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Molly Guzik entered the 2025 season as Syracuse’s top-ranked freshman, slotting in at No. 11 on Inside Lacrosse’s list. She proved that placement wasn’t a fluke by starting her college career strong with three points versus UAlbany.

However, Guzik didn’t feature much in SU’s win over No. 7 Maryland Saturday, not recording a single point. And to start the Orange’s third game of the year against Cornell Tuesday, she struggled. The freshman didn’t record a single stat in the first quarter and opened the second with two straight turnovers — part of a 19-giveaway game for SU.

But after her second turnover, Guzik thrived. In No. 4 Syracuse’s (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 18-10 win over Cornell (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League), the freshman posted a tied-for-team-high five points (two goals, three assists). Her performance helped diversify SU’s offense, as she was one of 10 different players to score a goal and six to record an assist.

“(Guzik) is definitely somebody that is getting better in every game, and she has so much potential,” Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor said postgame. “Once she started to get in the flow of the game, she was able to play great.”

In high school, Guzik was primarily a goal scorer and draw specialist. She made Spencerport High School’s (New York) varsity team as a seventh grader, totaling 166 goals, 69 assists and a whopping 469 draw wins across five seasons with the Rangers.

But with Syracuse, she’s been more involved as a distributor, pushing her totals to three goals and a third-best five assists after Tuesday’s matchup. After being quiet in the first quarter, that’s exactly how she got on the board in the second.

With SU up 6-3 midway through the second, Caroline Trinkaus was awarded a free-position shot at a narrow angle from the left of the goal. Instead of shooting, she opted to pass. Eventually, Carlie Desimone circled with the ball at the top of the 8-meter circle, dishing to Guzik as she cut to the right. She took a few steps and found Joely Caramelli free in front of the net, who drilled her shot under Ellie Horner’s net for the score.

A minute and a half later, with the Orange building a 9-3 lead, Guzik got in on the scoring frenzy. Cornell employed a zone defense like it had all game, which Treanor said wasn’t effective against an offense as deep as SU’s. Guzik benefited greatly.

Olivia Adamson delivered a cross-field pass to her on the left of the circle. She immediately fed Trinkaus and sprinted toward the goal behind an unaware Caitlin Tully. Trinkaus hit Guzik in stride, and she finished the play with a behind-the-back strike that Horner couldn’t even react to.

“I think (that goal) really fired us all up,” SU attack Gracie Britton said. “She’s really brought so much to the table, just as a freshman, that I love being her teammate.”

Britton was right. Guzik’s highlight-reel snipe was followed by two more Syracuse goals to give it a 12-3 lead, part of an 11-2 SU run after Cornell’s initial 2-1 advantage. Both scores were assisted by Guzik.

With six minutes left in the half, Guzik received the ball just outside the crease. She looked to shoot, but her lane was immediately closed by three Big Red defenders. The attention allowed Adamson to get free on the right of the 8-meter circle. Guzik found her, and Adamson unleashed a screamer from far out that clanged off the left post and in.

Despite a four-minute span where neither team scored after Adamson’s tally, Guzik got the offense running again. In almost a replica of Guzik’s earlier goal, Trinkaus motored to her right before turning and dishing to Guzik on her left. Trinkaus slipped behind Cornell’s Annie Parker, and Guzik fed her on the run for a close-range score.

Guzik didn’t make her presence known again offensively until the fourth quarter, only getting one shot off in the third, which was saved by Horner. But by then, Syracuse had built a 16-7 lead.

This was mostly due to SU’s bevy of scoring options, which allowed it to spread the ball around and bury Cornell from numerous outlets. Britton tacked on back-to-back goals in the third — part of her three-goal effort. Emma Ward also added her third before Desimone scored her first, marking the 10th different Syracuse player to score in the contest.

Syracuse didn’t need Guzik to score. But still, she was involved once more halfway through the fourth. Ward danced around with the ball at X and with no one guarding her, she had time to wait for someone to get open.

That someone was Guzik, who took advantage of the Big Red’s Dillyn Patten and Marissa Stafford focusing on a cutting Trinkaus instead. Ward floated her the ball, which Guzik rifled past a lunging Horner to extend SU’s lead to double digits. From there, Syracuse cruised to victory.

Guzik’s day didn’t start well. But she bounced back quickly, showing Treanor she can be another viable scoring option amid Syracuse’s litany of threats.

“I thought today she made some errors dropping the ball, and then she makes a beautiful play,” Treanor said. “To me, that is really her confidence and just working through being ready for this moment and not being afraid to take over.”

Published on February 18, 2025 at 9:24 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99