4 keys for Syracuse women’s lacrosse to go far in NCAA Tournament
Syracuse has struggled to match its opponents’ offensive firepower lately due to its ACC-worst draw performance and lack of attack structure. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
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It was a matter of when rather than if.
The number of teams capable of winning 12 straight games can be counted on one hand. Even reaching that threshold is abnormal.
Syracuse escaped a seven-game stretch where six contests were decided by two goals or fewer. It happened so frequently that Regy Thorpe claimed SU was “immune” to dropping these nailbiters.
It turns out it wasn’t. Syracuse fell to Boston College 7-4 in the last game of the regular season, scoring its fewest goals all year. In the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Semifinals, SU was walloped by 10 goals against North Carolina.
The Orange have shown they can overcome that adversity, though, turning in 12 straight wins after starting the season 0-3. But something has to give after the midseason surge set a high bar.
As it awaits its NCAA Tournament seeding, here are four keys for No. 8 Syracuse (13-5, 7-3 ACC) to stay afloat in its quest for its first-ever national championship:
Structure the attack
Syracuse functions best when its attack aligns, a testament to assistant coach Nicole Levy relocating Molly Guzik, Caroline Trinkaus and Mackenzie Rich — natural midfielders — up top.
“(Levy’s) brought out the creative side of the game,” Trinkaus said. “Manipulating the defense is a big thing. She’s ready to catch the defense off guard.”
But across SU’s losses, its offense performed individually rather than cohesively. In regular-season defeats to Maryland and North Carolina, the Orange accrued just one assist each time. Recently, against BC and UNC, SU combined for zero.
Syracuse attack Molly Guzik backs down on a Boston College defender during SU’s loss on April 16. If Guzik isn’t asked to work in isolation in the NCAA Tournament, the Orange have a strong chance of finding success. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
Syracuse’s most successful strategy to generate instant offense has been feeds from X. Ashlee Volpe conducted that symphony against Loyola, and Rich did it at Northwestern to fuel Guzik’s sock trick.
It’s worthwhile, albeit predictable, if one player absorbs scoring production. The Orange put all their cards in one basket against Boston College, asking Guzik to work in isolation against double teams. Emma Muchnick tried Friday against UNC and was suppressed in the fourth quarter.
SU’s four starting attacks — Guzik, Trinkaus, Rich and Volpe — have double-digit assists, with Rich leading the group. Whether it’s as fancy as a hidden ball trick or as anticipatory as an at-X feed, a blueprint is vital to avoid chaotic improv.
Compete on the draw
Thorpe’s immediate reaction in his postgame press conferences entails the draw control, where he often believes his squad underperforms, even after wins. Take SU’s program-defining upset over Yale, for example.
“Struggling a bit on the draw. I thought Molly did a good job, but a couple less possessions hurt us offensively,” Thorpe said postgame, not even a minute into his opening statement.
He’s right. Syracuse is bottom-10 in the country with a sub-40% win rate and under eight controls per game. SU’s been mending the draw for the past two seasons after 2024 specialist Kate Mashewske, who broke its single-season and all-time control record, graduated. Meghan Rode offered just 75 wins last year, and Guzik has 69 this season.
When Guzik’s outclassed, Joely Caramelli takes a few draws off her plate. There have been times — notably against Louisville and Friday against UNC — when the Orange chose Ireland Mistretta to ignite some fire.
Given its track record, there’s no expectation SU wins a draw battle in an NCAA Tournament game. While it harmed Syracuse at Boston College, the Orange still managed 10 victories in games with fewer controls than their opponent. Rather, the objective is competing, and jumpstarting possession at the center circle could flip a game on its head.
Confide in the defense
It might seem blasphemous not to fret after Syracuse’s defense allowed 19 goals — its most since 2018 — Friday. But the unit’s been the least of its concerns this season, and one battering from the country’s top offense shouldn’t alter that.
Starting UAlbany transfer Mackenzie Salentre and the relatively inexperienced Izzy Lahah, adjacent to Coco Vandiver and Kaci Benoit, warranted skepticism before the season. But they’ve been the team’s engines, especially Lahah, who’s up to 49 ground balls and 51 caused turnovers. She’s had midfield support from Muchnick and Caramelli, who have double-digit caused turnovers and ground balls.
Before bowing out in the ACC Tournament, the Orange limited their opponents to single digits 12 straight times and only conceded north of that threshold twice. Any offense on a roll collapses against Syracuse. Take Notre Dame, which hit 20 goals in three of its five previous games. Or Duke, which was held to its first single-digit-goal game of the season against SU after hitting 10 tallies on 13 straight occasions.
Abby Aggarwala | Design Editor
“Hats off to the defense,” Thorpe said after eking out a 6-5 victory at Virginia on March 21. “They’ve been our anchor all year.”
The overarching reason why is Dan Guyette. She’s gone toe to toe with the nation’s best offenses like Stanford, Yale and Northwestern and saved at least half of each team’s shots. While Guyette conceded the most goals in a single game of her career Friday, there’s no reason to think she can’t keep Syracuse afloat with her 46.1% save percentage and 7.81 goals average, both top-two marks in the ACC.
Dominate 1st quarters
There’s one common boost giving Syracuse an upper hand in close wins: its first-quarter prowess. The team has never trailed through one quarter in a win this season.
Late in games, the Orange tend to burn out. Against Duke and Notre Dame, they blew a three-goal lead in the fourth quarter, and while they won, they may not have done so without a steady opening stanza. Against Virginia in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, SU’s four-goal lead may have evaporated without a strong first quarter.
Syracuse surprisingly has a knack for winning opening draws despite its deficiencies, doing so 11 times. That’s the perfect way to jumpstart an early offensive run. The Orange experienced the flip side firsthand against North Carolina, when the Tar Heels won seven consecutive draws, scoring six goals in four minutes without letting SU touch the ball.
SU doesn’t have a come-from-behind victory this year. Yes, leads may have been swapped, but entering fourth quarters, Syracuse steers the ship. When it’s behind, it never recovers, as illustrated by its five losses.
The Orange likely won’t explode for six first-quarter goals as they did against Pittsburgh, but being blanked in the quarter like they were against Maryland won’t yield positive results. SU must stand upright through one frame and not be clawing back into the game in the latter 45 minutes.
