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Regy Thorpe compared the start of Syracuse’s season to a puzzle. The first-year head coach knows SU’s schedule consists of many pieces and is tough to solve, but said it’s a great opportunity for his team to “defend the Dome.”

Ten matchups with 2025 NCAA Tournament qualifiers — six of which are ranked in the Inside Lacrosse top 10 — lie ahead. The gauntlet is the most challenging schedule in Division I, per Lacrosse Reference, but Thorpe is approaching it one game at a time.

“We’re in a periodization phase,” Thorpe said. “We’re just focused on the first five minutes against Maryland. Then we’ll take the next five minutes. If you look at (Maryland, UNC, Stanford), it’s certainly overwhelming. We’re worrying about winning practice today and preparing what we can do better tomorrow.”

With Syracuse aiming to reassert its national relevance, a rigorous schedule is exactly what the Orange need. SU is coming off a 9-8 season and NCAA Tournament Second Round exit to Yale, but has the roster talent to make a run down the stretch.

Here are five must-watch games on Syracuse’s 2026 regular-season schedule:

No. 7 Maryland, Feb. 6

Not only is Syracuse’s season opener the start of the Thorpe era, but it’ll also answer many lingering questions. The Orange must replace attacks Emma Ward and Olivia Adamson, and they still haven’t solidified their draw control unit. No. 7 Maryland is far from a pushover, and it’s a tough first test for SU to grapple with.

The Terrapins enter the JMA Wireless Dome after a 2025 NCAA Tournament Second Round exit and return four of their five leading scorers. Kori Edmondson headlines the group, ranking fourth on Inside Lacrosse’s top 50 players, while Kayla Gilmore, at No. 36, is poised to build off a debut 2025 season that ended in Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

Emma Muchnick played with eight of UMD’s current players as a freshman with the Terrapins, and Coco Vandiver battled Edmondson at McDonogh High School (Maryland). But that won’t stop Maryland from seeking revenge after falling 15-9 to SU last season.

Although it’s Syracuse’s first game, it can make or break what the Orange are building. The Terrapins have been SU’s kryptonite in the past — leading the all-time series 21-3. Passing this test unscathed would be a massive boost for Syracuse’s season outlook.

No. 1 North Carolina, Feb. 13

There’s no task as daunting as 2025 Tewaaraton Award recipient Chloe Humphrey and the defending national champion Tar Heels. North Carolina, the nation’s top squad, is a two-headed monster, and Syracuse must play near-perfect to tame it.

UNC ranked first in D-I in both scoring offense and defense last season. Most of that can be credited to Humphrey, who ranked fifth in the nation in points (118), third in goals (90) and tied for second among Tar Heels in ground balls (28). Eighteen of her 22 performances were hat-tricks, and there’s no reason to believe she’ll slow down.

Humphrey’s outing against the Orange last season was a rare off day — two goals and one assist on a season-high 12 shots — but SU’s eight-goal loss, its second-largest of the season, revealed UNC’s depth.

That depth only improved this offseason. The Tar Heels added the No. 1 recruiting haul in the nation, per Inside Lacrosse. It consists of 10 players, seven of whom are five-stars, including No. 4 overall recruit Grace Winkler.

As SU’s second game of the year, this matchup could send the Orange in one of two directions: grab a program-defining victory that boosts their resume or stumble further as the gauntlet continues.

Adelaide Guan | Design Editor

No. 2 Northwestern, March 12

Northwestern is the snake Syracuse can’t seem to escape. The Wildcats have poached two of SU’s most valuable pieces over the last two years in goalie Delaney Sweitzer and Adamson. There’s a different kind of hunger for the Orange to prove Syracuse is the place to be. But with how the previous years have played out, Northwestern definitely holds the upper hand.

The Wildcats have won four of their last five matchups with SU, dating back to 2022. Even with former Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor out and Thorpe in, there’s a scant chance the narrative shifts. But Adamson is unlikely to let that happen.

In four seasons with the Orange, Adamson’s 129 goals and 61 assists paired nicely with Ward to build a near-unstoppable attack. Now, next to Madison Taylor — who set the NCAA single-season record with 109 goals in 2025 — Adamson will likely form another indestructible duo.

The Wildcats fell to the Tar Heels in the national championship last season. A Syracuse win over Northwestern would be the perfect way to ring in a fresh era. With their former star on the other side, the Orange should be hungrier than ever.

No. 14 Yale, March 17

Yale isn’t a particularly special team. It doesn’t compete with the squads listed above. But for Syracuse, a win might mean more. The Bulldogs played spoiler last season, eliminating the Orange in the NCAA Tournament and securing a mid-season win. There’s something about Yale’s Reese Stadium that didn’t sit well with SU, but this year’s bout takes place in the Dome.

That’s where the magic can — and has — happen. In 2024, the Orange thrashed Yale 19-9 in the NCAA Quarterfinals to return to Championship Weekend for the second straight season. SU has been searching for that spark since its run ended eight days later against Boston College.

There’s no better time to find it than in mid-March with a win over the Bulldogs. Yale lost Fallon Vaughn, Jenna Collignon, Taylor Lane and Sky Carrasquillo — who combined for all 22 goals against the Orange last season — so this is the time for Syracuse to pounce.

Yes, most of the Bulldogs’ roster from last year is gone, but there’s a reason they’re ranked No. 14. An SU win might not erase last season’s heartbreak, but it at least offers a glimpse of redemption and hope for the road ahead.

No. 3 Boston College, April 16

Last but certainly not least is Boston College. For the sixth consecutive year, the Orange cap their regular season with a matchup against the Eagles. What should be valuable NCAA Tournament prep for Syracuse has recently devolved into an annual beatdown.

SU has lost eight straight battles with BC. Their clash last season marked a new low for the Orange, who scored a program-low two goals, while their 15-goal margin of defeat was their worst in 20 years.

The silver lining for Syracuse this season is Rachel Clark’s long-awaited departure. The 5-foot-9 attack recorded a career-high nine points against the Orange last season and, over four years at Virginia and Boston College, scored 29 goals across seven games versus SU.

Without Clark, Syracuse’s focus will shift from defending to attacking. It won’t be easy, though, as Shea Dolce — the undisputed top goalie in D-I — will be the final line of defense in front of arguably the nation’s best defender in Shea Baker.

The task is a tall one, but if SU can escape Boston College victorious, it’ll enter the ACC and NCAA Tournament with momentum it hasn’t felt in years.

Published on February 3, 2026 at 11:30 pm
Contact: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_