No. 13 Syracuse women’s lacrosse falls to No. 3 Stanford 8-6 for third straight loss

For most of Friday night’s clash between No. 13 Syracuse women’s lacrosse (0-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) and No. 3 Stanford (4-0, 2- ACC), SU was within striking distance. However, the Orange couldn’t capitalize on offense as the Cardinal held on to win 8-6 in Palo Alto.

The loss leaves the Orange 0-3, their worst start to a regular season since 2000. After another ranked defeat, SU head coach Regy Thorpe is still searching for his first win as the new bench boss.

SU was step-for-step with Stanford for most of the first quarter, but the Cardinal relied on their balanced attack on offense to end the opening frame with a 4-2 lead. And of course, it was only a matter of time before the ACC’s leading goal scorer, Aliya Polisky etched her name into the scoring column.

“It’s just learning. I think at the end of the day, teams have done a great job at preparation,” head coach Regy Thorpe said with regard to how Syracuse can play a full 60 minutes.

But the Orange weren’t going down without a fight. Within a span of less than two minutes, SU attacker Ashlee Volpe and midfielder Bri Peters found the back of the net to tie the ballgame 4-4 with 10 minutes left in the second quarter. But that would be all the scoring in that frame as Stanford was held scoreless for the first time in a quarter all season.

The scoring picked up after the halftime break, though, as Stanford was ready with an answer. Less than a minute into the second half, attacker Ava Arceri scored to give the Cardinal the lead right back, and it was pure dominance on defense after that. Midfielder Amanda Lawson extended the Stanford lead with five minutes in the frame, but SU failed to score.

“We shot the ball a little better, but overall we still have to shoot the ball better and fix the clearing,” Thorpe said, alluding to SU’s offensive struggles.

With just 15 minutes left, SU trailed 6-4, but the Orange weren’t going away just yet. Less than a minute into the final quarter, midfielder Caroline Trinkhaus cut into the Stanford lead to make the score 6-5. Then, less than five minutes later, it was Trinkhaus again to make it tied 6-6 once again.

But the ‘Cuse struggled to find offensive momentum after that, and Stanford took advantage. With six minutes to play, the Cardinal took a 7-6 lead courtesy of midfielder Lindsey Devir, and it didn’t take long to tack on another.

There’s a reason why attacker Aliya Polisky leads the ACC in scoring with 4 goals per contest, and she showed why late in the fourth quarter. The redshirt junior found the back of the net once more with five minutes left, and that would seal it for the Cardinal.

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Syracuse now sits at 0-3 after losing another top-10 battle to start the 2026 season. The SU offense also failed to eclipse 10 goals for the third consecutive contest.

“It’s challenging, but it’s another good opportunity for us,” SU head coach Regy Thorpe said when asked about the schedule to begin the season. “It’s all about playing a full 60 minutes, I think we’ve played 40-45 minutes of good lacrosse.”

It’s been a tough start to the regular season for the Orange, but the streak of ranked opponents doesn’t stop. SU hosts No. 19 Loyola Maryland on Tuesday inside the Dome. Opening draw for that clash is set for 5 p.m.