The Boston University’s women’s lacrosse team started off the 2015 season in strong fashion Friday night with a 13-9 road win at Siena College.
BU’s (1-0) offense notched a baker’s dozen, as six different Terriers were in the scoring column. BU leaned heavily on the four-goal efforts of junior midfielder Ally Adams and redshirt junior attack Mallory Collins.
Adams had a career-high four goals, three of which came in the first frame to help give BU a comfortable lead at half time, which it never lost control of, fighting back after Siena (0-1) took a 2-1 advantage eight minutes in. The Terriers notched four goals to the Saints’ one in the remainder of the half for a 5-3 lead going into the break.
“The biggest thing that stuck with me is that they were consistent and aggressive even when the score fluctuated,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “I thought they stayed composed and organized, and that is the mark of a good team.”
In the 2014 season, junior midfielder Jill Horka was named to the All-Patriot League First Team as she led the Terriers in goals, draw controls and forced turnovers. She started the 2015 campaign right where she left off last season, filling up the stat sheet on Friday in the win over Siena. Horka tallied two goals and one assist, while leading the team in draw controls with nine and ground balls with three. Her performance this season will play a major role in dictating the success of the fairly young Terrier squad.
Horka’s main contributions came in the form of draw controls, as she had more than double of anyone else on the field Friday.
“I always want her [Horka] to bring her aggressive play, and her draw control ability was huge,” Robertshaw said. “I told her she was the MVP. She is someone opponents don’t want to play against.”
The attack led by Collins helped dictate the pace on Friday night for the Terriers. They were able to control possession and dominate in the shot totals.
“The attack did a good job running our play sets,” Robertshaw said. “I love the deliberate attacking mentality that they brought to the field.”
BU only started three seniors against Siena, and only lists six on its 29-player roster. Therefore, the Terriers are expected to lean heavily on their entire team, including the bench, who played a big role in the win over Siena, as they added three points.
The scoring attack for BU helped take some pressure off starting sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Meegan. Although her save percentage was lower than Robertshaw said she would like to see, she kept BU in the game and did enough to get the Terriers their first win of the season.
“She had four really good saves,” Robertshaw said. “She needs to be mentally sharp and aggressive in every play. Her voice is great.”
Starting freshman attack Avery Donahoe tallied two assists in her first collegiate game. Robertshaw said she was pleased with Donahoe’s ability to help contribute and understand her role in the offense.
The nature of the lacrosse season is short, so all 16 games will hold significant weight. The team will travel down to Vanderbilt University on Friday before returning home to host the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Feb. 25 in its home opener at Nickerson Field.
“It is great to start off with a win,” Robertshaw said. “It shows you can get success.”
