Observations from SU’s loss to Stanford: Free-position woes, draw success
Syracuse women’s lacrosse went 1-for-7 on free-position shots in its 8–6 loss to No. 3 Stanford Friday. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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To start the 2026 season, Syracuse women’s lacrosse has had to get used to something it’s not too familiar with — losing.
The Orange started the year 0-2 with losses to the two best teams in the country, per the Inside Lacrosse Poll, in No. 2 Maryland and No. 1 North Carolina. But the road doesn’t get easier. Next on SU’s schedule was No. 3 Stanford on the road.
And Syracuse’s fate was the same. For the first time in 25 years, the Orange are 0-3. Here are some observations from SU’s (0-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) 8-6 loss to No. 3 Stanford (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast):
Free-position struggles
To beat a team like Stanford, you need to take advantage when given a favorable look. Syracuse got seven free position looks but went just 1-of-7.
Ironically, SU’s only free-position score came on its first look, when Guzik blazed a shot past Lucy Pearson early in the first quarter. In the second, Syracuse went 0-of-3 after Caroline Trinkaus and Bri Peters had shots saved and Courtney Maclay blazed an attempt wide.
In the third quarter, Pearson snuffed another bid from Peters before the Orange went 0-for-2 in the fourth. Trinkaus and Emma Muchnick both drove to the net, but the Cardinal defense forced turnovers before they got a clean look off.
Even if the Orange didn’t go 100% on free looks, even three of four additional scores would’ve made a massive difference. Ultimately, Syracuse’s failure to convert clean looks was a major reason it lost.
Draw success
After Syracuse’s loss to North Carolina on Feb. 13, Thorpe said the reason the Orange couldn’t hang late was that they simply failed to win draws down the stretch. The Tar Heels won four, while SU won two, allowing UNC to stack a four-advantage in a game that was otherwise neck-and-neck.
The Orange were better against Stanford. Syracuse won the draw battle 10-6, including 4-3 in the second half.
Molly Guzik took most of the responsibility for the Orange, winning 10, including six in the first half against a rotating cast for Stanford. Ava Arceri, Jordyn Case and Annabel Frist took most of the responsibilities for the Cardinal.
SU went 2-for-4 on the draw in the fourth quarter. But that relative success didn’t make a difference late.
Stopping the bleeding
After the North Carolina loss, Thorpe praised Syracuse’s ability to both limit and answer the Tar Heels’ runs. SU never let itself get too far behind, keeping it close with the best team in the country.
Syracuse allowed a few more runs against Stanford, but did a good job of responding. It never trailed by more than two goals.
Stanford took two one-goal leads in the first quarter, as it outscored the Orange 4-2. SU responded in the second quarter with two unanswered scores, sending it to the half tied at four. The Cardinal took another two-goal lead with a 2-0 run in the third, but two Trinkaus goals knotted the game at six in the fourth.
But, just like it did against North Carolina, SU couldn’t keep up in the waning moments. Stanford ended the game on a 2-0 run to secure the win.
Guzik gets going
Guzik has been one of the key storylines for the Orange this season, from her emergence as SU’s draw specialist to her three goals through two contests. On Friday, she stayed hot, tallying two goals and an assist while going 10-for-16 on the draw.
Most of the damage was done in the first half. Guzik scored SU’s first goal of the evening on a free-position look, blasting a shot into the top right corner. Three minutes later, she received the ball on the left flank and blasted a low-to-high rip from a tight angle, which snuck into the cage.
As the Orange trailed 4-2 after one, Guzik set up SU’s third goal of the day. On a woman-up opportunity, she wrapped around the net and located Ashlee Volpe on the doorstep, who slammed it into a virtually empty net. It helped Syracuse tie the game at four at the half.
In the second half, though, Guzik and the Syracuse attack couldn’t stay hot. The Orange failed to score in the third quarter. They ultimately made it close late after two Trinkaus scores, but couldn’t keep up.
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Limiting Polisky (kind of)
Syracuse saw some of the nation’s best players through two games, including Maryland’s Kori Edmondson and UNC’s Chloe Humphrey — two players in Inside Lacrosse’s top 5 players list.
Stanford’s Aliya Polisky, at No. 10, per IL’s rankings, is right up there with them. The junior attack tallied 65 goals and 17 assists last year and scored 11 times in her first three games this year.
Just like the Orange did to Edmondson and — to some extent — Humphrey, they limited Polisky early. She tallied just two points on one goal through three quarters, but ignited late. She finished with four points on two goals.
As was the case with Edmondson and Humphrey, limiting Polisky early came at the expense of opening up the game for her teammates. The Cardinal put forward a balanced attack with five different goal scorers. Polisky’s four points still led the team.
