When the Boston University lacrosse team played George Mason University on March 23 of last year, then-freshman Lindsay Lewis was one of the Terriers who tallied a goal in the losing effort.
This year, it was the same song but with a different beat, as Lewis scored six goals against the Patriots in Saturday’s 10-8 Terrier loss.
Normally, those two facts in and of themselves aren’t exactly groundbreaking, except for one minor footnote: Lewis is currently riding a 21-game goal-scoring streak bookended by those two George Mason games.
“[The streak] is really nice for her,” said junior midfielder Alyssa Trudel. “It’s great to see a sophomore who can consistently score like that. It’s really nice to see her shining.”
Lewis’ streak has not only secured her a spot in the BU record books, but it has also been a boon for a Terrier team which has amassed a 14-7 record during those 21 contests.
But Lewis said she understands that the streak also saddles her with the additional responsibility of not only scoring goals but also assuming a position as a team leader, even as an underclassman.
“I not only have to pump myself up, I need to get the team up,” Lewis said. “After anybody scores, we should all be up and yelling.”
During Saturday’s tough loss to George Mason, Lewis lived up to her words by repeatedly trying to psych up her teammates as the Terriers battled back from behind twice to tie the game before falling just short at the end.
“[Lewis] is constantly a spark for the team,” Trudel said. “She’s able to finish and put the ball in the net, and she also gets everybody else into the game.”
This year, the Terriers have reached a point in the season where Lewis’ talents as a goal scorer and team leader are a becoming a valuable commodity.
After being ranked as high as 10th in the nation, BU has plunged into a four-game losing skid and runs the risk of falling out of the national rankings for the first time this season.
As the Terriers struggle to fight their way out of the slide, Trudel said she and her teammates know where to turn when they need a mental boost.
“Lindsay really gets us pumped up,” the junior said. “Everybody looks to her to get us fired up.”
And while Lewis may be aware of her role as an offensive threat and a team leader, she readily confesses that, until recently, she was completely oblivious to her record-setting run.
When asked about the streak, Lewis paused and laughed nonchalantly.
“I didn’t even know I had a streak,” she said. “I play, I’m supposed to score.”
While it may seem startling that an athlete could be unaware of accomplishing such an impressive feat, this year’s lacrosse squad appears to exude the sort of single-minded focus that could obscure any individual accomplishments.
Even Terrier coach Liza Shoemaker strikes a balance between deservedly praising one of her best players and over-stressing any singular accomplishments.
“She has a job to do and she does it,” Shoemaker said when asked to describe Lewis’ value to the team. “She’s a great player. She really knows how to get out there and score goals and lead by example.”
Lewis’ ability to lead by example will be on full display Wednesday when the Terriers travel to Chestnut Hill to square off against the Boston College Eagles.
The BU-BC rivalry does not carry the same heft in lacrosse that it does for other sports, and the teams have not even played each other since 2000, when the Terriers earned an 11-6 victory. But with a four-game skid staring BU right in the face, every game holds that added significance and a little more intensity.
Of course, that’s just the sort of game that Lindsay Lewis loves to play.