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The win-or-go-home feeling is a privilege. Yes, it’s familiar in the Syracuse locker room and with head coach Regy Thorpe, but the Orange — who were surprisingly unseeded in the NCAA Tournament — didn’t have time to rejoice.

Perhaps SU thought it deserved a seed. Its resume — the hardest schedule in the nation, per Lacrosse Reference — concurred. Its experience — Thorpe’s two Final Fours at Florida and 13 SU players reaching that stage in 2024 — made a similar argument.

That didn’t matter. All the Orange could do was look ahead, but against a Loyola squad Thorpe said is different from the one Syracuse saw in February, that’s not an easy task. He knew it. His players knew it. The internet might’ve been onto something. Regardless, SU made it look like one.

In the NCAA Tournament First Round Friday, No. 7 Syracuse (14-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) coasted past No. 22 Loyola (12-8, 7-2 Patriot) 8-6. The Greyhounds’ most daunting threat was draw taker Mae Murphy, but SU held her to just eight wins. The rest came naturally, with Dan Guyette posting a 50% save clip on 12 shots and Caroline Trinkaus notching her fourth hat trick of the year.

The victory sets Syracuse up for a second-round clash with regional host No. 6 seed Navy Sunday at 1 p.m.

“It’s win or go home,” Thorpe said postgame. “I don’t think anything needs to be said. We don’t wanna go home. No one loses this time of year.”

Thorpe’s right. But not everyone can win, either. These are the best teams in the nation. Every squad enters humming. The winner takes it up a notch.

The obvious answer for Syracuse to defeat Loyola was to review film from their first meeting. Especially that third quarter, when SU stretched a two-goal lead into nine. Yet, it’s not that simple.

The Greyhounds had since gone 10-4, including monster wins over then-No. 4 Navy and three more ranked foes. It’s hard to ignore what the Orange have done, too.

But on Friday, Syracuse elevated. Loyola didn’t.

“This group’s locked in,” Thorpe said.

“We just have each other’s back,” SU defender Izzy Lahah added. “It’s everyone.”

That’s a fabulous analysis, but let’s be more descriptive.

Both teams opened Friday’s matchup looking like middle school squads. Molly Guzik did what she always seems to do: win the opening draw. But turnovers on each side ensued before an errant Emma Muchnick pass trickled away from Guzik to disrupt the Orange’s offense.

Based on these teams’ first clash, this would be a defensive dogfight. Aside from a seven-goal third quarter, the Orange were kept at bay on Feb. 24. The same can be said about the Greyhounds, who never clicked offensively and turned the ball over 16 times.

Seventy-three days later, not much changed. Loyola totaled 22 turnovers, the second-most from an SU opponent this season. Both goalies, meanwhile — Guyette (50%) and Kennedy Buntrock (63.6%) — hovered above a 50% save clip most of the evening.

Yet their numbers don’t show how quickly the Orange took control. Trinkaus crept around X and inside the 8-meter arc to start the scoring three minutes in. It was a recurring scene from the sophomore attack, but the credit goes to Guzik, who knew that, to beat Loyola, she had to beat Murphy.

“We did a good job managing a really good draw taker,” Thorpe said. “She’s tough to hold down… but really proud of our effort.”

Guzik had a remarkable performance — one of her best of the year in the circle — but SU’s secondary strategy was to prevent the Greyhounds from taking draws altogether. That responsibility fell on Guyette, who entered with a faulty playoff track record.

This year, her mentality shifted. Guyette sings songs to herself between the pipes and keeps a childlike mindset when facing pressure. It must’ve been a concert early on Friday because she made three miraculous saves in the first nine minutes, keeping SU’s 1-0 lead intact.

Joely Caramelli defends Loyola attack Emma Talago in Syracuse’s 8-6 win in the NCAA Tournament First Round Friday. The Orange’s defense forced 22 turnovers from the Greyhounds. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Edtior

From then on, it was a slugfest, with Delaney Jackson and Mackenzie Rich exchanging punches. In the second, it was Loyola’s Ava Kane. Then Trinkaus in the third. Through it all, Syracuse’s defense held the Greyhounds to a meager seven shots on goal after 30 minutes.

“They’ve been doing it all year,” Thorpe said of SU’s defense. “They’ve been locking it down.”

While the Greyhounds’ defense similarly caused 14 takeaways, it didn’t matter if Syracuse still got open looks. With Muchnick and Mileena Cotter’s second-quarter goals, the Orange’s shot advantage sat at 11-4. Their lead mirrored that disparity at 4-1.

What wasn’t expected was the draws. When Guzik came away with the ball, it felt like watching lightning strike the same spot three consecutive times. Even when Loyola gained possession, the Orange were bailed out by its zero conversions on four 8-meter tries.

As the second half waned, the Greyhounds were playing on their final breaths. They seemed flustered. They had to at least put a shot on target, which they hadn’t done for an eight-minute span midway through the third.

And even when, on a whim of magic, Lauren Perfetto was in the right place at the right time to chop Syracuse’s lead to 5-3, the question — would this flip the switch? — brought the same answer.

To end the third, Trinkaus weaved toward Buntrock, keeping enough balance to fold a shot into the twine. The goal restored Syracuse’s three-score advantage and secured her hat trick.

Loyola started the fourth quarter with the ball, but a Guzik-Trinkaus turnover spelled the rest of its performance. It wasn’t trusting its previous triumphs nor falling back on fundamentals.

The Greyhounds weren’t playing with the Orange’s intensity, and even with three fourth-quarter goals on as many shots, they were always playing catch-up.

Syracuse, meanwhile, was playing like it was win-or-go-home. That’s a privilege. Thorpe knew it. His players knew it. Because of that mindset, the Orange will see another day.

Published on May 8, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Contact Jordan: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_