Syracuse rises 1 spot to No. 13 in Inside Lacrosse Week 2 Poll
Despite dropping to 0-2, the Orange went neck-and-neck with top-ranked North Carolina before a three-goal fourth-quarter burst put UNC ahead for good. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse women’s lacrosse (0-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) rose one spot to No. 13 in Inside Lacrosse’s Week 2 Poll, which was released Monday morning.
Despite SU’s 13-9 loss to top-ranked North Carolina Friday — which dropped it to 0-2 for the first time since 2001 — the Orange went toe-to-toe with the defending national champions until UNC pulled ahead with a three-goal burst in the fourth quarter.
North Carolina’s win was its 24th straight, dating back to the beginning of last season. The Tar Heels, led by Tewaaraton Award winner Chloe Humphrey and 2025 IWLCA Defender of the Year Sam Forrest, ranked first in both scoring offense and defense last year. But against the Orange, North Carolina’s lethal roster initially stalled.
After falling behind 1-0, Syracuse scored three unanswered goals, taking a 3-1 lead into the second quarter. It was SU’s first advantage of the year, and North Carolina’s first deficit. The Orange held Humphrey to three missed shots and two turnovers in that span.
The Tar Heels fought back with a two-goal run in the early moments of the second quarter. Humphrey got involved with an assist on the latter score, setting the rest of the game up to be a dogfight.
The Orange remained afloat with a 6-5 halftime lead, but Humphrey netted her second of three goals just over a minute into the third quarter. UNC pulled ahead for the first time 56 seconds later with Caroline Godine’s second score of the afternoon.
From there, SU played from behind but couldn’t spur a multi-goal run to pull off the upset win. The Tar Heels capped the day with a five-goal fourth quarter, remaining undefeated since their 2024 NCAA Tournament First Round exit.
Syracuse ranks sixth among a stacked ACC field. The Tar Heels take the No. 1 spot, while Stanford (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Clemson (No. 7) and Boston College (No. 8) round out the next four ACC squads.
SU’s next contest comes on the road against the No. 3 Cardinal, who have jumped out to a 2-0 start after a 23-7 win over UC Davis and a 10-9 victory at Clemson.
