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Syracuse women’s lacrosse spent all season proving itself under first-year head coach Regy Thorpe. The Orange had the hardest schedule in the country, per Lacrosse Reference, yet finished the regular season with a 12-4 record and 12 wins in their final 13 games.

Although SU bowed out of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in an abysmal 19-9 semifinal loss to North Carolina, it still earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA Tournament is a new season, and Syracuse’s begins Friday against No. 22 Loyola. If the Orange defeat the Greyhounds — which they’ve already done once this season — they’ll likely take on No. 4 Navy, and after that, No. 3 Maryland.

Here’s how our beat writers think No. 7 Syracuse (13-5, 7-3 ACC) will fare in the NCAA Tournament:

Jordan Kimball
Gold on vacation
Finish: Quarterfinals

There’s a popular idiom for second-place finishers that says second is just gold on vacation. I have no idea who coined the phrase, but I think it perfectly summarizes Syracuse’s season and will spell its NCAA Tournament fate.

The Orange won 12 straight games and ousted seven ranked teams, rising to as high as No. 3 in Inside Lacrosse’s weekly polls. Yet when it’s all said and done, they’ll fall short in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. In my eyes, that’s still a win. Although they won’t finish in second place, they’re still gold on vacation.

Expectations were low surrounding this SU squad. It lost its two best offensive pieces, and Dan Guyette had much to be desired in net. The Orange were ranked seventh in the ACC Preseason Poll and opened the season No. 11 nationally. Yet they defied the odds and became one of the most dangerous teams in the country.

While Loyola — which SU defeated on Feb. 24 — and Navy don’t impress me enough to predict an Orange loss, their season will end in the next round against Maryland. Syracuse opened its season with a sour 9-5 loss to the Terrapins.

The story then was that Kori Edmondson was held to one point, but UMD still won. Now, months later, it’s clear there’s more to Maryland than Edmondson. There’s also Lauren LaPointe and Kristen Shanahan, not to mention the nation’s best goalie in JJ Suriano.

UMD’s too much to handle. Syracuse had a hell of a run, but it ends against the Terrapins.

Harris Pemberton
Deja vu?
Finish: Quarterfinals

Not too many college lacrosse coaches are crazy enough to schedule the nation’s top three teams as its first three games of the season, but Thorpe knew that — when Syracuse got to May — that early-season gauntlet would pay dividends. And boy has it.

Now, as us three beat writers embark on summer break, the Orange are one of the most battle-tested teams in the country entering the NCAA Tournament.

That experience will be important in Round 1 against Loyola, a team SU already showed it can dominate. And against Navy in Round 2, Syracuse has the clear upper hand when it comes to experience against the nation’s best. But Navy shouldn’t be discounted.

The Midshipmen are undefeated at home this season and haven’t scored fewer than 10 goals in a game all year. Syracuse’s attack is averaging just eight goals a game over its past three contests, which makes this game a total toss-up in my eyes. I’ll give the Orange the benefit of the doubt and say they progress past the first weekend with a tight win — something they’ve done a lot this season.

From there, though, things get a bit scarier. Syracuse will likely get No. 3 seed Maryland in the quarterfinals. The Terrapins beat the Orange handily in February before exploding on a 13-game win streak, besting Syracuse’s own 12-game win streak. It seems both squads have improved since their last meeting, and I find it hard to pick against the Terps. Even if Syracuse does win, it’ll likely get North Carolina in the semis, and we know how that story goes.

One way or another, I think Syracuse’s season will end just before Championship Weekend, with perhaps a bit of deja vu from its season-opening loss to Maryland. And while Thorpe’s goal was always to be playing for a natty, this run will still be a real accomplishment in a revolutionary first campaign for SU’s head coach.

Jason Glick
Full circle
Finish: Quarterfinals

It might seem crazy to think that — with the cards Syracuse was dealt — it could advance to the pinnacle of the tournament’s bottom-right bracket. But with how tested the Orange are with statement wins over Northwestern and Yale, they’ll be ready for anyone.

There’s no reason to think Loyola would give SU problems. The 7-0 third-quarter run from the matchup earlier this season tells me all I need to know about Friday. Plus, what’s worrisome about this Greyhounds squad? Mae Murphy’s country-leading draw control prowess is the only scary part of this team, and the draw has only bit the Orange once this season.

That’s why Syracuse draws Navy — if it handles UMass — Sunday. It’d seem blasphemous for an 18-1 Patriot League team scoring 16 goals a game to lose this early in the postseason. But the Midshipmen aren’t battle-tested with only five ranked games. The Orange have played 13, including two against North Carolina.

But as former Syracuse football quarterback Kyle McCord said after upsetting Miami and his former team, Ohio State, fell to Michigan that same day, “Everything comes full circle.” SU women’s lacrosse’s season ends full circle, the same way it started — a loss to Maryland.

Assuming the Terrapins knock off Princeton or Rutgers, that’s the quarterfinals matchup. While UMD and SU have been inconsistent since their win streaks of 13 and 12 games, respectively, Maryland has the upper hand from the early-season abomination. The Terrapins work best when LaPointe steers the ship, and with five goals in the previous meeting, I don’t think Syracuse’s defense is equipped to handle her.

The Orange would have to rely on the attack this deep in the tournament, which has proved too inconsistent in low-scoring affairs. It would be the epitome of their season, defined by stellar defense and mediocre offense.

Published on May 7, 2026 at 7:02 pm