Syracuse women’s lacrosse locks down No. 7 Yale

No. 10 Syracuse women’s lacrosse locked down another top-10 opponent Tuesday night, grinding out a 6-5 win over No. 7 Yale at the JMA Wireless Dome.

In a matchup between two of the nation’s top defenses, the Orange delivered the decisive performance—holding a high-powered Yale offense to a season-low five goals.

Yale entered averaging 16 goals per game and had not been held below 11 all season, but Syracuse’s zone defense stifled the Bulldogs, anchored by a 10-save performance from senior goalie Daniella Guyette. 

“To hold them to five goals was a great accomplishment by the defense; they’ve been our anchor all year,” head coach Regy Thorpe said.

Backed by its defense, the Orange looked more efficient on offense early. They got out to a hot start, notching a trio of goals from junior midfielder Alexa Vogelman, sophomore midfielder Molly Guzik and senior midfielder Emma Muchnick in the first nine minutes of the game. 

Yale responded in the back half of the first frame, scoring two goals to cut the deficit to one.

The Orange created some separation in the second quarter. Junior midfielder Joely Caramelli scored twice in the period, both coming off strong offensive sets that emphasized ball movement against Yale’s zone defense. 

“I think we’ve been working all week as a unit and really trying to display our chemistry,” Caramelli said. “When you play against a zone, it really shows how well you play together.”

The junior midfielder had only scored in two games prior to this matchup, but found her rhythm in the second to give the Orange a 5-3 lead at halftime.

From there, the game turned into a defensive battle. Neither team found the back of the net for more than 11 minutes in the second half. Guyette kept up the impressive play in the cage, saving three shots, including a free position attempt from Yale. The Bulldogs were stifled on free position, with all four attempts on the night saved by Guyette. 

“Dan made some timely saves,” Thorpe said. “We needed every one of them tonight.”

Yale eventually broke through late in the third quarter and tied the game early in the fourth, capitalizing on a player-up opportunity to even the score at 5-5.

With the game hanging in the balance, redshirt senior Mackenzie Rich found sophomore midfielder Caroline Trinkaus cutting to the cage, and the junior buried the go-ahead goal, which became the eventual game-winner. Trinkaus led the Orange with three points.

Guyette closed the door from there. She saved Yale’s only two shots of the fourth and forced two turnovers. 

“I try not to take myself too seriously, just staying loose, staying positive,” Guyette said. “If I can keep the energy up, that’s what I’ll do.”

The win carries added weight for Syracuse, which had dropped both meetings to Yale last season, including an NCAA Tournament loss.

“That’s definitely something we talked about all week, using that as fuel,” Caramelli said. “We felt like we had a lot to prove.”

Now riding a six-game win streak and back-to-back wins over top-10 opponents, the Orange will likely continue to climb the rankings of the national poll. They look to bring that momentum back into ACC play with No. 19 Virginia on deck.

The Orange sit at 6-3 overall, but just 3-2 in ACC play after a 0-2 start in conference play.