While students across Boston University’s campus will be studying for finals this weekend, the lacrosse team will begin its own final exam. The No. 8/6 Terriers square off against Sacred Heart University on Saturday at Nickerson Field in an NCAA play-in game.
BU (16-2) outlasted the No. 13 University of New Hampshire in an overtime thriller at Nickerson last weekend to capture its fourth straight conference championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers, who have spent all year climbing up the national rankings, roll into Saturday’s meeting with the Pioneers (12-7) on a 13-game winning streak. The team accomplished plenty this season, but doesn’t want Saturday to be its final contest.
“We’re excited about this coming weekend and the chance to have more postseason play in the NCAA Tournament,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “Winning the conference title was huge, especially coming from behind and doing it well. I think it builds confidence.”
The Terriers boast an explosive offensive attack that’s carried them all year, making up for any mistakes committed by a youthful squad that includes only two seniors. Scoring has never been much of a problem for a team with a pair of 50-goal scorers — senior Lauren Morton and junior Sarah Dalton — and a handful of contributors on the offensive end.
BU will need its strong motion offense to put up points against a Sacred Heart team that likes to load up the 8-meter box and prevent close looks at the net. Few teams have managed to hold the Terriers under the 10-goal mark this season, but Pioneers goalkeeper Chelsea Wagner enters the play-in game with a 9.5 goals-against-average and a strong .521 save percentage. BU will have to get out in the open with its potent fastbreak offense and cycle the ball down low to create open looks.
As powerful as the Terriers may be on the attack, their ability to frustrate opponents on the defensive end has been an important factor in helping them reach the postseason. Junior Kelly Munroe was a defensive force in the conference playoffs, intercepting passes and forcing turnovers all over the field against both UNH and the University at Albany on the way to earning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
Robertshaw said she was uncertain if senior co-captain and defensive stalwart Molly Collins will be able to play Saturday after taking a hard hit and missing most of the UNH game, but the second-year bench boss still expects the BU defense to step up and control the tempo.
“I’m always looking for them to do that,” Robertshaw said. “When we play good defense, we can get the confidence for our attackers. I also think that when our attackers go out there and score some points to get us the lead or get us to come back, it always builds confidence for our defense.”
While the Terriers’ potent attack and aggressive defense have led them to victory all season, the confidence the team now exhibits on the field after a series of challenging wins is BU’s biggest advantage over Sacred Heart. In the last two weeks, the Terriers have beaten UNH in a pair of games that went down to the wire. The success in tight games has given the young Terriers a mental edge to complement its physical ability.
“Early in the season we showed we could win in blowout games, but it’s something that’s better for our team to know we can win close games,” Robertshaw said. “We can win games when we don’t score 10 or more goals, because our defense can make some big stops and our attackers can put the ball in the net when we need to.”
With Collins and sophomore Erica Baumgartner both questionable for Saturday’s game, BU will need its younger players to rise to the occasion and contribute offensively.
“Having [Baumgartner] out has been an adjustment for us these past couple games. Our younger players, [freshmen] Rachel Collins [and] Molly Swain and [junior] Steph Walker, have all been learning how to play in this attack more consistently,” Robertshaw said.
Robertshaw has all season the importance of focusing on one game at a time. If the Terriers can keep that mentality heading into the NCAA Tournament, there will be plenty more than one game left in their season.
