped Jacksonville in its 2025 season-opener, sparked by Leo’s four-goal first-half performance. It was clear he moved on from the Denver game long ago.

“That loss made a lot of us change our attitude,” Leo said. “And during the offseason, I know everyone has been working their tail off and had a great fall and honestly, that game is just past us now.”

Leo dominated as a downhill dodger in SU’s (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 24-5 obliteration of Jacksonville (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Sun). His four goals set a new career-high, while his five points were a team-best, tied with attack Joey Spallina. Of Syracuse’s 10 unanswered goals to begin the game, he scored four, all but sealing the outcome halfway into the second quarter.

“That’s frustrating, because we felt like we had a plan there (to stop him),” Jacksonville head coach John Galloway said of Leo postgame. “It all looks good on the scouting report, but to do it against a team (like Syracuse) and an individual that athletic, it’s a little bit more difficult.”

The scouting report Galloway spoke of was the Dolphins’ plan to slide their defense toward Leo once he broke through the midfield. He said Leo brings an extra threat with his attacking and midfield versatility, revealing he didn’t even know what position Leo would play Saturday. Defenders need to be organized against someone like Leo, Galloway said. But JU wasn’t.

“We didn’t have a plan to be organized when we did (slide to him),” Galloway said. “And he takes advantage of the recovery.”

That’s exactly what he did midway through the second quarter. In a one-minute, 51-second span, Leo scored three consecutive goals on three straight shot attempts. His outburst extended Syracuse’s lead to 10-0 — the program’s largest run to start a game since Feb. 12, 2022, in a win over Holy Cross.

The first of three didn’t come on the move, where he did most of his damage Saturday. With SU on the man-up, Finn Thomson flung a cross-field pass from X to the high right flank where Leo awaited. A little over 10 yards from the cage, Leo stepped forward and released a low screamer that rattled around the net and caused JU goaltender Ryan Della Rocco to hit the turf.

He struck again over a minute later and had to get a little dirty to do it. Syracuse attack Trey Deere lost the ball on the shallow right side of the net, and a scrum of four Jacksonville defenders crowded around Deere. Leo sprung in from the right flank, muscled into traffic, scooped the ball and, as he fell backward, flung an underhand shot at the net. Nothing but twine.

Leo went back to his MO for the third straight tally. Seconds after scoring, Leo possessed the ball again high on the left side of SU’s offensive zone. He ran right at midfielder Charlie DiGennaro as the rest of the Orange cleared outward. Leo dodged right and abruptly spun back around to dust DiGennaro before ripping a lefty shot past Della Rocco.

That served as the second goal for Leo in 23 seconds. He had used the same move earlier in the game to score his first goal, though it was a mirror image of his final tally. At the 10:26 mark of the first quarter, Leo buried a shot after dodging toward the middle, but this time, spinning right to free up space on Tucker Denault.

Those first and last goals, where Leo showcased his one-on-one ability dodging downhill, are exactly what Syracuse needs from him. Outside of Leo, the Orange don’t contain many offensive-minded midfielders who can beat opponents with combined quickness and physicality. Leo brings an element that makes it difficult for opponents to slide to every single threat that’s out on the field, which Galloway learned firsthand. It’s pick your poison.

“I just try to go out there and play my game,” Leo said of his mentality Saturday. “I mean, I practiced with these guys all week, so I’m just super comfortable playing with them. Honestly, when I’m on the field with them, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable.”

Leo is part of SU’s loaded 2022 recruiting class, led by Spallina and bolstered by Thomson, Luke Rhoa, Billy Dwan, Riley Figueiras and others. As juniors, the pressure resides on that group to spearhead Syracuse back into Championship Weekend.

Head coach Gary Gait said Thursday he felt confident in how his juniors will deal with the expectations they face this season.

“Your freshman year, you’re kind of clueless and trying to figure it out. Your sophomore year, you kind of get it and get some confidence. Your junior year, you’ve been there and you’ve done it before so you can look back and learn from your experiences,” Gait said. “I think that whole group has a lot of confidence right now and they believe in each other and they’re on a mission.”

One game into 2025, Leo’s using last year’s pain as fuel for his fire. With all those crucial juniors on their A-game, especially someone with Leo’s diverse skill set, it’d be tough to think Leo’s bold statement to end last season wouldn’t be fulfilled.

Published on February 1, 2025 at 5:57 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews