No. 7 Maryland spoils Thorpe’s debut, downs No. 11 Syracuse 9-5
The Regy Thorpe era started in disappointment Friday, as No. 7 Maryland defeated No. 11 Syracuse 9-5 to drop SU to 0-1. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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Regy Thorpe aggressively jumped around. His hands, once in his pockets or behind his back, emerged, and the first-year head coach began clapping. Not in a good way, but in anger. Thorpe, a former SU defender, assistant coach and associate head coach at Florida, centers his coaching philosophy around “five minutes at a time.”
He doesn’t look ahead; instead, he focuses on what his team can do in five-minute increments. For the gauntlet of a schedule Syracuse has, it makes sense. Why look at No. 1 North Carolina next week when you have No. 7 Maryland on your hands for the season opener?
But for Thorpe and Co., whether it was eyeing the first five minutes, 10 or all 60, it didn’t matter. No. 11 Syracuse (0-1, Atlantic Coast) just couldn’t figure out No. 7 Maryland (1-0, Big Ten), falling 9-5 to begin the Thorpe era.
“The Dome’s not an easy place to play. (Maryland) came in locked in,” Thorpe said postgame. “We got lots of opportunities, and we didn’t finish. We talk a lot about being efficient offensively, and we certainly weren’t that tonight.”
SU’s attack, missing former standouts Emma Ward and Olivia Adamson, looked lifeless, while its defense, anchored by Coco Vandiver and Kaci Benoit, couldn’t quiet Maryland’s Lauren Lapointe (five goals), despite silencing Inside Lacrosse’s No. 4 player, Kori Edmondson.
Syracuse goalie Daniella Guyette said Lapointe’s ravage caught her by surprise, and she didn’t make as many adjustments as she would’ve liked. She wasn’t the only one searching for change.
SU outshot Maryland 38-19 and 21-16 on goal, yet its offense couldn’t bury the hatchet with scores of its own to catch up to UMD’s high-flying attack.
“We were on the doorstep a couple of times. (Maryland’s) goalie shut us down,” Thorpe said. “Going forward, we certainly need to clean up that side of the ball.”
Thorpe said one positive was SU’s defense, which he crowned “very good.” He understood the Orange’s offensive inabilities caused his defense to get worn down but was impressed by how they kept Syracuse in “striking distance.”
“(Maryland’s) a heck of a team,” Thorpe said.
“I feel if we could have got a couple more there and made it a two-goal game, we could’ve maybe come out on the other end,” he added.
Although Thorpe praised SU’s first five minutes, it wasn’t as visually pleasing. The Orange’s first time up the field saw Emma Muchnick, Caroline Trinkaus and Ashlee Volpe misfire shots. Though SU repeatedly retained possession, Joely Caramelli stumbled by the net, turning the ball over moments later.
Those two minutes and 10 seconds were Syracuse’s most commanding. The Orange returned the ball after an Edmondson turnover, but SU’s lone shot on its next possession, a Molly Guzik rocket, rattled off the post.
“We had a couple good opportunities early,” Thorpe said. “We could’ve been up 3-1, 3-0, and we didn’t cash in. We just gotta do a better job.”
Guyette admitted her focus over the week lay on Edmondson, who notched 73 points in 2025 and became the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year. For Guyette, it was a difficult pill to swallow seeing Edmondson stifled — one assist — while the Terrapins kept pouring it on.
“I would’ve liked to really take an extra step out, try and cut out as much of the angles I can,” Guyette said. “Those are just personal adjustments I need to be able to make in the game.”
2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kayla Gilmore opened the scoring, converting a free position after a Vandiver foul. UMD then looked to Lapointe for its next two scores, which put the Terrapins ahead 3-0 by the first quarter’s end.
Despite outshooting Maryland 38-19 and tying the draw control battle 8-8, No. 11 Syracuse started its season with a 9-5 loss versus No. 7 Maryland. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
Thorpe was content Maryland couldn’t extend its lead beyond three or four in the opening frame. He told his team it’s a “game of runs,” and as long as his players could find one, they’d be right back in it.
As the first half waned, though, a run was nowhere in sight. Thorpe’s hands moved from his pockets to his play sheet to his forehead, which he scratched in seeming confusion. Guzik — SU’s draw control specialist this season after Meghan Rode’s move to Richmond — corralled six draws, but the Orange still had no answers.
“I think we executed really well today on (draws),” Guzik said. “We gotta clean it up everywhere else, too.”
Entering halftime down 6-1, a 15-minute break wasneeded. Thorpe said his message to his team was to “hang in there,” that it’s an “uphill battle,” and, especially with the shot clock, you’re never truly out of a game.
But both squads went to and fro on the scoreboard for the final 30 minutes. Trinkaus added her second goal of the game. Then came Kristen Shanahan to match. Guzik rang home her first. Lapointe then added her fourth and fifth.
“We just couldn’t get that multiple-goal run going,” Thorpe said. “Gotta give Maryland a lot of credit for limiting those runs.”
On Wednesday, Thorpe said his players were “chomping at the bit” to get going. He said there are no days or nights off at Syracuse, and you come to play the best.
Maryland was test No. 1 — the first piece of an excruciating puzzle. Next up is No. 1 UNC, which Thorpe called a “great opportunity” to get back on track.
But if Friday’s loss is any indication of what’s to come, Thorpe’s debut season may be an ugly one.
