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Syracuse’s 2024 season ended in the same spot, in the same stadium and against the same team as the year prior. A Final Four loss to Boston College on May 24 in Cary, North Carolina, closed SU’s season.

The game marked the end of Emma Tyrrell’s collegiate career. Emma and her older sister, Meaghan, combined for 721 points and served as key pieces at the beginning of head coach Kayla Treanor’s tenure.

Along with Emma, the Orange lost draw-control specialist Kate Mashewske and goalie Delaney Sweitzer, who were both prominent figures that drove Syracuse to the Final Four. As SU eyes its first National Championship in program history, a new cast of characters will be at the forefront.

The Orange have continuously made it deep into May, but Treanor’s success through the first three years only builds upon the “championship or bust” mentality entering year four.

Here are the four biggest questions for No. 6 Syracuse women’s lacrosse entering 2025:

How will the Orange revamp their defense?

Much of Syracuse’s stifling 2024 defense is now gone. Last season, the Orange allowed just 9.68 goals per game.

Sweitzer has now moved on to Big Ten powerhouse Northwestern. Longtime starter Bianca Chevarie graduated and is an assistant coach at William & Mary. Three-year starter Hallie Simkins also graduated, and top defender Katie Goodale is gone, too.

All that’s left of a star-studded unit from a year ago is sophomore Kaci Benoit and junior Coco Vandiver. Benoit instantly becomes a prominent on-ball defender for the Orange. A sensational freshman year saw her matchup with two-time Tewaaraton winner Izzy Scane and make the All-ACC Freshman Team while starting all 22 games. Vandiver also saw success in an elevated role. She caused 18 turnovers last year and this season, will be the elder stateswoman of the group.

Between the pipes, junior Daniella Guyette will likely take the reins from Sweitzer. She served as the backup in 2024 and appeared in seven games.

To replace Chevarie, Goodale and Simkins, it’s going to take some depth. Junior defender Superia Clark appeared in more games as a freshman than a sophomore but will likely see the bulk of replaced minutes. A four-star recruit in the 2022 class, Clark will be key to meshing with Benoit and Vandiver.

With Clark, Chloe Bethea-Jones will be thrust into action after sparse minutes over her first two college seasons. To round out the new unit, the Orange added five-star freshman Alexia Reber. She’s the No. 14 player in the 2024 class and will certainly see minutes as Syracuse figures out its combinations.

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What will SU’s draw-control unit look like?

Mashewske left the program with just about every record a draw-control specialist can hold. She’s one of just nine NCAA Division I players all-time to tally 500 or more draw controls. She also holds the single-season (234) and career totals (577) for draw controls at SU.

Her final season at Syracuse even caused opposing coaches to question the legality of Mashewske’s stick and play. With Mashewske out of eligibility, the Orange have multiple options to attempt to replace her.

Olivia Adamson stepped in for Mashewske during the 2023 season after Mashewske exited with a season-ending injury. She totaled 107 draw controls and helped the Orange to the Final Four. When Mashewske had a slow start to 2024, Adamson again stepped in, totaling five against UAlbany. Adamson may be the most experienced option, but do you really want your top-scoring threat to also take draws? She’s expected to be SU’s leading scorer in her senior campaign, a role that could be difficult to balance if she anchors the draw unit.

Other options include sophomore Alexa Vogelman, who dominated the draw in her high school career as the No. 5 recruit in the 2023 class. Freshman Molly Guzik, the No. 11 recruit in the 2024 class, also excelled in the circle in high school. She totaled over 400 draw controls in her career and led all of New York Section V in draw controls in 2024 with 147. No candidate can easily replicate Mashewske’s success, but the Orange have a few pieces who could fill the void.

Will Alexa Vogelman, Ashlee Volpe have a redshirt revival?

In 2024, Benoit and Joely Caramelli were the two key freshmen to crack the lineup. Benoit entered the season ranked as the No. 12 recruit in the 2023 class, while Caramelli, a four-star recruit, fell outside the top 50.

SU, however, had two more highly-touted recruits ready to play as freshmen. Ashlee Volpe, the No. 21 recruit in the class, and Vogelman, the No. 5 recruit, were set to be key contributors to Syracuse’s attack. Then, injuries derailed their seasons. First, Vogelman tore her ACL in October. Volpe tore her ACL for the third time just days before SU’s season opener.

Both are in line to start their college careers in 2025, and the Orange need their production. SU must replace 215 points from a season ago, losing the production of Tyrrell, Natalie Smith, Maddy Baxter and Savannah Sweitzer.

While it may take a few games to get going, Volpe and Vogelman have the combined potential to be the next generation of star scorers at Syracuse. On Feb. 6, 2024, as Volpe was expected to debut just days later, Tyrrell and Emma Ward noted Volpe’s impact in practice. A year later, she’ll likely be one of SU’s top threats alongside Ward and Adamson.

Vogelman’s injury was far too early in the year to be expected to play a role last season. But as a three-time USA Lacrosse All-American and the 2023 New Balance All-American Game MVP, she has the credentials to lead Syracuse’s midfield for years to come.

How can Syracuse get past Boston College and over the hump?

A 76.6% win mark through three seasons under Treanor has established the Orange within the upper-echelon of D-I. But the team that’s continuously prevented Syracuse from reaching the next level is Boston College. The Eagles have ended SU’s season the last two years, and Treanor is 0-6 against BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein.

Cracking the code to a championship starts with solving Boston College. The Orange will again be vying for top spots in the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA. It’s fairly simple based on recent history: if you don’t beat Boston College, you won’t win championships. That goes for the conference tournament and Championship Weekend.

In SU’s three losses to the Eagles in 2024, BC had an intensity and fire the Orange simply couldn’t match. Syracuse’s 2025 schedule features 11 teams ranked in Inside Lacrosse’s Preseason Poll, allowing necessary battle testing before a regular-season finale against Boston College. The Orange will be ready to go come April 17. It’s just a matter of what happens between the lines when the two teams match up.

Published on February 3, 2025 at 7:58 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky