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Syracuse women’s lacrosse was ranked No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse Week 3 Poll released Monday. The Orange dropped one spot following a 16-8 loss to No. 2 North Carolina to open Atlantic Coast Conference play.

After a 2-0 start to begin the 2025 campaign that featured victories over in-state foe UAlbany and a road win over then-No. 7 Maryland, SU climbed from No. 6 to No. 4. The Orange further cemented themselves with a win over Cornell on Tuesday.

To open conference play, Syracuse faced its toughest opponent yet in the Tar Heels. To make matters worse, SU was without leading goal scorer Olivia Adamson, who missed the game due to undisclosed reasons.

UNC quickly jumped out to an early lead, dominating the draw control and stifling the Orange’s offense without Adamson. Attackers Chloe and Ashley Humphrey proved too lethal for SU’s revamped defensive unit to handle despite a 16-save performance from Daniella Guyette. In the end, it wasn’t close as the Tar Heels jumped out to a lead as large as nine and finished with an eight-goal victory.

Syracuse fell after then-No. 5 Yale moved up one spot to jump the Orange. The schedule doesn’t get much easier for SU, as it next faces No. 3 Northwestern, followed by No. 12 Clemson.