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For the first time since its opening three games, Syracuse has established a three-game winning streak. After a bumpy 1-4 stretch versus five-straight ranked foes, the Orange have found a groove over the last two weeks to improve to three games over .500.

A win over unranked Pitt began the stretch, followed by a close win over then-No. 17 Loyola on the road. Then, last Saturday against then-No. 21 Notre Dame, SU jumped out to a 4-1 lead but slipped in the second frame. With draw success throughout the second half, the Orange leaned on their late-game experience to pull out a 12-11 victory, staving off a ferocious ND comeback attempt.

Syracuse now looks to extend its winning streak to four for its longest of the season against Virginia. The Cavaliers are 3-3 versus ranked opponents this year and only have one loss in nonconference play. They also carry a three-game winning streak into the contest.

Here’s everything to know about No. 11 Virginia (7-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) ahead of its matchup with No. 7 Syracuse (7-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) Saturday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 17-9.

Last time they played …

Following a tight regular-season matchup where Syracuse came out on top by just one goal, an ACC Tournament Semifinal clash in Charlotte looked to be another wire-to-wire thriller. Though the No. 1 seed Orange kicked down the door on April 26, 2024, and never looked back. SU garnered an 8-0 run to begin the contest, eventually capturing a 19-4 victory over the No. 5 seed Cavaliers to advance to the title game.

An astounding 22-3 advantage in the draw circle led by Kate Mashewske’s game-high 16 resulted in the Orange’s offensive barrage. Four scorers tallied a hat trick or better, and leading scorer Emma Tyrrell totaled five points — all in the first half — helping SU cruise to a date with Boston College.

The Cavaliers report

Following an impressive regular-season run a year ago, the Cavaliers fell short in the NCAA Tournament. UVA lost at home in the NCAA Second Round to Florida, which ultimately made the Final Four. In 2025, Virginia lost its two leading scorers, Morgan Schwab and Katia Carnevale, to graduation. However, it returns multiple contributors from a year ago who have stepped into larger roles.

Madison Alaimo is efficient both scoring and facilitating, averaging the ninth most assists per game in the country while tallying 45 points. Jenna Dinardo leads the way in scoring with 28 goals, and Addi Foster and Kate Galica have racked up 20 each.

The quartet of contributors has led the Cavaliers to a 3-2 start in ACC play, defeating Cal, Duke and Pitt. Their only losses overall were to then-No. 14 Stanford, then-No. 19 Navy and No. 2 UNC. Though within their defeats, it’s been the draw unit that’s been a consistent positive.

Galica’s led the unit to 16.5 draw controls per game, ranking second in the conference, only behind Boston College. Overall, UVA’s attack ranks fifth in the ACC in goals per game at 14.00 but ninth in goals against at 11.52.

How Syracuse beats Virginia

SU can take down UVA for its fourth ACC win by overcoming its second-quarter struggles. A consistent sequence of Syracuse’s season has been jumping out to a quick start but crumbling in the second frame. The Orange showed the same mistakes versus Notre Dame, allowing a 4-0 second-quarter run to flip a 4-1 lead into a 5-4 deficit.

Virginia’s faulty defense creates an area for SU to exploit to grab a large enough lead that the Cavaliers likely won’t come back from. Despite Joely Caramelli reviving the draw unit recently, Galica poses a threat that could flip the game in UVA’s favor. If the Orange can hold strong in the second quarter and stifle Galica just enough on the draw, they should secure the victory.

Stat to know: .398

The clear weakness of Virginia’s team in 2025 has been between the pipes. The Cavaliers boast just a .398 save percentage, ranking dead last of 12 ACC squads. UVA’s allowed double-digit goals against all six ranked opponents this season, and its starting goalie, Mel Josephson, has allowed 97 goals on 160 shots faced.

Senior Abby Jansen is yet to make a start but has cycled in six times thus far in relief of Josephson, surrendering 17 goals on 30 shots faced. The two goalies combined, in addition to junior Breese Burlingame’s seven minutes of work, are performing at a far worse clip than SU’s Daniella Guyette in the cage. In her first year starting, Guyette ranks first in the conference in saves at 109 and fifth with a .474 save percentage, taking home ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for her recent efforts.

Player to watch: Kate Galica, midfield, No. 5

Galica’s freshman campaign in 2024 couldn’t have gone much better. The Wayne, Pennsylvania, native burst onto the scene as UVA’s primary draw control specialist, setting a single-season freshman record and capturing ACC Freshman of the Year honors.

In her second year with the Cavaliers, Galica has been just as dominant. Following Preseason All-American honors from multiple publications, she’s so far tallied an ACC-leading 99 draw controls through 10 games, including a 15 draw control outing against Cal. After she wins the draw, the Orange can’t ignore her scoring prowess. Galica’s 20 goals rank second on the squad and bolster an attack with five players tallying 20-plus points.

Published on March 26, 2025 at 11:08 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky