Syracuse blows 9-3 lead in 11-10 NCAAT 2nd-Round loss to Navy
SU's season ended in an 11-10 NCAA Tournament loss to Navy despite a six-goal second-half lead, unable to quell the Midshipmen’s momentum. Courtesy of Michael Nance, Navy Athletics
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Regy Thorpe was at a loss for words. As he sluggishly responded to questions regarding Syracuse’s loss to Navy, the head coach knew there was nothing he could say to wipe the tears of Caroline Trinkaus or Emma Muchnick — who both sat beside him.
He tried summarizing what just happened as best he could. His players, shaken up, minutes removed from defeat, nodded, gazing into the void.
“Sometimes in sports, teams get momentum,” Thorpe began. “We tried everything. When the momentum went, it went. We did the best we could.”
Their best, however, wasn’t good enough.
Syracuse’s (14-6, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) 2026 campaign ended with an 11-10 overtime loss to No. 6 seed Navy (20-1, 8-1 Patriot) in the NCAA Tournament Second Round Sunday. SU led by six goals in the second half, but the Midshipmen rebounded to tie the game with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. Two minutes into overtime, Tewaaraton-caliber attack Alyssa Chung scored her fourth goal of the afternoon, completing Navy’s miraculous comeback.
The Midshipmen were the better team on paper. The bracket — Navy earning one of eight tournament seeds — said so before the game. The head-to-head initially painted a different picture, but by the final whistle, Navy justified it.
“We had a couple power play opportunities. We couldn’t cash in,” Thorpe said. “A couple turnovers on the clear. (Navy) cashed in. They got all the momentum, and we couldn’t stop it.
“This one hurts.”
This season was undoubtedly a step forward for the Orange. They entered off their worst campaign since 2018, a 10-9 dud under head coach Kayla Treanor.
Thorpe played at Syracuse from 1992-93, assisted then-women’s head coach Gary Gait from 2010-19 and helmed the squad beginning last June. He returned to restore a standard he previously built. That the Orange are annual contenders, which was seemingly forgotten after their poor 2025 season.
Syracuse’s Emma Muchnick and Coco Vandiver defend Navy attack Taylor Miles in SU’s NCAA Tournament loss Sunday. Miles had three points in the contest, helping spark the Midshipmen’s comeback while the Orange’s defense collapsed. Courtesy of Michael Nance, Navy Athletics
With Year 1 behind him, Thorpe is firmly on track to deliver what he promised. But he’s not there yet. Building a juggernaut takes time. With the hardest schedule in the nation, only a fool would expect SU to go without the occasional blunder.
Unfortunately, though, Syracuse’s worst one came Sunday. Its one-goal second half tied its quietest 30-minute stretch of the season. Its 23 turnovers were its second-most this year. Accuracy — displayed by a season-low 54.2% shots on goal clip — was nonexistent. As was its top-notch defense, which held opponents below eight goals per game. Chung, alone, scored four in the second half.
“We couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net. We couldn’t get any stops,” Thorpe said. “It just compounded.”
After lurching through the first 10 minutes down 2-0, Syracuse needed a breakthrough. It got more than enough, building a 9-3 halftime lead. It forced a goalie switch from the Midshipmen, replacing All-American Felicia Giglio with freshman Angelina Price. Navy frantically needed a lifeline. Then, it impromptly got one, too.
Emma Kennedy’s free-position tally cut the Orange’s second-half lead to five. While Molly Guzik responded, the Midshipmen scored the next five goals. This was deja vu, when Syracuse flipped comfortable leads into nail-biters in the final minutes against Duke, UAlbany and Notre Dame. Those aren’t top-four teams. Navy is.
The Midshipmen had everything going for them. Navy head coach Cindy Timchal took a timeout after an SU shot-clock violation. Out of the respite, the Midshipmen tied it with an Anna Gotterup goal.
“You’re just trying everything,” Thorpe said.
Nothing worked. Navy was inching toward the finish line, and its draw win to begin overtime — its 14th Sunday — practically spelled SU’s end. Timchal took another timeout.
“(No.) 18 had (two of the last three) goals of the game,” Thorpe said, walking through the conversation in Syracuse’s final huddle. “We were trying to get a little more attention to her. We knew the ball was gonna be in her stick there.”
The Orange were ready to defend Chung, but they were shifted around, leaving the attack with space to unleash on Syracuse goalie Dan Guyette. The ball whistled right. Guyette’s momentum took her left. Game over.
“I saw the goal. I don’t know how else to put it,” Chung said. “Navy’s a never-quit school. We’re never gonna quit. The saying that really sticks out to me is, ‘Shoot to get hot, shoot to stay hot.’
“All that matters is you pick yourself up from the dirt, and you keep shooting the ball.”
Now, with eight months until the 2027 season begins, the Orange would do well learning from Chung — even if they’d rather never hear her name again. But she’s right. Syracuse is in the dirt now. It’ll feel like that for a long time.
When asked about the future postgame, Thorpe was, again, at a loss for words. He needed to digest what just happened and reflect on his team’s faults. He mentioned a saying, too, one a previous coach used to tell him.
“The sun’s gonna come up in the morning. We’re gonna (move) on.”
And when it does, Thorpe and Syracuse will be ready. They didn’t come here just to stop here.
