For the first time this season, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team has a winning record.
The Terriers won their first America East game of the season beating the University of Vermont 16-15, improving their record to 5-4 on Saturday and extending their win streak to four games.
“It felt good to come out strong because [conference games] are the games that mean the most in the end if we want to make the playoffs,” said senior attack Hannah Frey
The game began with a back-and-forth first half after Vermont (6-3, 0-1 America East) scored only 18 seconds into the game. The Terriers scored twice in 20 seconds to take the lead immediately after, and continued to score through the first ten minutes of the half. By the end of the first 20 minutes, BU held a 5-3 advantage.
One goal from Vermont senior midfielder Allison Rounds with 17:46 to go and goals from BU senior attack Catie Tilton and Frey put the Terriers in control by three, the Terriers’ largest lead of the half, with 12:38 left in the half.
“One of our goals has been to come out hard in the beginning,” Frey said. “I think the midfielders do a great job getting it off the draw and they just get us the ball.”
Keeping with what developed into the tone of the half and the game, however, Vermont was down, but most certainly not out. The Catamounts pulled the game to within one by halftime, cutting the BU lead with two goals in less than a minute and making it 9-8.
The Terriers stumbled at the start of the second. Junior attack Danielle Etrasco was called for a yellow card 41 seconds in and the Catamounts scored 18 seconds later on a free-position shot to tie the game. But Etrasco returned to avenge the penalty, returning to grab the lead back for BU with a goal.
“Yellow cards aren’t ideal,” Etrasco said. “I try not to get them. But it’s kind of just like no matter if I’m off the field, I’ll try to bring my presence right back on, to make a spark or to do anything I can to make the team bring that momentum back into it.”
Vermont, however, would jump back out into the lead with goals involving Rounds, one she assisted sophomore Sydney Mas on and the other she scored herself.
“[The team] handled the lead [change] better than I did,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “I was getting a little tight and I think they were like, ‘Hey, we can get this next draw, we can turn it around.’ I was extremely impressed with the confidence they had on the field.”
It was Etrasco who responded for BU, with two goals to put the Terriers back on top for the last time at 24:28. Both teams would score four more times, but the Terriers maintained possession over the final minutes to hang on for the win.
The Terriers controlled nearly every statistical category throughout the game. BU took 37 shots – including 23 in the first half – to Vermont’s 29. The Terriers captured 20 ground balls, only one more than the Catamounts. BU won 19 draw controls, while Vermont controlled 13 draws.
The Catamounts did score, however, on one of their two extra-man opportunities, an advantage the Terriers did not get. Vermont was also 4-for-7 on free-position shots, an area where BU only went 1-for-3.
Etrasco led the Terriers in goals, shots and draw controls with five, 14 and seven, respectively. Behind Etrasco in goals was Frey, who scored four times. Both Stookesberry and sophomore attack Becca Church picked up four ground balls to lead the team. Tilton had seven assists, second only to her nine assist performance at Saint Mary’s College a week prior.
Robertshaw praised the way BU controlled the game statistically.
“I told the girls they had a nice team effort of getting the draw controls, getting the ground balls,” Robertshaw said. “I saw Annie Stookesberry had four caused turnovers. That’s huge in getting us the ball.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Christina Sheridan was in the cage for all 60 minutes for BU. She made eight saves and allowed 15 goals.
Mas led Vermont with four goals, while Rounds scored three. Senior defender Caitie Izzo picked up four ground balls and Mas won five draw controls. Senior goalkeeper Laura Barber played all 60 minute in net, allowing all 16 BU goals and making 14 saves.
In the end, Robertshaw did find one flaw in the Terriers’ loss.
“The amount of goals Vermont scored on us,” Robertshaw said, “makes me realize we have a lot of work to do before [playing the University of Maryland-Baltimore County].”
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