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For the first time in a month, Syracuse is on a winning streak. An up-and-down season mixed with a season-ending injury to its leading goal scorer and five straight ranked opponents resulted in SU’s first three-game losing streak since 2018 and its lowest Inside Lacrosse Poll ranking under fourth-year head coach Kayla Treanor.

Following a three-game winning streak to begin the season, the Orange went 1-4 through their five-game ranked stretch. But Syracuse has since defeated Pitt and No. 17 Loyola to climb back to its usual winning ways. Against the Greyhounds Wednesday, the Orange got off to a scorching start behind Emma Muchnick’s career day, holding on for a 14-12 victory.

Syracuse now looks to extend its winning streak to three Sunday versus Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are 6-4 to start the 2025 campaign but have dropped all four matchups against ranked opponents.

Here’s everything to know about No. 21 Notre Dame (6-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) ahead of its matchup with No. 8 Syracuse (6-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) Sunday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 19-7.

Last time they played …

On Feb. 24, 2024, Syracuse’s season was at a crossroads. The Orange began the year 1-2, falling by three to then-No. 1 Northwestern and in overtime to then-No. 9 Maryland. Already dropping more regular-season games than the year prior, SU traveled to South Bend to take on then-No. 2 Notre Dame.

Despite trailing 10-6 at halftime, the then-No. 7 Orange flipped the script in the second half with a 6-1 third-quarter advantage, leading to a 16-14 victory. Attack Olivia Adamson and midfielder Natalie Smith combined for eight goals, while Kate Mashewske dominated the draw circle with 10 wins, leading Syracuse past the Fighting Irish to start 1-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

The Fighting Irish report

A year ago, Notre Dame posted one of its best seasons ever, finishing 16-4 with a 24-6 victory over Coastal Carolina in the NCAA Tournament First Round. But the Fighting Irish were largely led by Jackie Wolak’s 110 points and Madison Ahern’s 80. Wolak and Ahern teamed up this season again, but for the Boston Guard of the Women’s Lacrosse League, leaving a void in ND’s attack.

So far, without last year’s stars, the Fighting Irish are lacking an efficient attack. They’re just 1-3 in conference play, scoring under double-digit goals in two of those contests. Along with ACC struggles, ND’s failed to find any footing in ranked play, falling to then-No. 2 Northwestern 13-10 in its season opener.

Without Wolak or Ahern, Notre Dame has relied heavily on freshman Madison Rassas, who leads the team in points at 32. Along with Rassas, Kristen Shanahan, Kathryn Morrissey and Emma Murphy have each added 20 or more points thus far, resulting in Notre Dame ranking ninth in the ACC in goals per game at 12.5.

The Fighting Irish also lost their goalie from a season ago. Lilly Callahan allowed just 9.23 goals per game in 2024, but so far, Isabel Pithie has stepped into a larger role and thrived. The senior, who rarely appeared in her first three seasons, boasts a .513 save percentage with just 8.43 goals against per game.

Overall, ND serves as a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, falling to similar teams to the Orange like Clemson and Northwestern, but knocking off most unranked, nonconference foes with relative ease.

How Syracuse beats Notre Dame

The Orange’s bout with the Fighting Irish for their third-straight win will come down to the same area that’s proved to be make-or-break all season — the draw. Still, 10 games into SU’s season, it’s failed to establish a consistent brand on the draw control. It switched between Joely Caramelli and Meghan Rode in the circle against Loyola, losing the draw battle 16-4 in the first half and 19-10 overall.

Luckily for Syracuse, ND is also poor on the draw. It’s averaging 12.3 draws per game, just 0.1 more than the Orange. The Fighting Irish are led by Rassas, Ava Kristynik and Meghan O’Hare, but none have more than 30 wins. For SU, it’s fairly simple. Win the draw, secure possession and likely walk away 3-2 in the hardest conference in the country.

Stat to know: 2,556

While the Fighting Irish have stood next to Syracuse among the elite teams in the ACC over the past few years, the Orange have dominated ND lately. SU’s last loss to Notre Dame came 2,556 days before its matchup Sunday, falling 11-10 in overtime on March 24, 2018.

Syracuse has won the last six matchups since then, sporting a 3-0 record under Treanor. In the six-game stretch, the Orange have won in both tight and blowout games, holding a plus-15 margin at the JMA Wireless Dome and a plus-19 margin overall.

Player to watch: Madison Rassas, midfield, No. 27

Ranked as the No. 2 player in Inside Lacrosse’s 2024 class, Rassas has lived up to the hype through her first 10 career games. The Sterling, Virginia, native leads the Fighting Irish in goals (28), points (32) and draw controls (29), propelling her to be the face of ND’s program thus far.

Rassas’ accolades before reaching South Bend included being named a two-time USA Lacrosse All-American and serving as a member of the USA U20 Training Team. In Notre Dame’s most recent bout against No. 22 Harvard, Rassas emerged for four of its goals, pushing it past the Crimson 8-6. The Fighting Irish rank in the bottom half of the conference offensively, but if anyone strikes for ND, it’ll likely be the freshman phenom.

Published on March 22, 2025 at 6:58 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky