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There aren’t too many jobs in the world with more constant pressure than a goalkeeper. Brain surgeons might have it worse. Government officials. Maybe law enforcement. They’re all tough. But seldom — if ever — will a police officer or a surgeon have to limit some of the best athletes in the nation from doing the very thing they’ve trained their entire lives to do.

That’s the nightly assignment for Dan Guyette and the rest of Syracuse’s defense. And there aren’t many ways to avoid that reality.

Unless, of course, you don’t think about it at all. Guyette’s headspace is better spent focusing on the SpongeBob Squarepants soundtrack. Not that that’s her recommendation for brain surgeons, but Guyette’s “childlike” thoughts help her stay as relaxed as possible in a job that is everything but. It paid dividends in the regular season, when she was one of the best goalies in the country.

Things get a little bit different in May, though. Multiply the pressure by 10. Every game is win or go home, and for a Syracuse squad that’s relied on Guyette and its defense at every turn in 2026, it really can’t afford a single off-night.

Friday’s NCAA Tournament First Round matchup against Loyola was always going to be low-scoring. At this point, pretty much every game Syracuse plays is. But Guyette and the defense stole the show, limiting Loyola to a season-low six goals while forcing 16 turnovers and making six saves. It paved the way for Syracuse’s (14-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) 8-6 victory over the Greyhounds (12-8, 7-2 Patriot League).

“They’ve been doing it all year, they’ve been locking it down,” SU head coach Regy Thorpe said postgame.

As Thorpe said, this is nothing new. Guyette and the defense have led the charge for the Orange all season. That’s why SU’s netminder won ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and why her defense ranks 12th in the nation with just 8.06 goals allowed per game. That’s the reason Syracuse got this far anyway. So they certainly weren’t going to be the reason the Orange got eliminated Friday.

SU defender Izzy Lahah, an All-ACC Second Team selection, said there hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary that’s fueled the unit’s stellar year. It’s just a lot of film and good effort from the scout team, she said postgame.

Well, if that’s the case, the Orange must’ve had a pretty good scout on the Greyhounds this past week. Loyola entered the matchup top 30 nationally with 12.89 goals per contest and had seven players with 30 or more points, including three with over 50. Regardless of how good SU’s defense has been this year, keeping Loyola quiet wasn’t going to be easy.

But Syracuse made it look that way early. Lahah caused an early turnover to give the Orange the ball at the 13:24 mark in the first before a green card on Loyola’s Anna Kaplan put SU on the power play. Caroline Trinkaus scored to give Syracuse an early lead.

Guyette then weathered a flurry of shots as Loyola looked for an equalizer, making three early saves, including a smooth stick save on a shot that nearly bounced through her legs from close range. It helped SU preserve its narrow lead early and settle in.

“Dan saved our butts a few times,” Lahah said.

Eventually, Delaney Jackson tied the game by ripping one past Guyette from the doorstep. But a Mackenzie Rich goal on the other end — and a Kaci Benoit caused turnover on Loyola’s last possession of the quarter — preserved SU’s one-goal lead.

Another two caused turnovers by Lahah — who already set Syracuse’s single-season record in the stat earlier this year — allowed Emma Muchnick to make it 3-1 Orange. Coco Vandiver forced two more takeaways to set up Mileena Cotter’s first tally of the afternoon soon after, giving SU a then-game-high three-goal lead.

Guyette gobbled up a Morgan Quade free-position look for her fourth save of the afternoon at the 8:12 mark in the second, although Loyola clawed back to make it 4-2 at halftime.

But Loyola couldn’t get much going in the third. The Greyhounds turned the ball over seven times — five of which were caused by SU defenders — and scored just once, allowing Syracuse to extend its lead to three.

Even though Loyola began to figure out Guyette in the fourth, slotting three shots past her, Syracuse’s defense came up big when it mattered late. Loyola turned the ball over seven more times in the fourth, and a timely interception by Vandiver with 50 seconds remaining stunted the Greyhounds’ 2-1 run, ultimately securing the victory.

“Our defense, once again … did a good job locking down, giving us a few more possessions there at the end of the game,” Thorpe said.

The pressure couldn’t have been much more palpable Friday. But Guyette and Co. know how to handle it by now.

They don’t necessarily embrace the stress. Guyette doesn’t pay it any mind at all. When she’s alone in net, she can wipe her mind, maybe even close her eyes and embrace her thoughts, or lack thereof. Somewhere back there — between SpongeBob lyrics and dreams of drinking Capri Suns — perhaps the image of lifting a trophy on Memorial Day Weekend lingers.

It’s not such a distant reality now. But for her and Syracuse to get there, it must stay immune to the pressure. By all means necessary.

Published on May 8, 2026 at 11:32 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6