The No. 11 Boston University lacrosse team knocked off its third ranked opponent of the season yesterday afternoon, putting together a seven-goal second half to down No. 18/10 Stanford University, 14-11.
Backed by a strong performance from sophomore attacker Traci Landy (3 goals), the Terriers (10-2, 3-0 America East) reversed their season-long second half misfortunes on both sides of the field after relinquishing the lead following the break.
Leading 7-5 at the half, BU opened the second frame by allowing four unanswered goals. Cardinal attacker Karen Nesbitt’s back-to-back scores two minutes apart forced the Terrier defense to adjust its coverage underneath.
“[Adjusting the coverage] was something we talked about,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “We were up by two going in on a team that has made a comeback against us in past games. The second half has always been their half, so we had to change what we were doing.”
To slow down Stanford’s attack, BU shifted into a more aggressive style of defense focused on giving the Terrier defenders more one-on-one coverages.
Highlighted by senior co-captain Molly Collins’ five forced turnovers, the Terriers shut down the offensive lanes and prevented the Cardinal (7-6) from attacking redshirt sophomore goalie Rachel Klein from inside the 8-meter mark.
“We had better covers and were very aggressive with our second chances,” Robertshaw said. “We did a great job of double teaming them outside and made sure to finish off ground balls. Both [junior defender Kelly Munroe] and sophomore Jenny Martin came up with a few turnovers and ground balls. We did the little things better in the second half.”
The little things on the defensive end of the field, however, led to huge things in the attacking zone.
Anchored by senior co-captain Lauren Morton, who led all scorers with four goals, the Terriers took full advantage of their defensive output by controlling the ball through the midfield. Settling back into the slow-paced, freelance style of offense that led to four unanswered goals in the first 10 minutes of play, BU reeled off five consecutive tallies in a 7-2 run to close out the final frame.
“Morton had a strong shooting half in the first, but in the second it was really about possession,” Robertshaw said. “For us, it was about getting the draw controls and settling everyone once we were down. Morton did a nice job of talking and getting everyone back on the same page.”
Morton’s presence in the middle of the Terrier defense allowed for her teammates — namely Landy and junior midfielder Sarah Dalton — to gain scoring chances.
Drawing attention from the defense, Morton was double teamed just inside the 12-meter mark for much of the second half.
“Traci picked it up and Morton held her spot in the middle to take the attention away from the other girls,” Robertshaw said. “She let everyone go to work around her by being the presence in the middle.”
Flying back to Boston early this morning, the Terriers will get an early start to the upcoming week, welcoming Stony Brook University to Nickerson Field on Wednesday.
Robertshaw knows the successful West Coast trip must not keep the Terriers from pushing forward.
“It’s a long trip,” Robertshaw said. “Someone asked me if it’s hard to win out here and it is. But the important thing is we got that win and we have to keep looking ahead. We’re all tired, but knowing we can play in a tight game, come from behind and win shows a lot of composure.”