No. 6 Syracuse stunned by No. 7 Johns Hopkins in 14-13 overtime defeat

Just over a minute into No. 6 Syracuse women’s lacrosse’s second overtime game in four days, Johns Hopkins midfielder MK Lescault streaked down the left alley of the eight-meter fan and delivered the game-winning goal to propel the No. 7 Blue Jays to their third-ever victory over a top-10 team.

Monday’s match marked just the second-ever meeting between the two programs, with the previous one coming in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where the Orange routed the Blue Jays 25-6. That game was at SU Soccer Stadium, but in Hopkins’ first-ever welcome to the JMA Wireless Dome, it seemed like SU would come up with a similar result.

John Hopkins had its backs against the wall early. The Orange surged to an early 6-1 lead, scoring three unanswered goals to begin the game. But as the first quarter wore on, momentum began to shift back to the black and blue. SU only mustered two more goals before the halftime break.

Johns Hopkins mounted a strong response, sparked by a natural hat trick from attacker Ava Angello. The Manlius native, making her return to Central New York, scored a season-high six goals.

Despite a few late goals from the Syracuse — courtesy of freshman Annie Parker and the team’s leading scorer, Emma Ward — Syracuse only held a narrow 8-6 lead into the locker room.

The offensive rhythm Syracuse enjoyed in the opening quarter couldn’t be regained down the stretch. The Blue Jays, fueled by another natural hat trick from Angello, outscored Syracuse in the third quarter 4-3 but still trailed by one.

“We got off to such a great start, and then … we could never really come back with that same offensive flow that we had in the first quarter,” said SU head coach Kayla Treanor.

The final frame was a seesaw battle. John Hopkins tied the game for the first time since the opening draw with a pair of clutch goals from its top-scorer Ashley Mackin, bringing the score to 11-11 with just under eight minutes remaining. The back-and-forth bout would continue with the Orange still forcing the Blue Jays to play catchup. That was until midfielders Megan Kielbasa and Charlotte Smith scored back-to-back goals to put Hopkins in the lead for the first time of the evening.

Even with the game all but gift-wrapped, SU still had one last opportunity to tie it in regulation after Johns Hopkins midfielder Samantha DiCarlo stepped out of bounds with 30 seconds left, resulting in a much-needed turnover. With the Syracuse down to its last breath, midfielder Emma Muchnick potted home her second goal of the day on a free-position shot to tie the game at 13, sending it to overtime.

“I just said to the girls that in our huddle before that last 30 seconds that we obviously did this just two days ago and we are starting to get comfortable in a lot of different situations this season,” Muchnick remarked. “I’m really proud of how resilient they all were.”

Even though Syracuse is no stranger to overtime. Fresh off a 14-13 double OT win on Friday against #6 Stanford, its momentum faltered at the finish line. Hopkins capitalized on its opening possession in the extra period when Lescault found the back of the net for just her second season goal. It marked the third overtime win this year for Johns Hopkins.

“It really comes down to little plays throughout the game that make the difference,” Traenor said. “We have to be more consistent if we want to win these games.”

Syracuse drops back to .500 with a 4-4 record following the loss. That matches the same amount of regular season defeats the Orange suffered a season ago.

After facing two top-10 teams in four days, SU visits ACC opponent Pittsburgh at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Orange has won its three all-time matchups with the Panthers.