For three quarters, No. 14 Syracuse women’s lacrosse (0-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) was step-for-step with No. 1 North Carolina (2-0, 1-0 ACC). However, the Tar Heels showed their championship mettle to pull ahead in the late stages and take it 13-9.
It drops the Orange to 0-2 for the first time in 25 years. After back-to-back top-10 defeats to begin the season, ‘Cuse is still searching for its first win under head coach Regy Thorpe.
SU outmatched UNC in the first half, leading 3-1 after a quarter and 6-5 at the half. Sophomore Molly Guzik tied it up at 1-1 on an unassisted goal just over five minutes into the game. From there, the Orange were crisp offensively when attacker Gracie Britton and midfielder Emma Muchnick extended the lead.
“You gotta give the home crowd something to cheer about. We were right there. It was a dog fight. I don’t think Carolina can say they came in here and just walked away with a W. They had to earn it,” Thorpe said, alluding to the strong start.
Emma Muchnick ‼️‼️‼️
— Syracuse Women's Lacrosse (@CuseWLAX) February 13, 2026
The senior does it herself and nets her first goal of the season to put the Orange ahead, 3-1💪
📺 https://t.co/xPf4csZtj3 (ACCN) pic.twitter.com/XINfom6J29
North Carolina punched back, as goals from Caroline Godine and Kiley Mottice made it 3-3. But then, SU attack Caroline Trinkaus scored an unassisted goal to move the Orange back in front.
However, it was only a matter of time before UNC sophomore Chloe Humphrey found the back of the net. The reigning Tewaaraton Award winner scored her second point of the game halfway through the second.
SU attack Ashlee Volpe converted on a free position attempt to round out the first half scoring. The Orange went into the break up a goal, and the Tar Heels’ 23-game win streak was hanging in the balance.
The Syracuse offense stalled in the third quarter, going nearly the first ten minutes without a goal. In that time, North Carolina scored twice to take a 7-6 lead.
After three quarters, UNC held an 8-7 lead. The Dome crowd was energized, as the Orange were a strong 15 minutes away from pulling a shocking exit. However, it was not meant to be.
North Carolina flexed its offensive muscle in the final frame. The Tar Heels scored five goals, including Humphrey’s third of the afternoon.
“There was definitely 10-15 minutes where we took a little bit of a step back it felt, so for us individually and as a team we need to continue to somehow fire each other up and keep each other on our toes for the entire 60 minutes,” Muchnick said. The senior had a pair of goals on the day.
SU goalie Daniella Guyette came up with 14 saves, taking on shots from a dynamic UNC offense. When asked about defending Humphrey, she said, “She’s obviously going to draw a lot of attention…but their offense is so multi-faceted where anyone can really score.”
It’s been a tough opening to the year for the Orange, who are 0-2 for the first time since 2001. It doesn’t get any easier, as Syracuse travels to Palo Alto, California next week to play No. 5 Stanford. Faceoff is Friday at 8:30.
