Presented with a chance to post a signature road victory against a ranked opponent, the Boston University lacrosse team responded yesterday by turning out its most disappointing performance of the young season.
Despite scoring the game’s first two goals and holding a 5-4 halftime advantage, the inexperienced Terriers wilted in the second half en route to a 13-5 drubbing at the hands of No. 17/18 Yale University.
The Bulldogs (5-3) now own a commanding 10-1 record in the all-time series between the clubs dating back to 1984.
Trying to earn the program’s first-ever win at New Haven’s Johnson Field, BU was simply unable to score the ball in the final 30 minutes of play, as Yale ripped off a 9-0 second-half scoring binge to run away with the convincing victory.
Unfortunately, second-frame meltdowns are nothing new to a BU club which has now squandered first-half leads twice in five games.
‘We’re not pleased with the performance across the board,’ said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. ‘It’s great to be leading at halftime but we need to finish the game.’
The setback closed out a 1-2 road trip for the Terriers, who are just days away from a pivotal weekend matchup against defending NCAA champion No. 2 Northwestern University at Nickerson Field, meaning BU (2-3) will enter the contest on a two-game losing skid.
‘We’re gonna have to learn how to play well at home, too,’ Robertshaw said. ‘Anytime you have four to six freshmen on the field at any given time, it’s something where in the past you might have one or two – we don’t have that luxury. We need them to step up and be active but it’s going to take a little time.’
BU’s chances looked favorable early, thanks to tallies from quad-captains Lauren Morton and Angie Martin to give the Terriers a two-goal lead that they held for the first 11 minutes of play.
But Yale broke through at 18:57 and 17:04 with goals from sophomore defender Jenn Warden and junior midfielder Lauren Taylor, respectively, to tie the score at two.
BU countered with yet another two-goal spurt seven minutes later, this time receiving tallies from freshman Tracy Landy (goal, assist) and Martin (two goals, assist).
Morton (two goals) would notch her second tally — and BU’s last of the day — with seven minutes remaining in the first half to help the Terriers take a 5-4 lead into halftime.
The subsequent 30 minutes of action, though, proved to be a most unpleasant experience for the visitors, as the Bulldog offense converted on nine of 14 shots against BU goalkeeper Jenna Golden (11 saves). Taylor headlined the offensive outbreak with a team-high five goals in the contest, three of which came after the intermission.
‘A major factor in the second half was that [Yale] scored two quick goals,’ Robertshaw said. ‘I thought our defense reacted well to that and our attackers did not. [The attackers] got a little tense and felt that they needed to score quickly. We turned the ball over more than they made us turn the ball over.’
Though the defense was touched up for more than a few goals in the second frame, Robertshaw thought the defenders, including Golden, were effective to a point.
‘Jenna had a nice game . . . the defense in general had a nice game,’ she said. ‘[Yale] had the ball in our end for about 18 to 20 minutes in the second half and it’s hard to hold them for that long with the great goal scorers they have. In general, Jenna and the defensive unit did some pretty solid things.’
The Terriers, in contrast, mustered just four shots over the final 30 minutes against Yale goalie Ellen Cameron, who finished with four saves.
For a young BU squad struggling to find offensive consistency, yesterday’s loss was a prime example of what can occur when the team relies on one or two players to score goals.
‘We’re looking to see who’s going to step up and take the pressure off Angie Martin and Lauren Morton,’ Robertshaw said. ‘We need someone who’s going to lead the attack and score when we need it. As a staff, we’re trying to instill that confidence, but the players need to identify who wants it more. By the end of [today’s] practice, it should be evident as to who is going to be up to the challenge.’