No. 3 Syracuse separates in 2nd half for 10-8 win over Cornell
Syracuse's victory extends its winning streak to 10 games, its longest since the 2023 season. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
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During its nine-game winning streak, Syracuse’s offense barely watched opposing film. Shocking, right? Caroline Trinkaus, who scored five goals in SU’s last two games before Tuesday, said the Orange’s success stems less from opposing defenses and more from Syracuse’s offense.
Because when that unit’s on the same page, it’s nearly unstoppable. Pair it with SU’s third-ranked scoring defense in Division I? You’re looking at a doozy.
Cornell is by no means an easy opponent. In fact, its 7.33 goals allowed per game ranked fourth in the nation before matching up with the Orange. But momentum is real, and as Trinkaus said, it’s more about what SU does right and less about what the Big Red do wrong.
On Tuesday, despite a delayed start and a 6-6 halftime score, Syracuse did enough right to pick up its 10th straight win. The No. 3 Orange (10-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) downed Cornell (7-4, 2-1 Ivy) 10-8 at Schoellkopf Field, separating themselves in the third frame and holding on until the final buzzer.
“Just really proud of our kids. They stuck with it,” SU head coach Regy Thorpe said. “That’s a really good win for our program against a very good team.”
The 17-mile-per-hour winds and stormy weather in Ithaca certainly wouldn’t do either team’s offense a favor. There was a point where it seemed unlikely the game would even be played. Add in both teams’ smothering defenses, and it seemed a low-scoring affair was afoot. Instead, both offenses came out roaring.
The Big Red forced a turnover from Molly Guzik before Lexie Tully got inside for a goal on the other end. Mackenzie Salentre, who Thorpe praised Monday for her veteran presence, lacked the physicality to push Tully outside, allowing her to weave toward the crease before her diving shot whizzed past Daniella Guyette.
But there was no way this one-sided rivalry would swing much more in Cornell’s favor. The Big Red hadn’t beaten Syracuse since 2006, the last 15 matchups ending with the Orange in front. It seemed like Tuesday’s game would follow that same script.
Emma Muchnick got SU on the board with a stutter-step goal from just inside the 8-meter arc, while Alexa Vogelman handed Syracuse the lead 46 seconds later from a similar spot with vacant turf ahead.
“We were fortunate to cash in,” Thorpe said. “Really proud we made some plays down the stretch.”
With how Syracuse’s offense had been humming recently, the Big Red’s first-quarter effort — forcing a 3-3 tie — was commendable. The next quarter was even further from what’s expected when the No. 3 team battles an unranked — and, in recent years, inconsistent — opponent.
Cornell opened the second quarter on a two-goal burst, steadily in control before Guzik won a much-needed draw. Although both squads went back and forth, Trinkaus pushed forward on a free position with 8:25 left in the second quarter to reel Syracuse within one.
At the time, the Big Red’s 6-4 draw advantage and Mackenzie Clark’s five saves kept them afloat. So when Mackenzie Borbi set up from the 8-meter arc for a free-position, it was a rare chance for SU to cut its deficit.
Borbi’s missed attempt signaled an unusually inefficient night, especially after the Orange peppered a season-high 16 goals against Pitt. But just 45 seconds later, Borbi ripped mesh to cut Syracuse’s deficit to one, giving it a fighting chance to, at the very least, even the score by halftime.
Despite what Trinkaus said, the reason SU was in the game was Cornell’s self-inflicted wounds, not Syracuse’s strengths. The Big Red committed five turnovers and surrendered five free-position shots in the first half, the final one coming from Guzik as the equalizer.
The 6-6 halftime score surely wasn’t what the red-hot Orange were anticipating. Thorpe said postgame that SU was lucky to be tied. They’d led at halftime in 10 of their previous 12 games, so this was uncharted territory.
Thorpe said the conversation at the break was to stick to the game plan. He didn’t share what that plan was, but based on the Orange’s second-half performance, they likely received his message.
Guyette earned her first save of the evening to open the third. Although a Muchnick goal was subsequently called off for a crease violation, a dangerous follow-through doomed Cornell’s Ellie Bergin on her ensuing shot.
Joely Caramelli then gave Syracuse its first lead since 5:41 left in the first quarter off a feed from Ashlee Volpe. That goal was the tone-setter. Syracuse followed by flipping a woman-down to a woman-up before Bri Peters and Guzik put SU up by three, a lead it maintained through the fourth quarter.
“To dig in the cleats in the second half and get some stops and come out with the win was big for us,” Thorpe said.
At this point, SU’s success is becoming repetitive, and if its current formula carries into the playoffs, Thorpe’s squad won’t need to change a thing. Who needs film when the tape already speaks for itself?
