Orange to Face Toughest Schedule in Program History

2017 Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse head women's lacrosse coach Gary Gait has put together the most challenging schedule in school history for his 2017 Orange. Fourteen of the 18 regular-season games are against teams that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament, including national champion North Carolina.

"This is the most competitive schedule in the history of women's lacrosse," Gait said. "If you want to be the best, you have to play the best. The regular season will prepare us for what we will see in the postseason."

Syracuse opens the season against one of the 14 opponents who were NCAA Tournament teams a year ago when it hosts ACC foe Boston College in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Feb. 11. After a pair of games on Feb. 18 against Canisius and Binghamton in the Carrier Dome, the Orange host Massachusetts, a NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist a year ago, on Saturday, Feb. 25. Syracuse ends its four-game homestand to start the campaign against Albany on Monday, Feb. 27.

The Orange travels to Hempstead, N.Y. to face Northwestern on March 3 before returning home to host Virginia on Saturday, March 5. Syracuse goes on the road for its next three contests against last year's national runner-up Maryland (March 11), Florida (March 14) and Harvard at Rollins College (March 18.

Notre Dame comes to the Carrier Dome on Sunday, March 26 in a rematch of last year's ACC Tournament semifinal which the Orange won, 9-5. Syracuse and Princeton will meet for the first time on Wednesday, March 29 in New Jersey.

The Orange returns to ACC play on Sunday, April 2 at Duke before traveling to Loyola for a midweek contest (April 5). Syracuse will take on Virginia Tech at the SU Soccer Stadium on Saturday, April 9 before taking on defending national champion North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Saturday, April 15. The teams last met in last year's ACC Tournament championship game. Kelly Cross scored at the buzzer to tie the score at 14-14, but the Tar Heels scored in the first overtime session to claim the tournament title.

Syracuse hosts Cornell in its final home game of the season on April 18 before traveling to Louisville for the regular-season finale on Saturday, April 22.

The 2017 ACC Tournament will take place April 27-28, 30 at the Richmond Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia.

Syracuse finished the 2016 season with a 19-6 record and advanced to the national semifinals for the fifth consecutive season.

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Orange to Face Toughest Schedule in Program History

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