Everything to know before Syracuse women’s lacrosse’s home clash vs. Cal
Through 11 ACC games since joining the conference in 2025, Cal is 1-10, including an 18-6 loss to Syracuse last season. Brody Shuffler | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse is finally on the rise. After a discouraging 0-3 start to the season, the Orange have earned two straight wins, including their first in Atlantic Coast Conference play over Louisville Saturday. The short-term future looks favorable before SU resumes the gauntlet Regy Thorpe constructed on March 12 against No. 4 Northwestern.
First, Syracuse welcomes Cal for SU’s second of three games this week. The Golden Bears are .500 through six games, but they’ve played far inferior opponents than the Orange. In Cal’s lone ranked matchup against No. 24 Duke, it lost 16-7 and trailed 6-1 through one quarter.
Syracuse will be another grueling test for the Golden Bears, who are hungry for a ranked win after losing eight straight to ranked conference foes since joining the ACC in 2025.
Here’s everything to know about No. 14 SU’s (2-3, 1-2 ACC) clash in the JMA Wireless Dome against Cal (3-3, 1-1 ACC) Tuesday:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 3-0.
Last time they played
On April 5, 2025, SU and Cal matched up for the first time in 16 years, but the Orange wasted no time reminding the Golden Bears who they were with an 18-6 victory. Syracuse rolled to a 6-2 first-quarter lead and sealed its win with a six-goal third-quarter run. It was a much-needed one, too, after the Orange’s four-game winning streak was snapped three days prior with a loss to Yale.
Caroline Trinkaus spearheaded SU’s attack with four goals, while Alexa Vogelman added her first career hat trick and Gracie Britton had her second. The victory served as one of the Orange’s final positive moments of the 2025 season. SU lost four of its next five games and bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round against Yale.
The Golden Bears report
Cal’s been abysmal since joining the ACC, and there’s no reason that’ll change this year. After its inaugural season in the conference ended 6-10 and 0-9 in ACC play, the Golden Bears kept head coach Jennifer Wong in charge, and four of their top five scorers returned. They lost Kennedy Mason, their second-leading scorer, and they didn’t add a single player in the transfer portal.
It’s shown early on, as the Cal scraped past ACC cellar dweller Florida State by one goal, and barely beat San Diego State in their season opener. Courtney Wong’s done the heavy lifting with 13 goals and 13 assists, but outside of her and Emily Moes, the Golden Bears haven’t received much offensive production.
If Courtney and Moes aren’t shooting, no one is. Cal ranks second-to-last in the ACC in shots per game with 24.5, and the pair are the only two players with more than 15 attempts.
Though its defense has also been rancid, one category worth noting is its ground-ball output. The Golden Bears are tied for first in the ACC with 105 ground balls. Whether it’s their sloppy offense picking up their own mistakes or sharp defensive play, it hasn’t given them much of a boost.
How Syracuse beats Cal
SU should look right through its next two games to its March 12 meeting with Northwestern. Its matchups against Cal and Virginia Tech — though VT downed Syracuse last season — are as gimme as it gets relative to what awaits the Orange. But, to get to where it wants to be before that clash with the Wildcats, Syracuse needs a huge scoring day against the Golden Bears.
It’s fair to put SU among the best of the best in college lacrosse, but it’s missing the dominant offensive display that those other teams have had. It’s not easy by any means, but it’s attainable against Cal’s defense.
The Golden Bears’ 75 goals allowed are 11th in the ACC, while Syracuse’s 47 rank fifth. Surrendering nine goals is a mark a defense should almost always be proud of, but when it comes against an FSU squad that is in its first year as a program, it’s far less impressive. Expect Syracuse to exploit Cal’s backline to put together a much-awaited offensive explosion.
Stat to know: 1-10
Since joining the ACC, Cal can’t seem to figure it out. The Golden Bears are 1-10 in conference play and finished their first year 0-9. As mentioned above, they didn’t retool much, and that lone conference win is against Florida State. Syracuse, on the other hand, is not FSU and will likely give Cal more fits.
In their most recent ACC game, the Golden Bears stormed into Durham, North Carolina, and walked out with yet another loss. It’s getting repetitive for Cal, but until they beat a conference heavyweight — which there’s a lot of — the Golden Bears aren’t a team Syracuse should fear.
Player to watch: Courtney Wong, attack, No. 27
Courtney’s the only player on this Cal squad who can change the tide and potentially get the Golden Bears into the win column on a regular basis. Key word: potentially. She doesn’t have that much power, but she would likely start on some of the top ACC squads, including Syracuse.
In her senior campaign, Courtney has matched her 13 goals with 13 assists, both of which lead the Golden Bears. She’s recorded two hat tricks and hasn’t been silenced in a game this year. She’s also already eclipsed her goal mark from last year, and if she runs rampant Tuesday, SU’s chances at a blowout win might be in jeopardy.
