Syracuse women’s lacrosse notched its first win of the season with a 15-7 victory over Loyola Maryland on Tuesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome. The win marked the first of the year for the Orange (1-3) and the first of head coach Regy Thorpe’s tenure.
Syracuse entered the contest at 0-3 after a 6-8 loss to No. 2 Stanford, while No. 13 Loyola came in 2-2 following a 14-10 win over No. 9 Princeton. The matchup marked the 27th meeting between the programs, with Syracuse extending its winning streak
in the series to 12 and Loyola still seeking its first win in the Dome.
The Orange controlled the opening draw and struck first when Joely Caramelli scored at the 12:01 mark of the first quarter. Molly Guzik followed at 11:15 to make it 2-0. A Loyola goal by Ava Kane was overturned due to illegal contact, keeping Syracuse in front. Morgan Ruhnke later scored for the Greyhounds to cut the deficit to 2-1, but Courtney Maclay responded with her first goal of the season to restore a two-goal lead. Elisa Faklaris added a late goal for Loyola, sending Syracuse into the second quarter ahead 3-2.
Momentum shifted further in Syracuse’s favor early in the second quarter when Kane received her second yellow card for dangerous contact and was ejected. Freshman Mackenzie Borbi capitalized, notching her first collegiate goal at 12:55. Loyola answered with a goal from Anna Kaplan, but Emma Muchnick responded at 11:00. Faklaris trimmed the lead to one at 8:37 before Caroline Trinkaus converted a free-position attempt at 4:53. Daniella Guyette made several key saves late in the half as Syracuse entered halftime leading 6-4.
Syracuse broke the game open in the third quarter. Guzik scored twice to complete her first career hat trick, while Bri Peters and Mileena Cotter added goals as the Orange surged ahead 10-4. Despite playing down two players at one point due to penalties, Syracuse’s defense held Loyola scoreless during the power play. Mackenzie Rich, Cotter and Borbi closed the quarter with goals as the Orange built a 13-4 lead.
Loyola opened the fourth quarter with a goal from Faklaris, but Caramelli answered to maintain a nine-goal cushion. The Greyhounds scored twice more, but Syracuse maintained control. Caramelli completed her hat trick at the 4:04 mark to seal the 15-7 win.
The victory secured Syracuse’s first win of the season and Thorpe’s first career victory as head coach. Next, the Orange travel to Kentucky to face Louisville (2-3) on Saturday, Feb. 28 at noon EST.
