No. 8 Syracuse edges No. 11 Virginia in a thriller on Senior Day

After two close wins last week, No. 8 Syracuse women’s lacrosse had just enough left to secure a 13-12 victory over No. 11 Virginia on Saturday. It was a genuine team effort for the Orange, but attacker Emma Ward was the star. The graduate student reached 300 career points, scoring a goal and recording three assists.

Ward had been aware of the milestone since the start of the season, making the win particularly special.

“Obviously, at the beginning, I knew I had a bit to go,” Ward said postgame. “It’s pretty cool, and I’m someone who believes everything happens for a reason. It was cool to be in the Dome. It was the last game I’ll play here, and to hit that milestone with such an amazing group and such an amazing game, it’s an honor.”

At first, SU aimed to win on a Senior Day against a challenging conference opponent. The Orange trailed 5-2 early in the first period, but the momentum changed quickly when Mileena Cotter and Molly Guzik combined for three goals, tying the game at 5-5. Although the first period ended in a tie, Virginia’s penalties became a key factor.

Syracuse capitalized on fouls inside the arc, scoring most of its goals in the second period off free-position shots. Gracie Britton netted two, Emma Muchnick added one, and Cotter secured her third goal of the half, registering her first hat trick of the season before halftime.

Syracuse led 9-6 at the break, but Virginia stayed within reach. After scoring just one goal in the second period, the Cavaliers added two in the third and four in the fourth. Trailing since the second quarter, Virginia tied the game at 12-12 in the fourth.

One final mistake by Virginia gave Syracuse another opportunity. A foul set up Caroline Trinkaus, who netted the go-ahead goal with under three minutes remaining. The Orange tightened their defense for the rest of the game, clinching a hard-earned senior day win.

“Awesome game today. I give Virginia a lot of credit,” head coach Kayla Treanor said in her postgame presser. “We were up, they came back. It was a back-and-forth game, and that’s a great team. They ran some nice stuff. I thought they made some great adjustments. It was a lot of fun to coach in this game today.”

Syracuse now begins a three-game road stretch over the next two weeks. Its first matchup is at Yale on Wednesday, a much-needed break from ranked competition. The Orange hope to take advantage of this opportunity before tournament play begins.