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After Syracuse’s 7-4 defeat to Boston College Thursday, head coach Regy Thorpe said the contest felt like playoff lacrosse.

The Eagles — who pretty much needed a victory to keep hopes of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid alive — fought like their lives depended on it. Syracuse answered a few early punches but couldn’t throw enough back, leading to its first loss since Feb. 20.

Perhaps that “playoff lacrosse” environment was exactly what Syracuse needed. After winning every game for two months straight, the Orange received a wake-up call to prevent them from getting complacent. Because more than anything, complacency is what they’ll need to avoid moving forward.

Syracuse begins the postseason Wednesday against Virginia, but it’ll need to do far more than defeat the Cavaliers to win its first conference tournament since 2015. Here’s No. 4 seed SU’s (12-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) path through the ACC Tournament:

First Round: No. 5 seed Virginia

Syracuse kicks off the tournament with a rematch against No. 5 seed Virginia at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Orange beat the Cavaliers in a narrow 6-5 affair on March 21. Their defensive performance in March epitomized the unit’s success, as SU allowed just 22 goals across its first five games of the month.

Molly Guzik led Syracuse on the other end with two scores, while four other players added a goal. UVA’s Kate Galica and Jayden Piraino both had braces, but SU held the Cavaliers scoreless for 31 minutes en route to the win.

Virginia’s season has brought mixed results. The Cavaliers went 8-8 overall and 6-4 in conference play but haven’t earned a signature win yet. Their best victory was a 9-7 road win over then-No. 5 Notre Dame in February, but the Fighting Irish have since slipped to No. 14 in the Inside Lacrosse poll. UVA also beat Boston College and took down then-No. 19 Princeton in March.

Otherwise, the Cavaliers’ resume isn’t eye-popping. They hung with SU and then-No. 9 Clemson but were destroyed 19-4 by No. 1 North Carolina and 17-9 by No. 3 Maryland. Syracuse lost to both of those teams by four goals each time.

Galica is at the center of everything Virginia does. The junior midfielder leads the team in goals (35), shots (92), ground balls (30), caused turnovers (21) and draw controls (135). Limiting her offensively will be essential to picking up a first-round win, but she’ll likely give Syracuse its most trouble on the draw.

SU ranks dead last in the ACC with 7.69 draw controls a game, and it’s lost the draw battle in six straight games. Galica is second in the ACC with 8.44 controls a game and poses a real threat to give UVA momentum in the circle.

The Orange actually won the draw battle 7-6 last time the squads met, but — with SU having lost the draw battle in 11-of-16 games this year — that result looks like an anomaly. For Syracuse to beat the Cavaliers, replicating its prior success versus UVA will be essential.

Zoey Grimes | Design Editor

Semifinals: Likely No. 1 seed North Carolina

If Syracuse gets past Virginia in the opening round, it’ll likely get the unfortunate pleasure of playing No. 1 North Carolina in the semifinals. The reigning champion Tar Heels, led by reigning Tewaaraton Award winner Chloe Humphrey, have lost just one game since 2024. They enter the postseason 13-1 — 10-0 in ACC play — and play No. 8 seed Duke in the first round Wednesday.

Aside from UNC’s overtime loss to then-No. 11 Northwestern on March 25, Syracuse may have given the Tar Heels the best run for their money all season. Despite dropping that Feb. 13 contest 13-9, the Orange led at halftime before getting outscored 8-3 in the second half. Kate Levy and Humphrey both had hat tricks for UNC, while three other Tar Heels scored two goals. Guzik, Emma Muchnick and Caroline Trinkaus each had two scores for SU.

It’s been difficult for any team to find the formula to best UNC this season. Its attack is averaging an NCAA-best 18.86 goals per game, and Humphrey alone scores 5.64 goals a game, while four other players have over 20 goals this year.

Even with a defense as stout as Syracuse’s, its best chance at beating UNC is a shootout. That’s exactly what Northwestern did in its 17-16 win. And the Tar Heels are no slouches defensively, allowing just 7.14 goals a game, the fourth-best mark in the nation.

Simply put, beating UNC is the toughest task in college lacrosse. But for Syracuse to get to the championship game, it will have to overcome it.

Championship: Likely No. 2 seed Stanford or No. 3 seed Clemson

If SU can stun North Carolina in the semifinals, it’ll likely get a matchup against either No. 2 seed Stanford or No. 3 seed Clemson in the championship game. The Orange fell to Stanford 8-6 in February and didn’t play Clemson in the regular season.

The Cardinal were ranked as high as No. 2 this year but slid to No. 9 in the latest IL poll after losses to Boston College, Villanova and UNC. Clemson, meanwhile, lost four of its first seven games before rattling off 10 straight victories to finish the regular season 13-4.

Both squads boast potent attacks. Clemson, led by superstar freshman Alexa Spallina, ranks fifth in the nation with 15.53 goals per game. Spallina alone contributes to about six of those scores each game, averaging two goals and 3.76 assists a game. But the Tigers’ attack is balanced, with four players over 30 goals and seven over 20 on the year.

Stanford, meanwhile, slots in as the nation’s 11th-best offense with 14.81 scores a game. Tewaaraton contender Aliya Polisky leads the Cardinal with 62 points on 39 goals, while Ava Arceri also has 39 scores. Both had a pair of goals in Stanford’s win over SU on Feb. 20. The Orange tied the game at six in the fourth quarter but couldn’t close out the win and suffered their third straight loss.

Both squads pose a challenge to the Orange, especially given SU hasn’t seen the Tigers this season. But Syracuse has a lot to overcome before it even thinks about either opponent.

Published on April 21, 2026 at 9:49 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6