Previewing No. 11 Syracuse’s penultimate regular season game at VT
Emma Muchnick will look to help Syracuse continue its offensive success against Cal, when it scored 18 goals, its most in ACC play. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
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With five losses through 14 games, Syracuse’s fourth regular season under Kayla Treanor is already its worst. The Orange have ridden a seesaw all season, shuffling in and out of the Inside Lacrosse Poll’s top five while playing tight contests against ranked opponents.
A recent four-game winning streak seemed to solidify SU as a top team in the country, but an upset loss to then-No. 13 Yale knocked the Orange to No. 11 in the nation, marking their first time outside the top 10 since Week 1 of the 2019 season.
Luckily for Syracuse, it has a two-game set against two of the worst teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference to revive itself before battling No. 2 Boston College in the regular-season finale. The Orange began the set with a dominant 18-6 win at Cal. Next is Virginia Tech, which has struggled against ranked opponents all season and recently ended a five-game losing streak.
Here’s everything to know about the Hokies (8-7, 2-5 ACC) ahead of their matchup with No. 11 Syracuse (9-5, 5-2 ACC) Saturday:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 17-1.
Last time they played …
On March 9, 2024, Syracuse traveled to Blacksburg coming off a heartbreaking loss. The Orange had fallen four days prior to then-No. 12 Stony Brook 13-12 in overtime, pushing them to 3-3. SU answered the bell and bounced back with pure domination.
Against the Hokies, Syracuse led from wire to wire to pull out a 15-5 win. The Orange jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held VT out of the net for the first 16 minutes. As SU added on through Emma Ward’s game-high six points, the Hokies couldn’t respond. In the end, it was the first of a nine-game winning streak, and the eighth straight win against Virginia Tech.
The Hokies report
In its fourth season under head coach Kristen Skiera, VT is again at the bottom of the premier conference in women’s lacrosse. The Hokies are 2-5 in conference play, taking down only Pitt and Louisville.
Virginia Tech has allowed 25 more goals than it’s scored but has strong scoring options on offense. Sophomore Mia Pozzi, a Baldwinsville, New York, native, took her talents to Blacksburg, where she leads the team with 46 points. Junior Lauren Render is close behind at 45 with a team-high 40 goals despite playing in just 13 of 15 games. The next closest after the pair is senior midfielder Maura O’Malley with 26.
On the draw, the Hokies are eighth in the ACC at 12.93 per game, just ahead of the Orange. VT has five players with 25 or more draws, led by Pozzi’s 38 and Sophia Trahan’s 35. In net, Stony Brook transfer Aaliyah Jones has been a mainstay with 13 starts and 132 total saves. Jones leads the conference in saves per game (10.23) but also has led the Hokies to the second-most goals against per game (12.67).
How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech
Based on the trajectories of both squads, it won’t take much for the Orange to dismantle the Hokies and cruise into the season finale on a two-game winning streak. SU can pick up its fifth road victory by riding Ward’s hot hand.
The attacker is in the final stages of her illustrious career with the Orange and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Against the Golden Bears, she notched seven points while dishing out five assists. Ward ranks fourth in the ACC in assists per game at 2.71. If the Orange play through her, the Hokies simply won’t have the strength to stop her.
Stat to know: -72
In Virginia Tech’s six contests against ranked opponents, it’s 0-6. The Hokies possess an embarrassing minus-72 goal margin in those games, reaching double digits just once and failing to do so against all ranked ACC foes.
They recently ended a five-game cold streak with a one-goal win over unranked Coastal Carolina. Amid the losing skid, VT fell by a margin of 53 goals, dropping by 19 to then-No. 8 Stanford on March 14. The Orange are 5-5 in their ranked matchups, taking down two top-10 opponents through their first 14 games.
Player to watch: Lauren Render, midfield, No. 13
After injuries riddled Render’s sophomore campaign a year ago, she’s returned as the Hokies’ primary offensive weapon. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native ranks seventh in the ACC with 3.08 goals per game, totaling 40 through 13 games.
While a prolific goal scorer, Render often stars on the draw control, too. She tallied only two across her first two seasons but is up to 32 in 2025, notching a tied-for-season-high six versus then-No. 1 Boston College. If the Orange slow Render, they’ll likely breeze through VT and limit any scoring.
