Closing on a three-game winning streak, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team completed non-conference play last Saturday with a 5-3 record, with all losses coming at the hands of nationally ranked teams. The Terriers will begin the second half of their season ‘-‘- the conference portion ‘-‘- this Saturday with a home matchup against the University at Albany at 1 p.m.
‘We gained a lot of experience in the first half [of the season],’ BU coach Liz Robertshaw said. ‘The games against the top-ranked teams showed us some of our weaknesses and we’ve made adjustments in the last three games with George Mason [University], Yale [University] and Harvard [University]. We learned how we want to play as a team going into conference play.’
One of those weaknesses includes a sometimes-shaky defense. Junior goalkeeper Rachel Klein has let in everywhere from a high of 19 goals against Vanderbilt University to a low of five goals vs. the University of Massachusetts’-Amherst. But Klein has played well lately, earning America East Defensive Player of the Week on March 16, and has averaged just over eight goals against during the Terriers’ three-game win streak.’
‘We’ve been more aggressive defensively the last three games,’ Robertshaw said. ‘We showed some risk-taking that’s been paying off for us from players like [senior] Kelly Munroe.’
Against Albany (4-5), the Terriers will have to continue their strong defensive efforts to slow down the Great Danes’ attack, which has put up some big numbers this season, including a 19-goal outburst against Harvard and 15 goals in an upset win over the University of New Hampshire. Junior Kayla Best leads Albany with 26 goals and sophomore Mel Rorie has added 21 goals of her own.
‘[The Great Danes] are a scrappy, very physically fit team, and they’re playing really well,’ Robertshaw said. ‘They’re a great attacking team. We need to slow them down. And they have a difficult defense, too. They rotate a lot and have a few different looks of zone.’
To break through the Great Dane defense, the Terriers will look to continue a strong attack led by senior All-American Sarah Dalton, who has a team-high 35 goals, and junior Xan Weitzel, who leads the Terriers with 20 assists.
‘Attack-wise, we were inconsistent earlier in the year, and now we’re seeing great play by Dalton . . . and by McKinley Curro, Traci Landy and Hannah Frey, who have stepped up at the right time,’ Robertshaw said.
Curro and Landy, both juniors, have added 18 and 20 goals, respectively, this season. Frey has had an impressive freshman season, netting 12 goals so far.
BU defeated Albany twice last year. The first was a 15-2 blowout and the second meeting came in the first round of the America East Championship, when BU won handily again, 17-6.
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