No. 4 SU falls 15-8 to No. 3 BC in ACC Championship

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Since Kayla Treanor took over as Syracuse’s head coach in 2022, the program has perennially been among the elite Division I teams. Yet a consistent theme throughout the three-season stretch is the SU’s postseason shortcomings.

In 2022 with Treanor at the helm, Syracuse fell to Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. In the NCAA Tournament, it fell in the quarterfinals to Northwestern. Then after a 15-0 start to the regular season in 2023, the Orange lost in the ACC Tournament semifinals to North Carolina before blowing a lead to Boston College in the NCAA Tournament final four.

Despite losing Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney — SU’s all-time points leader and 2023 leading scorer, respectively — 2024 seemed different. Syracuse won its first outright ACC regular season title and steamrolled through Louisville and Virginia to advance to its first ACC Tournament title game under Treanor.

To overcome their recent postseason failures, the Orange had to get through the team they haven’t beaten in the Treanor era: Boston College. But for the sixth straight game, No. 4 Syracuse (14-5, 8-1 ACC) fell 15-8 to No. 3 Boston College (16-3, 7-2 ACC). Despite leading 5-1 with four minutes left in the first quarter, SU’s offense was silenced over the final 49 minutes as it was outscored 14-3.

As the Orange looked to win their first ACC Tournament since Treanor netted a game-winner versus North Carolina in 2015, it’s only fitting that the Eagles handed them the loss. In the last game of the Gary Gait era, BC defeated SU in the National Championship — the start of its win streak. A regular season win in 2022 extended the streak to two before the rivalry was amplified in 2023.

In Carney and Tyrrell’s final season, the Orange’s offense steamrolled through their first 15 games undefeated and looked to notch the first perfect regular season in program history a game later.

The only team standing between them and history? Boston College.

Commanding an 11-6 lead at the beginning of the second half, SU was on the cusp of history. Yet the Orange crumbled down the stretch. After a go-ahead goal from Belle Smith with 1:30 remaining, the Eagles commanded their first lead since the beginning of the first quarter that it didn’t relinquish in their 17-16 comeback win.

A month later in the NCAA Tournament final four, Syracuse again had a win slip away. In a defensive battle, SU led 7-5 entering the fourth quarter. Yet, BC held it scoreless as it tacked on three unanswered scores to reach the NCAA championship game.

Looking to avenge their previous four losses, the Orange traveled to Chestnut Hill, MA, attempting to enter the ACC Tournament with a perfect conference regular season record. Like its previous two games against BC, Syracuse commanded a 5-3 halftime lead. Still, Boston College outscored it 7-3 in the second half to force overtime before Cassidy Weeks scored the game-winner for BC.

Even off a crushing defeat, Syracuse looked flawless throughout its first two ACC Tournament games. Against No. 9 seed Louisville, a season-high nine SU players scored in a commanding 17-8 win. In the semifinals against Virginia, the Orange played their best lacrosse of the season.

After barely squeaking by the Cavaliers on March 23, Syracuse led wire-to-wire allowing a tied-for-season-low four goals. SU again had nine goal scorers while Kate Mashewske ignited a +19 draw control differential, the Orange’s best of the regular season.

Coming off its most complete game of the season, the only thing standing between Syracuse overcoming its postseason struggles was the team it’s struggled most against.

Throughout the first 10 minutes, it seemed the Orange would finally overcome those struggles.

Mashewske picked up where she left off versus Virginia winning the game’s opening draw. She quickly dished to Maddy Baxter, who then found a wide-open Natalie Smith. One-on-one against goalie Shae Dolce, Smith sniped the upper left corner of the net, giving the Orange a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into the game.

BC responded to tie the score 1-1, but then Syracuse got into a rhythm. Smith won the draw near midfield and pushed the ball down the field before finding Olivia Adamson at X. After backing down BC defender Becky Browndorf near the cage, Adamson beat Dolve giving SU a 2-1 lead.

Boston College then had a perfect opportunity to tie the game 2-2 on a free position shot. Yet, Delaney Sweitzer saved Emma LoPinto’s shot and the Orange successfully cleared the ball. On the other end, Savannah Sweitzer bounced a fadeaway shot into the bottom right corner giving the Orange a 3-1 lead four minutes into the game.

LoPinto responded with a behind-the-back goal, but it was waived off after review because of illegal contact on the follow-through. Three minutes later, Adamson scored his second goal as SU led 4-1. A minute later, it led 5-1 after Ward fired a free position shot past Dolce.

Everything was going the Orange’s way. Then, history repeated itself.

Boston College stole all of SU’s momentum to close the first quarter, scoring two unanswered goals to cut their deficit to 5-3. At the start of the second quarter, the Eagles tormented SU in transition to cut their deficit to 5-4.

Despite another Mashewske draw control — one of SU’s nine straight wins — the Orange didn’t score and traded possessions with Boston College over the next five minutes. But another ground ball pickup from Scales set up a Kayla Martello goal, as BC scored its fourth straight goal to tie the game 5-5.

Syracuse finally regained momentum to take a 7-5 lead at the 5:30 mark of the second quarter, but BC responded with two goals to tie the game 7-7 before halftime.

In the third quarter, the Eagles scored their third consecutive goal to notch their first lead of the game — which they never replenished. Twenty-two minutes separated Syracuse’s seventh goal scored by Gracie Britton and its eighth goal scored by Emma Ward at the beginning of the fourth quarter. In that time, Boston College outscored it 5-1, commanding a 10-8 lead.

While Ward’s goal looked to get the Orange back on track for a comeback push, no such thing happened. The Eagles scored five unanswered goals to close the game, handing Syracuse another heartbreaking loss on the brink of history.