Syracuse women’s lacrosse falls in NCAA Tournament with 11-10 overtime loss to 6-seed Navy

Syracuse women’s lacrosse (14-6, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) surpassed expectations under first-year head coach Regy Thorpe, making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament against 6-seed Navy (20-1, 8-1 Patriot League). The Orange squandered a six-goal lead and had their season end in an 11-10 overtime loss to the Midshipmen.

“You do this long enough as a player and as a coach that you're on both sides of the game,” Syracuse head coach Regy Thorpe said. “Sometimes you're on the good side, sometimes you're on the bad side, and we just couldn't get momentum back.”

It was a game full of momentum. Navy entered the contest ranking third in the nation with 16 goals per game. The Midshipmen proved how potent their offense is by getting on the scoresheet twice in the opening frame. However, SU went on a 3-0 scoring run to end the first quarter with a 3-2 lead.

The ‘Cuse added onto that tally with an offensive explosion by attacker Caroline Trinkaus. The sophomore did all of her damage in the second frame by scoring four goals, which tied a career-high. Trinkaus’ tallies marked back-to-back games in which she has scored at least a hat trick.

After a goal from midfielder Emma Muchnick, the winningest coach in women’s lacrosse history, Cindy Timchal, made a bold call to change Navy’s luck. She pulled All-American goalie Felicia Giglio and subbed in freshman Angelina Price with four minutes left of the first half. Still, SU entered the break up 9-3.

The move woke up the Midshipmen offense, which continued to chip away. Attacker Molly Guzik gave the Orange a six-goal lead with three and a half minutes left of the third quarter, yet Navy began a scoring run of its own, highlighted by Tewaaraton finalist Alyssa Chung.

Entering the final frame, Syracuse held a four-goal lead, but quickly watched it evaporate. SU was held scoreless, taking two shots compared to Navy’s eight.

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“They switched to a zone, and we kind of went a little stagnant,” Thorpe said. “We tried a couple different looks offensively, but you've got to give Navy's defense a lot of credit.”

It wasn’t just Navy’s defense that stepped up. The Midshipmen attacking unit rattled off five shots, connecting on four goals to send the game to overtime knotted at 10. There was not much reigning ACC netminder of the year, Daniella Guyette, could do about the scores. She made 10 stops for her fourth game of the season with double-digit saves.

With a trip to the quarterfinals on the line, the Midshipmen won the draw and turned to their leading scorer. Chung stepped into a shot that found the back of the net, erasing a six-goal deficit and guiding them to an 11-10 victory. The score earned Navy its largest comeback win in NCAA Tournament history, and it will now face 3-seed Maryland in the quarterfinals.

The loss marks the second straight year SU has fallen in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite the result, Thorpe is already looking to make adjustments for next season.

“Tomorrow we can reflect and then start preparing for next year,” Thorpe said. “[I’m] just really proud of this group this year and excited for the future.”