Syracuse suffers worst loss under Treanor, falls 17-2 to No. 2 BC
Syracuse never stood a chance against Boston College, being held scoreless across the first 41 minutes as the Eagles built a 12-0 lead. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor
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One thousand four hundred forty-eight days.
It’s been 1,448 days since Syracuse defeated its nemesis, Boston College. When the Orange last beat the Eagles on April 30, 2021, head coach Kayla Treanor was an assistant for BC.
Nearly four years have gone by. Treanor, despite reaching the Final Four in two of her first three seasons, had yet to beat her former squad across six matchups entering Thursday’s contest. Of the 2025 SU roster, only Emma Ward has ever taken down the defending national champions.
In the Orange’s regular season finale, the consistent failures continued but on a historic level. No. 16 Syracuse (9-7, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 2 Boston College (15-1, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) 17-2, dropping its eighth-straight game to BC. The Orange’s seven regular-season losses mark their most since 2018 and the worst ever in Treanor’s tenure. SU went scoreless in the first half, not finding the back of the net in the opening 30 minutes for the first time in 15 years. The Orange’s two goals were their fewest across a single game in program history.
Postgame, it was difficult for Treanor to explain the catastrophic defeat.
“Obviously, that was not a great performance by us,” she said. “And it was a pretty unbelievable performance by them.”
Less than a year ago, the two squads were vying for a spot in the National Championship. Boston College’s defense suffocated Syracuse to capture a three-goal win. Since then, both teams have gone in vastly different directions. BC won the National Championship and has lost just one game all season, falling to undefeated North Carolina. Syracuse has produced a down year, with its recent game being an upset loss to unranked Virginia Tech.
Fast forward to 30 minutes into the contest. SU starting goalie Daniella Guyette trotted to the bench as backup Allie Hanlon took her spot. The clock ran despite stoppages of play. Syracuse trailed 10-0.
The contest began just as one would expect from the No. 2 team in the country: pure domination. The Eagles started on a 12-0 run, coasting to a blowout win.
Molly Driscoll, Mckenna Davis and Emma LoPinto got the scoring barrage started with multiple inside finishes sliced through SU’s zone. Then, BC’s top star emerged to blow the doors off the Orange.
Senior Rachel Clark, who entered Thursday with an ACC-leading 89 points, tormented Syracuse in the Final Four a year ago with a game-high five goals. Her dominance continued into 2025 as she scored three consecutive goals to extend BC’s lead to six. In the end, Clark’s eight goals made a statement. Though her efficiency, with just nine shots, was the coup de grâce.
Syracuse’s attack early on received some looks but was pushed to the right elbow with fadeaway shots, missing the cage or allowing BC goalie Shea Dolce to easily corral it. Treanor described the early attack as “stagnant,” unable to move the needle. Two offside penalties aided an ugly start for SU, falling behind 7-0 15 minutes in.
SU’s defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, let alone one of the top attacks in the country. Early in the second frame, Clark slipped inside again, practically going untouched for a goal before another score by Davis.
Falling to the Hokies five days prior was an unexpected embarrassment. Though the fashion in which the Orange collapsed from start to finish against the Eagles can only be classified as an utter ambush.
Through the second half, Guyette returned between the pipes, but it didn’t matter. Dolce, who entered as the reigning ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and boasted the second-best save percentage in the country, was impenetrable. She saved the first nine shots she faced and used her prowess behind the cage to pick off multiple passes from X, finishing with 12 saves on 14 shots.
“She’s just an outstanding goalie,” SU graduate student Sam DeVito said. “Kind of chalk it up to one of the best in the country, one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
Meanwhile, Guyette and Hanlon combined for four saves on 21 shots faced. The Orange did find the back of the net eventually. Forty-one minutes and 12 seconds into the contest, Caroline Trinkaus ripped through the middle of the fan and beat Dolce. Naturally, the Eagles answered less than 90 seconds later and found the back of the net five more times across the final minutes.
Despite past losses to Boston College resulting in the same outcome, this one felt different. There was less on the line. Past matchups exerted a different air, where the Orange had a chance but came up short time and time again.
This was expected and never close.
