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Syracuse women’s lacrosse’s season will be defined in the NCAA Tournament. After losing their last three games to Virginia Tech, No. 2 Boston College and No. 9 Stanford — in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament — the Orange enter the field at 9-8 and outside the top 15 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll. An early loss would cement SU’s campaign as its worst in recent memory.

Still, the Orange earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they’ll travel to New Haven, Connecticut, to face No. 21 Brown in the first round. If they get through the Bears, they’ll likely play No. 7 Seed Yale and potentially No. 2 Seed BC, with a chance to snap their eight-game losing skid against the Eagles.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 19 Syracuse (9-8, 5-4 ACC) will fare in the NCAA Tournament, which begins on Friday:

Aiden Stepansky
Déjà vu?
Finish: Second Round Exit

The Orange are without a doubt stumbling into the NCAA Tournament. While their season hasn’t gone as planned, SU head coach Kayla Treanor and Co. received a 16-day break to rejuvenate the squad entering what she dubbed “the second season.” SU’s early tournament path is fairly favorable, and I see it capitalizing on its break to build brief momentum before its earliest postseason exit under the fourth-year head coach.

Brown’s been competitive but rides a three-game losing streak into the national tournament, opening the door for Syracuse to take down a team with a 2-5 record against ranked opponents. I see the Bears pushing the inexperienced Orange to the brink but postseason veteran Emma Ward will do just enough to get SU over the hump.

If Syracuse were to beat Brown, it would create a possible déjà vu scenario where the Orange would then face both Yale and Boston College with their season on the line, exactly as it played out last season, just a round ahead. While it’d be quite comical for BC to end SU’s season for the third straight year, I don’t see Syracuse having enough firepower to advance past Yale this time. The Bulldogs are a machine, storming through the Ivy League Tournament and winning their last seven games dating back to their win over SU on April 2.

No déjà vu. Instead, the Orange will be sent packing at their earliest point since 2018.

Noah Nussbaum
Ivy Inferno
Finish: Second Round Exit

Two weeks ago, I predicted Syracuse would lose in the first round of the ACC Tournament to Stanford. The Orange did, getting bounced by the Cardinal 15-10. Now, for the NCAA Tournament, I’ll be a bit more optimistic. But only by a bit.

To reach the quarterfinals, SU must navigate an Ivy League inferno of Brown and likely Yale. Syracuse received a favorable draw with the Bears in the first round, which is why I see the Orange narrowly defeating them to progress. Brown’s defense is nothing to write home about, which should give the likes of Ward, Caroline Trinkaus and Emma Muchnick room to work.

But from there, like my scribe Aiden, I think Yale will be too much to handle. The Bulldogs already showed they have more than enough starpower to down Syracuse, as they stayed in control wire to wire to hand SU a 13-10 loss on April 2. Then, Fallon Vaughn and Jenna Collignon were nearly unstoppable. A month later, especially with Daniella Guyette and Syracuse’s defense’s recent struggles, I don’t see any way that changes.

The Bulldogs will crank up the heat, and the Ivy League champions will burn Syracuse’s disastrous season to the ground once and for all.

Matthew Gray
Bad News Bears
Finish: First Round Exit

In my last prediction, I gave Syracuse too much credit. Matched up with Stanford in the ACC Tournament First Round, I expected it to scrape by with a win before ultimately falling to Boston College in the semifinals. Instead, the Orange were bounced by the Cardinal after letting an 8-4 lead slip through their fingers. SU is destined for a similar fate in the NCAA Tournament.

Throughout its campaign, Syracuse showed it could secure gutsy victories. Statement single-goal wins over conference foes Stanford, Notre Dame and Virginia padded SU’s NCAA Tournament resume as it marched closer to May. But SU hasn’t looked the same since. Following its matchup with the Cavaliers, the Orange went 1-4 to close the season. To make matters worse, one of those losses came against an ACC bottom-feeder in Virginia Tech. The Hokies hadn’t defeated a ranked team in almost two years.

With all that being said, I don’t see Syracuse snapping out of its funk before taking on Brown. The Bears may not be SU’s toughest test this season, but don’t let their low rank fool you. Brown earned two multi-goal wins against ranked opponents this season, including a 14-11 triumph over the eventual Ivy League Tournament champion, Yale. Based on SU’s recent defensive and goaltending performances — allowing 32 tallies in its past two games — I see more sloppy mistakes sabotaging Syracuse into a first-round exit.

From there, one of the Orange’s longest offseasons in recent memory will await them.

Published on May 7, 2025 at 10:25 pm