No. 15 Syracuse nabs 1st Thorpe-era win with 15-7 victory over No. 13 Loyola
No. 15 Syracuse’s women’s lacrosse earned its first win of the season by downing No. 13 Loyola 15-7. The victory marked Regy Thorpe’s first as SU’s head coach. Brody Shuffler | Contributing Photographer
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A chorus of “Regy Thorpe” chants from players and fans rained down in the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse head coach Regy Thorpe often stands expressionless on the sidelines, but as his name echoed simultaneously with the final whistle, a faint grin appeared on Thorpe’s face.
Thorpe came to Syracuse to win. He knows what it’s like, having won a national championship as a player in 1993 and reached the NCAA Tournament nine times while assisting Gary Gait from 2010-19. He gambled on the fact that he could turn a weakening program back into a national powerhouse.
SU’s 0-3 start left him feeling foreign. But with No. 15 Syracuse (1-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) downing No. 13 Loyola (2-3, 1-0 Patriot) 15-7 Tuesday, Thorpe’s finally beginning to implement the one thing he’s always known: a winning standard.
“It’s a challenging start to the season, not the way we wanted, but the kids battled,” Thorpe said. “Really proud for our players. They’re just resilient.”
Thorpe knew the stakes. He knew that one way or another, Syracuse would be etched into program history Tuesday. The shadow of a 0-4 start — what would’ve been the Orange’s first ever — loomed over every play, timeout and call Thorpe made.
But good things take time. And, although it’s taken four games, the long-awaited first win of the Thorpe era was a convincing one.
The Orange outshot the Greyhounds 28-13, converted 20 clears on 20 tries and caused 10 turnovers to Loyola’s five. This is what Thorpe dreamed of. As he barked orders from the sideline, his team decisively backed him up. A seven-goal third quarter was the peak of it all.
Syracuse took a 6-4 halftime lead and added a heptad of unanswered scores. Its defense, meanwhile, didn’t allow a shot on goal — or any kind of shot for that matter — in the entire third frame for the first time ever.
“We weren’t quite clicking offensively (previously), but tonight, we got stops,” Thorpe said. “We got timely goals. When you get that balance from the (offense), the (defense) and the draws, it allows you to make runs.”
As Thorpe said, there was never a moment in SU’s first three games where everything came together. Yes, the Orange faced the top three teams in the nation, but there were times when they let their opponent walk all over them.
Syracuse head coach Regy Thorpe stands on the sideline during the Orange’s 15-7 win over Loyola. The victory was Thorpe’s first in his tenure as SU’s head coach. Brody Shuffler | Contributing Photographer
SU put 38 shots on Maryland’s JJ Suriano while surrendering just 19. The Orange lost 9-5. Skip over a matchup with top-ranked North Carolina — where Syracuse actually tussled until the fourth — and you’ll see a game with much left to be desired versus Stanford. SU tried 17 shots, a mark it finished below just once last season.
On Tuesday, Thorpe made lineup changes to potentially turn the tide. Annie Parker and Mackenzie Rich made their first career starts in favor of Ashlee Volpe and Gracie Britton — both of whom had scored in each of SU’s first three games.
It was a risky move, but Thorpe had nothing to lose. And it ended up paying dividends. Parker finished with two assists in the first quarter, while Rich added a third-quarter goal. Even Volpe and Britton rose to the occasion off the bench, with Britton assisting a Joely Caramelli goal and Volpe finishing with a career-high four assists.
“We haven’t played offensively top to bottom,” Thorpe said. “It’s not one specific person. Across the board, we weren’t playing well. We just needed something to spark us.”
That spark SU so desperately needed came from nine scorers and three more playmakers. Molly Guzik — who was tasked with handling the nation’s second-most prolific draw taker, Mae Murphy, on Tuesday — also notched her first career hat trick, while Caramelli added three more goals.
It was a full-team effort, something Syracuse lacked in its first three games. Daniella Guyette made just two saves, but she only faced 13 total shots, the fewest since the 2025 season opener versus UAlbany.
Thorpe had always recognized his team’s problem. It was a culmination of many things that seemed unlikely to be fixed all at once. But against the Greyhounds, Thorpe’s desires finally came to fruition.
“It’s really hard to start the season with the No. 1, 2 and 3 team in the country, and we did that,” Guzik said. “That’s why people come to Syracuse, because we’re the toughest team in the country. And we wouldn’t wanna have it any other way.”
Although Thorpe didn’t show too much satisfaction Tuesday, the cameras remained on the first-year head coach. He was the centerpiece; they had to be on him.
But as the chants rained down, Thorpe finally smiled. It was a sign. Phase one of the standard he was brought to Syracuse to restore was finally complete.
