Pitt Falls to No. 8 Syracuse, 17-11

Saturday, March 15

Pittsburgh, PA

11 AM

Pitt

5-4, 1-3ACC

Syracuse

5-4, 2-2ACC

Syracuse

Pitt

Pitt Falls to No. 8 Syracuse, 17-11

3/15/2025 3:15:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

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PITTSBURGH – Pitt delivered a spirited effort but came up short in a 17-11 loss to No. 8 Syracuse Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. Jenna Hendrickson had four goals and an assist, while Kaitlyn Giandonato added four goals to pace the Pitt offensive attack.

Molly Cain posted a career-high 15 saves and Pitt was within striking distance late into the fourth quarter before Syracuse scored a pair of goals with the Panthers playing without a goalie in the closing minutes.

Pitt moves to 5-4 on the season and 1-3 in ACC play, while Syracuse is now 5-4 overall and 2-2 in league play.

First Quarter

Pitt opened the scoring at the 13:18 mark as Kaitlyn Giandonato took a pass from Avery Moon and beat the Syracuse goalie low just before being knocked to the turf by a charging defender.
Syracuse grabbed control of the quarter with four consecutive wins off the draw control and grabbed a 3-1 lead with goals from Caroline Trinkaus (11:16), Alexa Vogelman (7:48), and Gracie Britton (7:39).
Abby Thorne came up with a big ground ball in front of goal and Sydney Naylor notched her 23^rd goal of the season off the clear at the 6:16 mark as the Panthers pulled to within one.
Jenna Hendrickson evened the score at 3-3 15 seconds later as Moon found her charging toward goal following a Syracuse violation off the draw.
The Orange regained the lead with 3:03 left in the corner as Joely Carameli scored on a back hand rip in front of the cage late with just three seconds left on the shot clock.
Pitt won the ensuing draw with a two-minute penalty giving them the advantage before weather issues in the area set both teams to the locker room with 2:22 remaining.
Following a delay that lasted over an hour, Syracuse killed off the penalty but Molly Cain came up with a couple of big saves to keep the Panthers within one goal (4-3) after the opening 15 minutes of action.

Second Quarter

Syracuse struck first after back and forth action in the second as Trinkaus found Emma Muchnick sliding in front of the cage before she was able to bounce an attempt into the back of the net for a 5-3 lead at the 10:52 mark.
The Orange extended the lead with a free position goal from Sam DeVito (9:10) and quick transition goals from Caramelli (7:50) and Mileena Cotter (6:40).
The run reached five goals at the 4:58 mark as Vogelman found the back of the net with a low-angle attempt from the left wing.
Talia Zuco stopped the Syracuse scoring streak with a free position goal from the top of arc with 3:50 left in the half.
Pitt had a pair of free position efforts stymied by an aggressive Syracuse defense and Molly Guzik ripped a shot from the left wing into goal just before the halftime break to spot the Orange to a 10-4 lead.
The Panthers posted a solid 6-2 edge in draw controls in the second quarter but were plagued by six turnovers in the stanza.

Third Quarter

Pitt opened the second half scoring as Hendrickson took a feed at the top of the arc and slid by a Syracuse defender before slotting home her second goal of the day with 11:18 remaining in the quarter.
Moon and Hendrickson connected again at the 6:15 mark as the Panthers pulled to within 10-6. Moon collected her fourth assist of the day on the play.
Syracuse was awarded a free position attempt with 4:29 remaining and Trinkaus converted for her third goal and a five-goal edge for the Orange.
Naylor countered with a free position goal just under a minute later with a woman-up goal after Syracuse was carded for too many players on the field.
Pitt continued its strong play in the third with another win off the draw before Hendrickson fed a cutting Kaitlyn Giandonato in front of the goal before she beat the keeper with a hard bounce into the back of the net.
Syracuse received a big save from its keeper with under a minute remaining in the quarter and bled out the clock after Pitt received a two-minute penalty with 28 second left.
Pitt was strong on the draw with a 5-1 edge in the third period, while also posting a 9-5 edge in shots.

Fourth Quarter

Syracuse took advantage of the woman-up opportunity as Emma Ward found the back of the net 24 seconds into the quarter.
Hendrickson quickly countered with her fourth goal of the game at the 13:46 mark to push the score to 12-9.
The Pitt surge continued with a woman-down goal as Giandonato registered her third hat trick of the season. She erased a Syracuse free position goal (10:34) with a nice dodge and finish from the top of the arc at the 7:58 mark to pull the Panthers to within 13-11.
Cain delivered three big saves to hold the Syracuse offense in check, before Guzik slipped a tough angle shot by Cain to give the Orange a three-goal edge with just under five minutes remaining.
Syracuse added a woman-up goal at the 3:17 mark following a loose ball scrum in the middle of the field that gave the Orange possession.
Syracuse tacked on a couple of empty net goal in the closing minutes for a final margin of 17-11.

Notes

Cain posted a career-high 15 saves .. .she moved into third place in the Pitt record books with 139 saves … the 15 saves is also tied for the fourth most in program history.
Moon became Pitt's career leader in assists (28) … she matched a career-best with four helpers on the day … the four assists also matched a program record done three times.
Hendrickson moved into second place in the Pitt record books for career goals … she posted her 23^rd consecutive game with at least one goal.
Jill Fenech posted eight draw controls, tied for fifth most in a game in program history.