The Boston University men’s lacrosse team’s identity is defined by its high-intensity defense. The Terriers notorious “10-man ride” looks to harass the opposing ball carriers at every opportunity and force turnovers with suffocating full-field pressure.
Entering Saturday’s game against Lafayette College, the Terriers’ (7-5, 5-2 Patriot League) defense was third in Division I and led the Patriot League in caused turnovers per game. That skill was on full display on Saturday, forcing the Leopards (5-8, 1-6 PL) into a season-high 27 turnovers in a decisive 13-2 win.
“It’s just part of our game plan. We can speed teams up and make them make decisions faster and it usually goes in our favor,” said senior defender Conner Kehm. “A lot of guys don’t have the ability to survey with that much pressure.”
The Terriers’ defense wreaked havoc from the opening faceoff, punishing Lafayette’s patient offensive approach with physical play that pushed the Leopards’ attack away from the net, forced several shot-clock violations and resulted in errant passes that the Terriers deflected out of harm’s way.
The few shots that Lafayette got through were swallowed up by graduate student goaltender Michael Allieri — who followed up his 11 second half saves in relief against Bucknell University with 12 saves in his first full start of the season.
“When you’re looking for solid goalie play, you want him to make the saves when the defense plays well,” said BU head coach Ryan Polley. “Those are the type of saves that you need your goalie to make, and Mike made all of them. And then he stole a couple.”
While BU’s defense stifled the opposition, the Terriers’ offense sprang to life in the second quarter, scoring four consecutive goals to give BU a 6-1 lead heading into halftime, highlighted by two of senior attack Jimmy Kohr’s team-leading four goals.
After Lafayette scored midway through the third period, the Terriers resumed their offensive dominance with six straight goals to close the game. Sophomore attack Timothy Shannehan — the Division I leader in points per game — continued his stellar offensive season by adding 3 goals and 3 assists. Sophomore midfielder Andrew Pape also scored three goals.
The Terriers’ dominance on both ends created a 12-2 lead midway through the fourth quarter, allowing some of the 11 Terriers seniors who were honored before the game to get an extended run of gametime in their final regular-season game at Nickerson Field on the team’s Senior Day.
As senior attacks Kabran Clark and Charlie Howard and goalie Kevin Barrett entered the field for the final five minutes of play, the BU sideline exploded with cheers. When the final whistle sounded, the team sprinted across the field to mob Barrett in celebration, exemplifying the “family” culture Kehm cited as one of the pillars of the team’s success.
“The juice doesn’t stop flowing once we start cycling guys in,” Kehm said. “It just means a lot to all 52 guys on the team. You could see it from the way the bench is celebrating, the way that guys are getting in — I just think it’s evident in how we play.”
The Terriers enter their final game of the season in a three-way tie with Loyola Maryland and Army West Point for first place in the Patriot League. With a share of the regular-season title and the number one seed in the Patriot League tournament still up for grabs, the Terriers plan to remain focused on their upcoming game against College of the Holy Cross as the postseason looms.
“We won’t be scoreboard watching,” Polley said. “The last thing we want to do is be in a spot to host or win the league and we don’t take care of our business.”
The Terriers will travel to play in-state rival Holy Cross for their final game of the regular season on Friday.