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Regy Thorpe is a defensive mastermind. He’s always been one.

At Herkimer Junior College in 1991, he was a junior college Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors. Two years later with Syracuse men’s lacrosse, Thorpe helped the Orange to their fifth national title and was an All-American defender.

Across four years as Florida’s women’s lacrosse’s associate coach, Thorpe molded the Gators into one of the NCAA’s premier defenses. In 2025, UF ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 9.43 goals per game en route to a Southeastern Conference title. Thorpe also mentored Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association first-team All-American defender Theresa Bragg, who notched 23 ground balls in 2025.

After four years with Florida, Thorpe’s brought his defensive prowess back to Syracuse — this time, as the women’s lacrosse head coach. Entering Saturday, SU’s defense ranked fourth in the nation, giving up just 7.11 goals per game. The unit’s been the driving force behind the Orange’s six-game win streak.

And in games where its offense has sputtered, SU’s gritty and tenacious defense has routinely bailed it out.

It was more of the same Saturday. Despite a porous offensive showing, No. 9 Syracuse (7-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) scraped by No. 20 Virginia (5-6, 3-3 Atlantic Coast) 6-5 due to swarming defense, especially in the second half. After UVA tied the game at four early in the second quarter, SU held the Cavaliers scoreless for 31 straight minutes en route to its seventh straight win. Virginia’s Kate Galica recorded two early goals, but was silenced for over a half hour.

“(The defense) is gritty as all heck,” Thorpe said. “We have some good old-school two-way middies who play some stingy defense.”

Olivia Adamson. Madison Taylor. Mia Pozzi. Kelly Holmes.

Syracuse’s stingy defense has stymied several superstars this season. After allowing Maryland’s Lauren Lapointe to score five goals on Feb. 6, SU’s backline has made opposing players’ lives miserable across its seven-game win streak.

In its 9-6 win over then-No. 4 Northwestern on March 12, Syracuse held Madison Taylor, the NCAA’s all-time leader with 109 goals in a season last year, to just one late goal. The game was far from pretty, but a microcosm of the season thus far – gritty.

Saturday’s task was containing Galica, the 2025 ACC Midfielder of the Year. After scoring 47 goals last season, she hasn’t skipped a beat and had 20 entering Saturday’s contest.

Galica had her way with the Orange in the first half. Off a cross-field pass from Madison Alaimo, Galica tied the game at one five minutes in. Down 4-3 early in the second, the junior tacked on another goal to even the score at four.

Then Syracuse’s gritty defensive identity took over. It stymied Virginia for over half the game.

After a successful UVA clear attempt with three minutes remaining in the first half, Izzy Lahah forced a crucial turnover to get the ball back. Joely Caramelli picked up the ground ball, and Syracuse strung together a sustained possession despite not scoring.

With Virginia looking for an equalizer in the waning minutes of the second quarter, Caroline Trinkaus caused a Jayden Piraino turnover. Syracuse’s offense couldn’t capitalize, but a strong defensive second quarter set the foundation for the third.

“I give a lot of credit to the defense and (Daniella Guyette), but also our middies,” Thorpe said. “We run seven middies, and they play good D.”

Following an errant pass from Alaimo, Trinkaus scooped up the ground ball and raced down the field in transition. Outracing two Cavaliers defenders, she fired one past UVA goalie Elyse Finnelle to extend SU’s lead to 6-4. The careless pass was a result of strong defensive pressure, and Trinkaus’ goal showed how Syracuse’s defense produced offense.

Daniella Guyette had arguably her best showing of the season against Yale Tuesday. But in the third quarter against Virginia, she was rarely tested as Syracuse’s midfielders denied UVA quality shot opportunities.

Galica’s name appeared on the scoresheet for the right reasons in the first half, whether it was goals or assists. After halftime, however, it was a different story. Not only did she not take any shots in the third quarter, but also committed two turnovers.

One of the turnovers was caused by Lahah, who’s blossomed into a defensive cornerstone for SU this season. After earning ACC Defender of the Week honors on March 3, she remained a steady presence on SU’s backline Saturday.

But it wasn’t just Lahah. It was a collective effort. The engineer behind it?

Thorpe. It’s nothing new for him.

Published on March 21, 2026 at 8:05 pm
Contact Spencer: sabrod@syr.edu | @spencerbrod20