What to know before No. 9 Syracuse’s grueling slate continues vs. No. 5 Yale
Syracuse earned its biggest win of the season over then-No. 4 Northwestern Thursday and looks to keep trending up Tuesday against No. 5 Yale. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Despite defeating then-No. 4 Northwestern for Syracuse’s first top-five win in two years, Regy Thorpe barely shed a smile. Maybe he wasn’t truly satisfied with his team’s performance. Maybe he was tired after adjusting to Evanston’s central time zone. Maybe he just knows what’s coming.
Every time SU was riding a high last season, a certain team stood before it to quell the excitement. Its season-best four-game winning streak snapped in New Haven, Connecticut. As if that was bad, the Orange’s season ended on that same field against that same opponent just over a month later.
No team has played spoiler to Syracuse as much as Yale recently. In the nascent part of Thorpe’s tenure, a win over the Wildcats is the head coach’s signature moment. It’s also the latest of a five-game winning streak. But the Bulldogs have yet another chance to debunk the Orange’s momentum.
Here’s everything to know about No. 5 Yale (7-0, 1-0 Ivy) before it takes on No. 9 Syracuse (5-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) in the JMA Wireless Dome Tuesday:
All-time series
Yale leads 4-2.
Last time they played
Syracuse’s 9-8 loss to Yale on May 11, 2025, in the NCAA Tournament Second Round marked the end of an era. Kayla Treanor surprisingly departed to become Penn State’s head coach 10 days later. Emma Ward and Olivia Adamson were done terrorizing opposing defenses as a dominant attacking duo. And SU’s disappointing 10-9 season was over.
But it’s safe to say that ending also became a turning point in Syracuse’s future.
Ashlee Volpe led the Orange with four goals, Caroline Trinkaus tallied two, while Bri Peters and Alexa Vogelman each had one. Those four players have combined for 24 of SU’s 83 goals thus far this year. On the defensive end, Izzy Lahah forced a then-career-high three turnovers and picked up three ground balls, giving a sneak peek as to what she’s done this season.
The Bulldogs report
Although Yale lost its four leading point-getters from last season, head coach Erica Bamford continues to make things look easy in her 11th year at the helm. The Bulldogs are one of five remaining undefeated teams and are well on their way to their third straight Ivy League Tournament title.
Fallon Vaughn, Jenna Collignon and Taylor Lane, who tormented Syracuse last season, passed the torch to freshmen Kate Gould and Meg Bohan and sophomore Kelly Holmes, who have all tallied 20-plus points and more than 16 goals.
However, the Bulldogs’ true identity is their stifling defense, which has allowed just 39 goals this season, the best mark in the country. Yale surrenders an average of 5.57 goals per game and has yet to give up double-digit goals to an opponent this year. It held then-No. 5 Michigan to a season-low six goals and spotted just six to Columbia, which averages over 15 scores per game.
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Emmy Pascal and Katie Clare each have caused 10-plus turnovers this year. Maggie Bellissimo and Bella Saviano tread closely behind with nine takeaways, while goalie Niamh Pfaff remains the unit’s safety net, ranking seventh in the nation with a 52% save percentage.
How Syracuse beats Yale
If SU wants any chance at handing the Bulldogs their first loss, it must attack early and often. None of the wait until it’s a tied game in the second quarter stuff. Look at Syracuse’s win over Northwestern, and the formula is clear. The Orange jumped out to a 3-1 lead and forced the Wildcats to play from behind for the next 54 minutes.
Yale won’t know what hit it if it falls into an early hole. The Bulldogs have scored first in every game, and even in their closest matchup against the Wolverines — a five-goal win — Yale scurried to a 3-0 advantage just over 15 minutes in.
It’s far from easy, but if Syracuse punches first, it’ll likely capture its second straight upset victory.
Stat to know: 1:22
The Bulldogs have played 420 minutes of lacrosse this season. They’ve trailed for just one minute and 22 seconds. What more needs to be said?
Quinnipiac took a 3-2 lead in the first quarter of the two squads’ Feb. 17 meeting in New Haven, eventually falling 15-9 to the Bulldogs. Since then, Yale has won six games, scored 96 goals and skyrocketed to No. 5 in the nation.
Player to watch: Niamh Pfaff, goalie, No. 30
Pfaff had a remarkable freshman season, starting for the country’s fourth-best defense and ranked fifth nationally and first in the Ivy League in goals-against average (8.73). This year, she’s taken it up a notch.
The Garden City, New York, native hasn’t allowed more than six goals in a game, except for one performance against Quinnipiac, where she still labored a modest 40% save rate. She’s only got 39 saves due to the lack of shots she’s seen, yet she’s still finished over 50% in five of seven outings.
Just a year and a half into her collegiate career, Pfaff has quickly emerged as one of the nation’s top netminders. She’ll look to continue her ridiculous start against the Orange, who try 29.75 shots per game, 33rd in the country.
