It’s been 259 days since Syracuse women’s lacrosse ended its season in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Now, to start 2025, SU (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) squares off against UAlbany (0-0, 0-0 America East) to begin the fourth season under head coach Kayla Treanor.
Last season, the Orange continued its reputation as one of the most dominant teams in college lacrosse. Syracuse went 16-6 with every loss coming against a top 12 squad. The differences for SU this season cannot be understated. Syracuse has lost four of its top seven point scorers from last year. Alongside the depleted offensive production, it loses draw control specialist Kate Mashewske and two year starter Delaney Sweitzer in goal.
“We have a ton of new faces out there,” Treanor said. “A lot of young guys we’re looking forward to stepping up and playing significant roles for us.”
In three seasons at the helm, Treanor has led SU to two Final Four appearances and an ACC regular season title this past season. However, she is yet to win a national championship in Central New York, mainly because she can’t get past Boston College.
The Achilles’ heel for the Orange has consistently been the Eagles. Half of SU’s losses last season were to BC. While Syracuse has gone 49-15 under Treanor, six of those defeats have come at the hands of Boston College.
“Ultimately, our goal is to win a national championship and you have to take it one step at a time, one game at a time,” Treanor said. “We’re really just focused on being in the present moment and all of our focus is on Albany.”
But in a new season, it’s important to focus on the game in front of you. With SU scheduled to face BC for the last game of the regular season, the Orange can kick that can down the road. For now, they have to face a Great Danes squad that lost some of its top talent in the offseason.
UAlbany lost midfielder Katie Pascale on the field… but kept her on the sideline. One year removed from being recognized as a preseason and midseason all-american from Inside Lacrosse, Pascale joined Head Coach Katie Thomson on the sidelines. The Great Danes lost the best statistical player in program history, as the former midfielder is the school leader in points, assists, and draw controls. She also holds the single-season records for points and draw controls for UAlbany. That type of production is impossible to replicate, but UAlbany sits in the same mindset as SU: Trying to replace last year’s star power.
While these teams both hail from the same state, there is more than a little familiarity between the two programs. UAlbany Head Coach Katie Thomson played her collegiate lacrosse at Syracuse. In her junior campaign, the attacker led the nation in points and brought the Orange to a Final Four appearance. Thomson was named All-Big East First-Team in every season of her career.
Thomson grew up in Bethlehem, NY about 30 minutes south of Kayla Treanor’s hometown of Niskayuna. SU’s current head coach played for the Orange from 2013-2016; four years after Thomson graduated. Treanor could barely put into words what kind of role model Thomson was to her.
“Part of the reason I came to Syracuse was because of her,” Treanor said. “I wore 21 because of her. I wanted to leave a legacy similar to that Katie did here.”
Before and after the game there is sure to be some hugs and hi’s between both sidelines, but for 60 minutes, Syracuse and UAlbany duke it out to decide who starts its season 1-0. Follow along to @WAERSports on X for live coverage and updates throughout the contest.