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Syracuse is free-falling. Its matchup with historic rival Boston College is usually its biggest of the year between two of lacrosse’s juggernauts. But SU entered Thursday’s showdown with No. 2 BC in a precarious position. The Orange’s upset loss to Virginia Tech marked the most regular-season defeats in head coach Kayla Treanor’s four-year tenure and dropped them to a historically low No. 16 in the rankings.

So, SU desperately needed to beat the Eagles to halt its downward spiral this season and in the rivalry. Syracuse used to dominate BC, winning their first 12 matchups. But as of late, the Orange have dropped the ball. Boston College has won the squads’ last seven duels, dating back to 2021 and has continuously been one of the best teams in the country.

Entering Thursday, it didn’t look like that trend would change. BC has been a top-2 team all season, sporting a near-unblemished record, with its only loss on April 5 to No. 1 North Carolina. SU, on the other hand, is moving further away from being one of the sport’s elite teams.

On Thursday, that trend continued. And it wasn’t even close. The Eagles lambasted the Orange for a 10-0 halftime lead, holding them off the board for the first 41 minutes. Boston College didn’t let up in the second half, blowing out SU 17-2. It was the fewest goals the Orange have scored in program history.

Here are some observations from No. 16 Syracuse’s (9-7, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) eighth straight loss to No. 2 Boston College (15-1, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) 17-2:

BC blitzes SU early

From the start, it was easy to see Boston College had the advantage, especially offensively. Against VT, Syracuse struggled to stop its duo of Lauren Render and Mia Pozzi, who combined for 11 goals. BC continued that trend by absolutely blitzing Syracuse early.

Just three minutes in, Syracuse committed a penalty, and Molly Driscoll fired a low shot past Daniella Guyette in net to make it 1-0 on the ensuing free position. BC subsequently scored two more goals before the mid-quarter media timeout to go up 3-0, all without contributions from its leading scorer Rachel Clark.

But then Clark got involved, helping the Eagles double their lead to 6-0. After just one quarter, they led 7-0 and had converted 70% of their shots into goals.

Though BC slowed down in the second, scoring just three goals, it still maintained its stranglehold on the game. BC’s trio of Clark, Emma LoPinto and Mckenna Davis powered its offense, with each of them recording at least four points by halftime to propel it to a 10-0 advantage. With their mammoth lead, the Eagles slowed down after halftime but still cruised to a win, boosted by their impeccable first half.

Guyette’s abysmal day

One of Syracuse’s most consistent areas this season has been Guyette in net. The junior entered Thursday ranked 13th in the country with 142 saves in just her first season as a starter. She’s largely kept SU in games when its offense isn’t clicking.

But against BC’s strong attack, she was abysmal. She made a save on Boston College’s first possession, but it all went downhill from there. Guyette allowed six straight goals while not making a single save. The Eagles tacked on three more to go up 9-0.

After BC scored its ninth goal, Guyette was pulled for backup goalie Allie Hanlon — the first time Guyette’s been benched all season. She finished the first half with a .100 save percentage, allowing nine goals with one save.

Guyette was reinserted in net to begin the third, but nothing changed. She immediately allowed a goal to Devon Russell and Clark’s sixth to push Boston College’s advantage to 12-0. Despite the Eagles letting up slightly in the second half, Guyette still finished with a .200 save percentage and just four saves.

Clark runs wild

Syracuse had its hands full with Boston College’s potent attack Thursday. The unit boasts three players with over 70 points. But of the three, which includes Davis and LoPinto, star attacker Clark stands out. Clark entered the game tied with Northwestern’s Madison Taylor, the other main contender for the Tewaaraton Award, with 71 goals.

Clark proved her case for the honor against the Orange. With seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, she got on the board via two straight free positions, making Guyette look silly and boosting BC’s lead to 5-0. She added her third goal shortly after with a strike from right in front of the crease.

In the second, Clark kept tacking on. She stood unmarked right in front of Guyette four minutes in. LoPinto lobbed her a pass from X, and she one-touched it into the net to make it 8-0. She tacked on once more with another free position, slotting her shot into the bottom right corner for her fifth goal.

As Syracuse employed a zone throughout the second half, it still couldn’t stop Clark. She motored through SU’s unit and put one through Guyette’s legs for her sixth goal of the day. Clark finished with a season-high eight goals, dicing up Syracuse’s defense.

SU’s nonexistent offense

With BC’s strong offense, Syracuse needed to match it if it wanted to stay in the game. It didn’t even come close. SU had the opportunities early, firing three shots from acute angles on the right side of the net in the first six minutes, but they were either wide or saved by BC goalie Shea Dolce.

Then, SU failed to get a shot off on back-to-back possessions due to penalties, continuing to give BC all the momentum it needed. In the first quarter, Syracuse sent just three shots at goal, all of which were saved by Dolce. Top offensive threat Emma Ward was also ineffective, not recording a single point all game.

The struggles persisted in the second quarter. Caroline Trinkaus — coming off her first zero-point performance of the season against Virginia Tech — drove inside in front of Dolce. But Dolce knocked the shot down again. Syracuse didn’t even get another shot off for the next eight minutes, when Dolce stalled Ward. It finished the first half without a goal for the first time since April 11, 2010, in a 6-5 loss to then-No. 15 Notre Dame.

The second half was no different. Dolce continued to be a brick wall in net, accumulating six more of her 12 saves. Trinkaus finally got Syracuse on the board at the 3:48 mark of the third quarter, 41 minutes into the game. SU finished the game with just three shots fewer than BC but couldn’t take advantage, leading to its embarrassment.

Published on April 17, 2025 at 9:03 pm
Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99