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Syracuse beats Brown in first round of NCAA Tournament

Syracuse WLAX beats Brown in NCAA tourney opener

Eight players score in 15-9 win over the Bears, sending Orange to Sunday showdown with Yale.

Story by Jack Belanger / Photos by Molly Mellinger
Published: May 10, 2025
Syracuse WLax
Photo by Molly Mellinger
Midfielder Mileena Cotter celebrates after a goal en route to Syracuse’s 15-9 victory over Brown in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament on Friday in New Haven, Connecticut.

After finishing the season with nine wins, the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team was at risk of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 (COVID-19 caused the 2020 event to be canceled).

Not only did the Orange make the cut, but the team showed it belonged after taking down Brown University 15-9 in New Haven, Connecticut, on Friday. Eight different players scored for the Orange as the team got its first win since April 5.

Unseeded for the first time since 2018, the team began its journey for a third straight Final Four as an underdog.

Emma Muchnick put the Orange up 1-0 two minutes into the game with her team-leading 34th goal of the season. The junior midfielder finished the game with a hat trick.

Syracuse WLax
Photo by Molly Mellinger
Midfielder Emma Muchnick advances the ball down the field against Brown on Friday for an eventual hat trick and 34th goal of the season.

Brown took a 3-2 lead late in the first quarter. The Brown Bears’ own goal and a free position shot from Muchnick put the Orange up 4-3, a lead they would not relinquish.

The Orange scored seven goals in the second quarter to pull away from the Brown Bears.

Muchnick, Caroline Trinkaus, Mileena Cotter, Ashlee Volpe, Bri Peters, Annie Parker, and Sam DeVito all contributed goals in the second quarter. The Orange went into halftime up 11-6.

Syracuse WLax
Photo by Molly Mellinger
Attacker Emma Ward evades the Brown defense during SUs NCAA Tournament first-round victory on Friday.
Syracuse WLax
Photo by Molly Mellinger
Midfielder Caroline Trinkaus pushes the ball up the field against Brown on Friday in New Haven, Connecticut.

Emma Ward scored three goals in the second half to give Syracuse the cushion to win comfortably. The team’s leader in points added three assists on the day.

Syracuse’s defense locked down in the fourth quarter, holding Brown to no goals in the final frame.

The season looked bleak for the Orange for the past month. After dropping the regular season finale 17-2 against No. 2 Boston College, they lost in the ACC Tournament to Stanford. Nine wins were the fewest under head coach Kayla Treanor. 

The win sets up a second-round matchup on Sunday against the No. 7 seed Yale. The Orange lost 13-10 to the Bulldogs in New Haven on April 2.

The game is set to air at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.