No. 4 Syracuse women's lacrosse falls to No. 16 Boston College 7-4 in regular season finale

Four days after surviving the longest game in program history, No. 4 Syracuse women’s lacrosse (12-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) ran out of answers against a familiar program.

SU fell to No. 16 Boston College (9-6, 6-4 ACC) 7-4 Thursday night in Chestnut Hill, snapping the Orange’s nation-best 12-game win streak and extending their losing skid to nine straight against the Eagles.

In his first season at the helm, Syracuse head coach Regy Thorpe hasn’t been given an easy path. The Cuse navigated the second-toughest schedule in the country, picking up seven ranked wins along the way. But against a familiar ACC rival, the result looked the same.

Boston College set the tone early. The Eagles opened the scoring just about a minute in and quickly built a 2-0 lead, capitalizing on early possessions as the Orange worked to settle in.

“It’s playoff intensity,” Thorpe said. “Boston College really cranked up the intensity for us.”

The Cuse found a response midway through the first, when attacker Caroline Trinkaus picked up right where she left off and got on the board. But BC answered just 30 seconds later to maintain control.

After a tough outing at the draw circle against then No. 15 Notre Dame, in which the Fighting Irish took a dominant 18-6 edge at the dot, SU showed some improvement, but still dropped the battle 8-4. In a game where possessions were limited and both defenses stayed locked in, that margin proved significant.

“It was a back and forth game, and they played some stingy defense. We played some good defense, but we’ve got to cash in offensively,” Thorpe said.

Still, Syracuse kept things within reach towards the middle of the contest. The Orange matched the Eagles across much of the stat sheet in the second quarter, with each side recording a goal, four turnovers, a free-position chance, three ground balls, and a foul.

SU entered halftime trailing 4-2, a much different position than last season’s matchup, when BC carried a 10-0 lead into the break.

Syracuse continued to push. Sophomores Molly Guzik and Bri Peters each found the back of the net in the third frame, helping the Orange trim the deficit to one early in the fourth quarter. For a moment, it felt like the ’Cuse was building momentum.

But Boston College responded once again.

The Eagles pushed the lead back to two, and then three, while their defense continued to come up with stops in key moments. BC goalkeeper Shea Dolce anchored the effort with eight saves, including multiple denials on free-position attempts as Syracuse finished 0-4 on 8-meter chances.

On the other end, Orange goalkeeper Daniella Guyette settled in after the opening half, finishing with six saves to keep SU within striking distance as the game tightened defensively.

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Even so, Boston College maintained control down the stretch. The Eagles’ ability to answer each Syracuse push, combined with timely saves and extra possessions, ultimately sealed the outcome in a game that was never fully titled in the Orange’s favor.

For Syracuse, the loss snaps its 12-game run and solidifies its position as the No. 4 seed heading into the ACC Tournament.

“We just have to stick together and reset,” Thorpe said. “It’s one of the best lacrosse tournaments in the country, playing in the ACC. It’s a privilege, and we’ve earned that.”

No. 4 seed Syracuse faces No. 5 seed Virginia on April 22 at 2 p.m.. The Orange topped the Cavaliers 6-5 in Charlottesville in their regular-season matchup. Follow @WAERSports on X for coverage.