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From the loss of two star attacks to a head coaching switch, Syracuse women’s lacrosse is in a season of change.

On the heels of a 10-9 campaign, SU’s most losses in a season since 2018, Syracuse lost its top scorer, top passer and head coach. But the Orange — and new head coach Regy Thorpe — insist the championship mindset remains the same.

To make those expectations a reality, SU must address these five major questions as it enters the 2026 season:

Who can replace Ward and Adamson in attack?

Probably the most pressing question surrounding this Syracuse squad is how to fill two major attacking voids. Over the offseason, the Orange lost star scorer Olivia Adamson to the transfer portal and assist leader Emma Ward to graduation.

Although Adamson sat out almost all of last season with a lower-body injury, she was dynamite in her prior three seasons with the Orange. Adamson scored a whopping 119 goals across her freshman, sophomore and junior campaigns, including 58 in 2024. She even recorded 10 goals in three games before her injury last season.

Ward, meanwhile, evolved into one of SU’s greatest ever passers in five years with the Orange. She tallied 155 goals and 169 assists in her Syracuse career and contributed 30 goals and 46 assists last season.

Replacing the pair isn’t easy. And the answer won’t be simply plug-and-play. On Jan. 29, Thorpe said the Orange will need to address both passing and scoring “by committee.”

“Everyone’s gotta pitch in,” Thorpe said. “I think our offense is predicated around all seven players out there having an opportunity to dodge (and) defeat.”

The immediate answer to replace part of Adamson’s production looks to be Caroline Trinkaus, who scored 32 goals on 72 shots as a freshman last year. Fellow sophomores Mileena Cotter (21 goals last season), Molly Guzik (14 goals) and senior Gracie Britton (20 goals) could also bear some of the attacking load. Emma Muchnick (34 goals) and transfer Courtney Maclay (30 goals at Stony Brook) will likely be in the mix from midfield as well.

The bigger question is where the assists will come from. Ward’s 46 last year were 35 more than SU’s second-best distributor. There’s no clear-cut replacement who’s going to bring anywhere close to that volume. Still, look for Trinkaus, Britton, Maclay and junior Ashlee Volpe, among others, to pick up the slack.

Can the Orange escape the early-season gauntlet?

Last season, Syracuse had time to settle into its system with a relatively easy start to the year. The Orange played two unranked teams in their first three games and started 3-0.

They won’t have that luxury in 2026. Syracuse’s first four games of the season are against ranked teams, three of which are in Inside Lacrosse’s top seven. Frankly, it doesn’t get much easier from there. The Orange face 10 ranked teams in their 16 total games.

First, they’ll host No. 7 Maryland at home Friday and take on No. 1 North Carolina a week later. Then, the Orange head to California to play No. 5 Stanford before a home bout with No. 18 Loyola.

Getting out of that stretch with two wins could be seen as a success for Syracuse. But if it escapes with three or even four, SU might be recognized as a top-5 team in the country. Get out with zero? The Orange will fall out of the rankings entirely.

While SU’s record through four games certainly won’t define its season, it’ll be a good indicator of just how well this team is adapting to change. And come May, when the Orange are gearing up for the postseason, expect this stretch to make a major impact on their standing.

Ilyan Sarech | Design Editor

Will a new coaching staff come with growing pains?

Part of what will make that early-season stretch so difficult is Syracuse’s lack of familiarity. Ward and Adamson are the obvious losses, and there’s major uncertainty around how SU’s new coaching staff will settle in as well.

Half of Syracuse’s coaching staff are new additions — Thorpe and assistant coach Nicole Levy. While both played at Syracuse, and Thorpe was an assistant for the Orange for nearly a decade, it’ll be their first year in their respective roles at SU.

The two know each other well, though. Thorpe coached Levy at Syracuse from 2016-19, and they spent the last two years together at Florida. While Thorpe helped guide the Gators’ defense, Levy led the offense, which ranked as the nation’s best scoring unit in 2024. She’ll continue to ignite the attack as Thorpe handles the whole operation.

They’ll join two familiar faces on SU’s coaching staff in Caitlin Defliese Watkins and Maggie Koch, who coached with Thorpe in his years as an assistant with the Orange.

The staff has made it clear the expectation is still for Syracuse to be playing on Championship Weekend. But to get there, SU’s new staff can’t afford a honeymoon period. It’s immediately being thrown into the deep end — a great opportunity for the new faces to show they can handle the heat.

Who will step up on the draw?

One of Syracuse’s more understated losses this offseason was draw control specialist Meghan Rode, who led the Orange with 75 controls last year. As Rode gears up for her junior season at Richmond, there’s a question about who steps into that role at SU.

Much like Thorpe’s offensive philosophy, it’ll likely be a group effort, and Syracuse has plenty of options.

Aside from Rode, 15 Syracuse players won at least one draw last season. Only three others won more than 20: Joely Caramelli (39), Alexa Vogelman (31) and Cotter (24). The Orange also added options this offseason in Maclay — who won 16 draws at Stony Brook last year — and freshman Mackenzie Borbi, who won 555 total draws in four seasons at Shawnee High School (New Jersey).

Either way, Syracuse will have its pick of the litter. It’s just a matter of finding consistency, especially against top opponents early on. Look for Caramelli, Vogelman, Cotter, Guzik and Maclay to take most of the burden.

Can the defense stay consistent?

Syracuse’s defense allowed 11.63 goals per game last season, the most it’s given up per game since 2022. The Orange allowed fewer than 10 goals in only six games. It was a step back after giving up just 9.68 per contest the year prior.

Part of that could have been due to growing pains across the backline. Aside from Kaci Benoit (22 prior starts) and Coco Vandiver (43 prior starts), most of Syracuse’s defensive options hadn’t seen much consistent playing time before last year.

That includes goalie Daniella Guyette, who made just three career starts before being launched into the lead role last season. The netminder made 162 saves last year while allowing 212 goals. Now, with a year of experience under her belt, Guyette and the rest of the backline looks to find some more consistency.

Benoit and Vandiver started nearly every game for the Orange last year and return to lead the crew this season. They’ll likely get help from Lexi Reber, who made eight starts last season, and transfer Mackenzie Salentre, the 2024 America East Defensive Player of the Year. The only major loss is Superia Clark, who transferred to Florida State this offseason.

But, as is the case with just about everything Syracuse does this season, there won’t be much room for error. The Orange need this group to be consistent from game one, especially with three top-7 teams coming to town early. If SU finds that consistency, it’ll have a shot at beating anyone.

DISCLAIMER: Courtney Maclay is a contributing writer for The Daily Orange. She did not influence the editorial content of this article.

Published on February 5, 2026 at 12:26 am
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6