The Syracuse Orange women’s lacrosse team will play against the fourth-ranked Northwestern Wildcats on March 12 at Ryan Fieldhouse in Chicago. The game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on B1G+.
This matchup is significant as it continues Syracuse’s challenging schedule against some of the nation’s top teams. The Orange, currently ranked No. 14 with a record of 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, have recently improved their standing by defeating two ACC opponents, California and Virginia Tech, holding both teams to just three goals each—the lowest allowed by Syracuse since February 2020.
Syracuse enters this contest riding a four-game winning streak, which includes victories over three ACC teams and then-No. 13 Loyola. During this stretch, the Orange defense has been particularly strong, limiting opponents to an average of just 5.8 goals per game—down from their season average of 7.6 goals per game, which ranks as the thirteenth best mark nationally. Izzy Lahah leads the defensive effort with 19 caused turnovers and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week last week.
On offense, Syracuse has scored at least thirteen goals in each win during its current streak and is outscoring opponents by an average margin of nearly eight goals per game. Molly Guzik leads the team with seventeen goals and three assists this season, while Mackenzie Rich and Ashlee Volpe have each contributed six goals and seven assists.
Northwestern comes into Thursday’s matchup with a record of 5-1 and boasts one of the most productive offenses in Division I lacrosse, averaging over eighteen goals per game—second highest in the country—and outscoring opponents by ten goals per contest. Madison Taylor leads Northwestern with thirty goals and twelve assists through six games.
The upcoming meeting marks the twenty-seventh time these programs have faced off, with Northwestern holding an eighteen-to-eight advantage in the all-time series.
