Another dominant defensive performance for the No. 20 Syracuse men's lacrosse team (2-1) gets the Orange its second straight win over a top-15 opponent, defeating No. 15 Army West Point (3-1). The 10-8 victory gives Syracuse a 7-3 record in its last 10 games against higher-ranked opponents. Jakob Phaup bested everything Army threw at him at the X, going 15-of-18 on the day, while Danny Varello went 2-of-3 to combine for a 17-of-21 day. Drake Porter posted a career-high 16 saves, for his third-straight phenomenal start in cage. The defensive unit as a whole was dominant, causing 12 turnovers on the day, but Nick Mellen held Army's leading scorer Brendan Nichtern to one goal on the afternoon. "I think that the game went about as I thought it might go," said Head Coach John Desko. "We knew that Army was going to play for 60 minutes. They always do. I think that Coach Alberici has done a very nice job with his team as far as the style that they play to get as many goals as they can. I thought we answered, especially with Phaup on the face-off. I think that he did an outstanding job. They threw the kitchen sink at him today." The squad also continued its prolific ground ball abilities. After picking up 20 more than UAlbany last week, the team collected 41 today while only ceding 26 to Army's control. Offensively, Jacob Buttermore (2-1) led a balanced offensive attack that peppered Black Knights' goalie AJ Barretto – who made 18 saves on the day. The opening frame started with immediate pressure from the Army offense, with a shot by the Black Knights' Liam Davenport eventually finding its way through to put Army on the board first. Syracuse responded six minutes later with a goal by Brendan Curry, and then quickly followed it up with another by Jacob Buttermore. Syracuse would have a 2-1 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter. A trade of late first quarter goals by Army and Jamie Trimboli would leave Army trailing 3-2 heading into the second quarter. The second period got off to a quick start, with Army's Nicholas Garofano finding twine to tie the game again at 3-3 with 12:31 remaining in the first half. It was all Syracuse for the rest of the half, however, with both Nate Solomon and Bradley Voigt each getting a shot past the Black Knight's netminder to send the Orange into the locker room leading 5-3. Syracuse's defense went to work in the third, holding Army to a 18:45 goal drought, extending from the 12:31 mark in the second quarter to 8:46 in the third, when Army managed to slip a shot past Porter. Meanwhile, SU added goals by Nate Solomon and David Lipka, making the score 7-4 in favor of the Orange with 8:46 left in the third, concluding the decisive four-goal run. The teams traded late-quarter goals to set the score at 8-5 heading into the final frame. Army would pull back to within one, thanks to back-to-back goals from the Knight's Sean O'Brien and Matt Manown cut the Army deficit to one with 11:15 left. That's as close as the game would get, though, as Buttermore responded with his second of the afternoon with 10:26 left. Army would again cut the deficit down to one with 6:38 left, but a goal by David Lipka put the game out of reach for the Knights. Syracuse continues its homestand and opens its ACC schedule when Virginia visits the Carrier Dome on March 2. The opening faceoff is at noon on ESPNU. Season tickets remain the best value to watch the Orange this season. At just $65 for adults and $35 for youth (12 and under) fans can purchase season tickets. Season tickets are in the reserved section behind the team's bench and come with other benefits during the season which are exclusive to season ticket holders. Individual game tickets are also available at $15 for adults and $10 for youth. GAME NOTES: Porter's 16 saves were the most since Evan Molloy tallied 17 against Hobart in the 2017 season … Jake Phaup's 11 ground balls were the most since Ben Williams collected 11 against Cornell in 2017 … Syracuse has won 54-straight games where they held their opponent under 10 goals … The Orange head into February with a 2-1 record, 'Cuse has never finished the first month of the season below .500 since they started playing February games 30-years ago … Nate Solomon's goals extends his point streak to 20 games, the 13th-longest streak nationally.