The Boston University lacrosse team scored two major victories last weekend, beating America East foe Stony Brook University and upsetting No. 11 Syracuse University.
It was quite a weekend for BU, which entered the action with a six-game winning streak on the line. The Terriers were more than ready for the challenge of two strong opponents and emerged from the games with the streak in tact. The eight-game winning streak ties the longest single-season mark in franchise history.
With the weekend sweep, the women improved to 10-4 on the season and remained undefeated in conference play. Friday’s win over Stony Brook gave the team sole possession of the top spot in the America East.
After the victory at Stony Brook, the women returned home to take on Syracuse in their final home game of the season. In a tight game, BU managed to pull off a major upset on Senior Day, knocking off the No. 11 team in the nation, 7-6.
“[The seniors] are the heart and soul of this team. They’re the reason that we’re doing as well as we are,” said Head Coach Liza Shoemaker. “We’ve got great young players, but it takes unbelievable senior leadership to be able to get on the field and direct them and help them grow.”
The leadership paid off big time on Sunday as Syracuse took a 2-0 lead early in the game. But the Terriers didn’t let the deficit discourage them. Miller scored the only BU goal of the first half to cut the lead in half. The Orangemen put one more goal in the net and took a 3-1 lead into halftime.
“The second half they came out and they just kind of said, you know what, we can win this game and it’s not about keeping it close or making it a respectable score but coming out and winning it,” Shoemaker said.
The confidence was evident as BU outscored Syracuse 6-3 in the half. The Terriers tied the score in a span of less than three minutes, with goals from senior attacker Caroline Kelleher and freshman midfielder Danica Strutt.
Freshman attacker Lindsay Lewis gave BU its first lead of the game just over five minutes into the half. Syracuse came back to tie it up a minute later, but BU wouldn’t be denied.
After the teams traded goals a second time, Kelleher and Wagenet scored goals for BU to solidify the victory.
Sheridan was strong in net once again for BU, turning away nine Syracuse shots. It was an overall excellent day on defense for the Terriers. Junior defender Sasha Lang missed 10 minutes due to injury but still forced three turnovers and had two ground balls.
BU came away with the edge in draw controls and caused turnovers. Strutt led the team in draw controls with three to go with four ground balls.
The win completed an undefeated season at Nickerson Field for BU.
“We had some things we needed to work through in the beginning of the year,” Shoemaker said. “A lot of it has to do with having not spent a lot of time outside. The more experience they got the better off they did.”
On Friday, with that top spot in the conference up for grabs, the women came out strong against the Seawolves. Freshman attacker Mary Beth Miller led the charge for BU in the 19-5 victory. The brightest star among a glittering group of rookies this season, Miller came up big in the game, scoring a career-high eight points. Miller scored four goals on just six shots and set up four others. In addition to her contribution to the offensive attack, she snagged three ground balls.
BU got off to a quick start on the day, scoring nine unanswered goals in the first 13 minutes of the game. Miller scored three of her four goals during the early flurry and junior midfielder Kylie Wagenet also chipped in with three.
Miller and Wagenet weren’t the only ones supplying BU with offense. Freshman attacker Lindsay Lewis and sophomore midfielder Alyssa Trudel scored two goals and added four assists each. Senior attacker and co-captain Tiffany Mullen also scored two goals for BU.
Sophomore goaltender Anne Sheridan started in net for BU and made one save in 15 minutes of action. Junior Lauren Beatty took over for the rest of the game, stopping six shots and allowing five goals.
Draws have been key to BU throughout the winning streak, and Friday’s game against Stony Brook was no different. They controlled 18 draws as opposed to just eight for Stony Brook. They also kept up their strong defensive play, causing seven turnovers.