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Syracuse women’s lacrosse has been ranked No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll, released on Monday. It’s the same spot the Orange ranked in the 2023 preseason poll. Coming off an 18-3 2023 season that ended in a Final Four loss to Boston College, SU ranks as the third-highest Atlantic Coast Conference team behind Boston College (No. 2) and North Carolina (No. 3).

The Orange are scheduled to face 12 out of the 25 teams in the preseason poll and are one of seven ACC teams to be listed.

In nine ranked regular season games in 2023, the Orange won eight of them, falling only to Boston College in the final game of the regular season at SU Soccer Stadium. Through the 2023 season, Syracuse held the No. 1 spot for five consecutive weeks before dropping to No. 2 after the loss to the Eagles.

Head coach Kayla Treanor enters her third year as Syracuse’s head coach. In the first two years, the Orange performed at the top of the NCAA in the regular season and fell short in the NCAA tournament, losing in the national quarterfinal in 2022 and the semifinal in 2023.

The Orange lost all-time greats Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney (both finished top 10 in program points) to graduation, but return a flurry of top players including ACC and IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year Delaney Sweitzer. Offensively, Emma Ward (94 points) and Emma Tyrrell (52 goals) will step into a larger role alongside star recruit Ashlee Volpe and a strong cast of other weapons.

SU opens its 2024 campaign on the road on Feb. 10 against the defending National Champions and No. 1 Northwestern.