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Despite Syracuse starting 0-3 with losses to then-No. 7 Maryland, then-No. 1 North Carolina and then-No. 3 Stanford, it remained competitive and gritty against the Tar Heels and Cardinal until the final minutes.

The main reason why SU stuck around with the nation’s best? Stellar defense.

Against UNC on Feb. 13, the Orange were tasked with limiting 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner Chloe Humphrey, who scored an NCAA freshman record 90 goals last season. While she’s scored 31 in just six games this year, SU held her to a season-low three goals. It was still a hat trick, but Syracuse kept her in check until late.

The following game against Stanford on Feb. 20 didn’t get any easier. The Cardinal had scored 51 goals in three games up to that point, but SU’s stout defense held it to a season-low eight.

After forcing 19 turnovers — its most since 2019 — against Louisville on Feb. 28 and holding Cal to just seven shots Tuesday, SU’s defense is rolling.

On Friday against Virginia Tech, the unit’s dominance continued. Syracuse (4-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) trounced VT (4-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) 13-3 behind a season-best performance from goalie Daniella Guyette and stifling overall defense. SU gave the Hokies little room to operate all day, and they committed 19 turnovers as a result.

“This year, we’re really close as a unit, and we have a lot of pride in protecting Dan (Guyette),” Coco Vandiver said of the defense.

Virginia Tech was limping into Friday’s game. Though it was tied 3-3 with Stanford after one quarter on Tuesday, it scored just three goals the rest of the game en route to a 16-6 loss. Its 10 goals per game were the third-worst in the ACC, ahead of just Cal and Florida State.

But even with VT’s offensive shortcomings, two players haven’t skipped a beat: Mia Pozzi and Lauren Render. Pozzi came into Friday with 12 goals, while Render had a team-leading 14.

Syracuse silenced them both.

While Render scored five minutes in to cut SU’s lead to 3-1, Syracuse stymied the Hokies’ attack the rest of the way. Pozzi found Sarah Murrell in the draw circle on the ensuing play, but Izzy Lahah knocked the ball loose, and Mackenzie Salentre grabbed it shortly after.

Lahah was everywhere in the first quarter. Breaking up cross-field passes, fighting for loose balls and swarming VT’s attack. Her fast start came just three days after winning the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Week for forcing seven turnovers against then-No. 19 Loyola on Feb. 24 and Louisville.

Due to a Mileena Cotter penalty, Virginia Tech had a player-up opportunity midway through the first quarter. But even though VT’s attack hovered around the crease, Syracuse’s defense had all the ingredients to make it look foolish. Cassandra Montgomery airmailed a free-position shot, and the Hokies came up empty.

“These kids kick our offense’s butt in practice every day,” SU head coach Regy Thorpe said of its defense. “They really work well as a unit, and our middies love to play defense, which I think is very rare this day in age…”

SU never allowed Virginia Tech to get in a flow offensively. Sometimes the Hokies looked overly aggressive, while other times they appeared timid and scared to push the ball upfield.

While Syracuse already built a multi-goal advantage, VT had an opportunity to stop the bleeding in the waning minutes of the first half. But just as the case was throughout the entire game, it couldn’t generate any quality looks on goal. And whenever the Hokies did target Guyette, the netminder had their number.

For Guyette, it was a complete 180 from what transpired last April. Guyette saved just 8-of-22 shots in a 14-11 loss last spring, as the Hokies exploded for eight first-half goals and never looked back.

On Friday, she saved 5-of-7 shots on goal. Guyette’s 46.3% save rate this season isn’t awe-inspiring, but still an improvement over last year’s 43.3% mark. And if Friday was any indication, she’s beginning to look more like her 2024 self, where her save percentage was 52.4%.

The Hokies slightly dent into their deficit with two second-half goals, but neither amounted to a prolonged scoring run or momentum shift. Instead, Syracuse’s defense continued to apply pressure and Guyette kept making timely saves.

In their 0-3 start, the Orange’s defense was their backbone and often single-handedly kept them in games. If Syracuse gets the offensive production it did Friday coupled with its suffocating defense, it’ll be well on its way to reclaiming a Top 10 spot in the Inside Lacrosse Poll.

“I think the kids are buying in and we’re learning a bit every day,” Thorpe said.

Published on March 6, 2026 at 10:37 pm
Contact Spencer: sabrod@syr.edu | @spencerbrod20