Molly Guzik debuts as No. 11 SU’s draw specialist in 9-5 loss to No. 7 UMD
Syracuse chose Molly Guzik as its draw taker after hiding the decision all offseason. She won six draws in its loss to No. 7 Maryland. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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It took Syracuse just 16 days to hash out its most glaring uncertainty this offseason, filling its head coach vacancy with Regy Thorpe.
But another jarring issue remained in jeopardy until moments before game time Friday: The Orange didn’t have a designated draw specialist.
Meghan Rode controlled a team-high 75 draws last year, but transferred to Richmond in the offseason. The Orange dearly missed Kate Mashewske in 2025, who broke SU’s single-season record with 234 controls the year prior.
There were many routes Syracuse could have taken, but Thorpe was keen on his choice of Molly Guzik all offseason. Entrusting her with initiating play out of a break or following a goal was a hefty decision, and the Orange kept it private, despite flashing a glimpse of their tactics in an exhibition win against Niagara Sunday.
When it came time to reveal the plan, Guzik trotted out to Block S at midfield, planting her left foot in front of the right, fidgeting in the wait for her opportunity.
Hunched over, her eyes locked on the ball, Guzik ripped away from Kayla Gilmore, flinging it over her head and softly controlling it with her stick to kick off her year as SU’s designated draw specialist.
Guzik controlled six draws in No. 11 Syracuse’s (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 9-5 defeat to No. 7 Maryland (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten). Amid the discrepancy on the scoreboard, the Orange matched the Terrapins in draw controls at eight apiece. Thorpe’s decision to give her the starting position proved Guzik was the cream of the crop of a deep draw unit that could have opted for other options.
“We have Molly and (Joely Caramelli) and (Courtney Maclay) and (Ireland Mistretta),” Thorpe said. “We didn’t have to go that deep tonight.”
Mistretta, Ella Peers and Mackenzie Borbi — all freshmen — controlled at least 170 draws in high school but never saw the field. In fact, the Orange barely saw their bench Friday, featuring two reserves in the first half and four throughout the contest, none of which were freshmen. That gave Guzik minimal rest time, and she remained poised on every draw.
“She’s a little fresher offensively, with the new role coming off the field and exchanging a stick,” Thorpe said. “It’s a lot of extra running for her.”
After her first dispatch of Gilmore, Guzik had another trick up her sleeve. She quickly quieted the UMD sophomore, launching the ball over her head for Mileena Cotter to cup in her stick and run downfield with.
The steady start didn’t mean everything would be smooth sailing. Guzik dropped two in the first quarter, but she rebounded in the second frame, conquering Gilmore twice early.
To bolster the momentum created by Caroline Trinkaus’ goal, which trimmed Maryland’s lead to 3-1, Guzik reached for the ball and patted it down to create instant offense. Following the Terrapins’ fourth tally, she exited a crowded blue circle and recycled the ball through the defense.
“It’s going to be a great year for us in the draw circle,” Guzik said Wednesday. “We’re looking to go 50% or above.”
Surpassing 50% wasn’t sustainable against the Terrapins, but the Orange kept the draw tight in a game they didn’t have much else to hang their hat on. Gilmore got the better of Guzik on the ensuing two tie-ups, with Kori Edmondson snatching one of them.
But even her flashy flicks — that didn’t always earn Guzik a draw control on that stat sheet — proved impressive. To open the second half, Alexa Vogelman cradled a flying ball that Guzik sent her.
“Molly did a good job. We were hitting our marks on the circle,” Thorpe said. “We got a little away from it in the middle of the second, but we went and made the adjustment at halftime to go back to what we wanted to do.”
Following the Terrapins’ sixth goal, Edmondson got to the next loose ball, but Guzik turned her game up a notch to give SU life after its abysmal start. The sophomore had a seamless win, taking a few steps before snatching the ball out of the air and moving forward. Before the next stoppage, Guzik even found back iron.
Although her draw strategy was irrelevant to her offensive output, the position switch that Guzik revealed Wednesday helped her lead both teams in shots on goal.
“She generated 10 shots tonight, but we need to be better for her,” Thorpe said. “She’s a converted midfielder to attack. She’s got the legs and the stamina.”
Guzik’s crowning moment came after the goal. She controlled the draw by weaving through a crowd of Terrapins in the blue circle, reaching behind her back with her left hand and twisting around Emma Abbazia’s back.
Despite a lackluster fourth quarter where the attack lost three of her four draws, the performance was reminiscent of Guzik’s high school days at Spencerport High School (New York), when she controlled 150 draws as a senior.
“(The draw control) was something I really did want to do, and it’s something that I worked on,” Guzik said Wednesday.
Despite its win over UMD last year, SU lost the draw battle 16-12. Rode only took one. The Orange ranked ninth in the ACC in controls in 2025, and only outmatched their opponents on the draw in just nine of their 19 games.
The fact that Maryland — which controlled 303 draws to its adversaries’ 233 last year — was paced by Guzik in her first collegiate game as a draw specialist was promising.
“It felt great,” Guzik said postgame. “We did a lot of preparation coming into this game, all throughout the fall, and in the offseason to be good on the draw, at least 50%. And I think we executed really well today on that part of the field. We got to clean it up everywhere else, too.”
DISCLAIMER: Courtney Maclay is a contributing writer for The Daily Orange. She did not influence the editorial content of this article.
