Guzik’s career day propels No. 15 Syracuse women’s lacrosse to 9-6 upset victory over No. 4 Northwestern

No. 15 Syracuse women’s lacrosse’s (5-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) 9-6 win over No. 4 Northwestern (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) was its biggest of the season. However, Orange midfielder Molly Guzik’s six goals were even bigger.

The sophomore set a new career-high in scores, breaking her previous record of four in SU’s victory over Louisville on February 28. Orange Head Coach Regy Thorpe praised her performance.

“She does it every day in practice. She locks it in and is a good goal scorer. She watches a ton of film. She’s a student of the game. I’m proud of her and the entire offense,” he said.

Guzik wasted no time getting Syracuse in front. The midfielder scored SU’s first three goals for an early hat trick just over six minutes in. However, as much as Guzik dominated the first half, Northwestern kept it close. Scores from defender Annabel Child and attacker Taylor Lapointe brought the game within a goal after the first 15 minutes.

Syracuse’s slight advantage continued in the second quarter. Guzik recorded her fourth goal of the night, while midfielder Bri Peters chipped in with a score of her own. However, the Wildcats weren’t going down without a fight. Attacker Maddie Epke’s free position shot found a way home to trim the Orange lead back down to one going into halftime.

Out of the break, SU’s adjustments proved vital. Syracuse launched a 4-0 run to build a 9-4 advantage with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. Orange attacker Caroline Trinkaus had one of the team’s four scores, and ended the day with a goal and an assist.

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Guzik accounted for two goals on Syracuse’s run, bringing her total to six on the night. The sophomore has blossomed into the heart of SU’s offense with a team-leading 23 goals and 26 points.

While Guzik dominated the offensive side of the ball, Syracuse’s defense also came to play. The Orange held the second-best scoring offense in the nation to just six goals, the fewest for the Wildcats in a game this season.

SU also limited superstar attacker Madison Taylor to just one goal. The senior set the NCAA record for most scores in a single season with 109 in 2025, and leads Northwestern with 31 goals in 2026. It was also the fewest points in a game for Taylor since May 2023 against Loyola (MD). Coach Thorpe praised his coaching staff.

“The credits go off to Coach Caitlin and Coach Maggie. Those guys just lock it in and have a gameplan for every team. They change up the defense a little bit from game to game and make little tweaks,” he said.

Syracuse’s win marks its first over a top-five opponent since February 2024 when SU took down No. 2 Notre Dame 16-14 in South Bend. It’s also just the second-ever win for the Orange in Evanston, the first coming in 2020. Coach Thorpe knows it’s big for his team.

“It’s huge for RPI come May. You can play a tough schedule, but you have to pick up a couple of wins along the way. We left three really tough teams and we thought we left a little money on the table with one or two of those games,” he said.

Syracuse has another opportunity to pick up a quality win against No. 6 Yale this Tuesday. Opening draw from the JMA Wireless Dome is set for 4:30. Follow @WAERSports on X for live updates throughout the game.