No. 6 Syracuse women’s lacrosse (4-4, 1-2 ACC) is searching for consistency after a rollercoaster start to the season. Following a heartbreaking 14-13 overtime loss against Johns Hopkins, the Orange will try to bounce back against Pittsburgh (5-3, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday.
While Syracuse has historically dominated this matchup, SU must shake off its recent struggles in tight contests. With a perfect 3-0 record against the Panthers, the Orange have maintained an average victory margin of 11 goals. However, past success will not guarantee a win this weekend, as Syracuse is 2-5 in overtime games since 2022.
“It really comes down to little plays throughout the game that make the difference, and Friday night we were on the other side of it,” head coach Kayla Treanor noted after SU’s overtime loss against Johns Hopkins. “I think we had confidence when it went to overtime, and we were playing defense, but we got off to such a great start, and then we never really came back with that same offensive flow we had in the first quarter.”
Despite the loss, a key contributor against Pittsburgh could be junior Coco Vandiver, who earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors and will be vital to the Orange's defense this weekend. The defender led SU with three caused turnovers against JHU, highlighting her impact on that side of the field. However, the challenge will also come in goal, where both sides have faced defensive struggles all season. Pittsburgh’s Molly Cain and Syracuse’s Daniella Guyette sit at the bottom of the ACC regarding the number of goals allowed, each of them giving up around 10 goals per game.
That being said, junior midfielder Emma Muchnick thinks having confidence in one another will be crucial as ACC play continues for SU. “It helps when you look around and when people trust you,” she said. “I think it is just having trust within each other and ourselves too.”
That trust could be crucial for the Orange as they regroup and refocus for Saturday's matchup and defensively, it could play a significant role in the outcome against Pitt. The Panthers lead the ACC in caused turnovers, forcing 12 per game, but they also struggle with ball security, committing a conference-worst 19 turnovers per contest. So, if Syracuse can capitalize on Pitt’s mistakes while minimizing its own, it could be the difference-maker in the game.
For SU, regaining its offensive identity will also be key. The Orange came out with urgency earlier this week against the Blue Jays but eventually stalled. “I think we came out and played with a lot of urgency, and then we went stale on offense,” Kayla Treanor noted. To prevent history from repeating itself against Pittsburgh, Syracuse must maintain its offensive pressure for all four quarters.
The Panthers are still searching for their first-ever win in this matchup and will aim to capitalize on any inconsistencies. Syracuse, meanwhile, will try to get back on track and solidify its position in the conference standings.
To find out if SU can return to the win column, follow @WAERSports on Twitter for live updates during Saturday’s 11 AM matchup.