Rahill Jaiswal @Rahill Jaiswal
The NCAA tournament is right around the corner for Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse. After falling to Boston College in the ACC Championship, the Orange are number three in the polls. After winning its conference Boston College is locked in at two. If Northwestern wins the Big Ten Championship tomorrow, it will lock up in the one seed. In all likelihood, it looks like Syracuse is going to stay locked at the three spots. This is huge because that means the Orange would receive a first-round bye. So, what can we expect from this team in the tournament?
Despite having some tough losses this season, Syracuse is still one of the best teams in the country. The Orange have one of the best offenses in the country while also posting a solid defense. So, I expect another deep run for this team in the big dance. However, for SU to win its first-ever national championship, it would most likely have to go through Boston College and Northwestern. The Wildcats beat the Orange to open the season and have been the best team in the nation for almost the entire season. They are led by the dynamic trio of Izzy Scene, Madison Taylor, and Erin Coykendall. Meanwhile, BC has owned SU recently. The Eagles have won five straight going back to the 2021 national championship. Since returning to her alma mater, head coach Kayla Treanor is 0-4 against her former employer, Acacia Walker-Weinstein. For whatever reason, Syracuse can’t seem to beat Boston College. If the seeds stay the same, the Orange could match up against the Eagles in the NCAA tournament Semifinals for the second straight year. After leading 7-5 entering the fourth quarter last year, SU fell apart. Boston College outscored Syracuse 3-0 to advance to the national championship. However, BC would fall to Northwestern in the title game.
It would be shocking if another team outside of Northwestern and Boston College would win the national championship. The next team in line would most likely be Syracuse and Michigan. Unfortunately for SU, it does seem like it can beat either of the top two teams. Syracuse would maybe have a better chance against Northwestern because Kate Mashewske is playing much better than she did when the two teams met at the start of the year. However, I would still pick the Wildcats to beat the Orange if they matched up in the national championships. If I were to give a final prediction, I would expect Syracuse to fall to Boston College in the Semifinals again. I would then expect Northwestern to beat Boston College in the national championship to go back-to-back.
Syracuse will find out its road to the national championship in the new few days. The selection show is set for May 5th at 9pm. Follow along on my Twitter @RahillJaiswal for all live updates.
