Freshman Caroline Trinkaus recorded her second hat trick of the season, but No. 6/5 Syracuse fell just short in a 9-8 loss to No. 14/12 Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome.
A crowd of 2,899—the largest in Division I women’s lacrosse this season and the third-highest in program history—watched as the Orange (3-3, 0-2) battled in a tightly contested matchup. Neither team led by more than two goals throughout the game.
Trinkaus and Sam DeVito scored back-to-back early goals to give Syracuse a 2-1 advantage, but Clemson (5-0, 2-0) responded with a 4-1 run, taking a 5-3 lead into halftime. The teams exchanged goals to start the second half before Alexa Vogleman and Gracie Britton converted free position attempts, tying the game at 6-6 with 9:04 remaining.
With the score knotted at 7-7, Clemson struck twice within a minute to grab a 9-7 lead with 5:59 left. Trinkaus completed her hat trick with 49 seconds remaining to bring the Orange within one, but the Tigers secured possession on the ensuing draw and ran out the clock.
Syracuse returns to action at the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday, March 7, hosting Stanford at 5 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
