What helps ease the pain after the worst loss of the season?
Getting the biggest win of the season in your next game.
That is what the Boston University men’s lacrosse team will try to do tonight when they battle the University of Connecticut (3-3) in a home match at Bentley College.
“They’re a very good team with a 3-3 record just like us,” said sophomore Brad Dynowicz. They are a middle-of-the-pack team that could give us some problems physically.”
BU (3-3) is looking to rebound from what players are calling the worst loss of the season to the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday.
The 21-13 thrashing was hard to swallow knowing that BU’s defensive unit is so heavily depleted with injuries.
With starters looking on from the sideline, it is often up to the freshmen to step up and make big plays.
To compound the problem, the most recent casualties of the injury bug are sophomore Zac Fermanis, who separated his shoulder Wednesday night against New Hampshire, and sophomore Brad Eisen, who will miss at least two weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament.
“We have no depth on defense,” Eisen said. “Both returning starters are sophomores and [sophomore defenseman] Chris Monti will not be back because of shoulder problems. We have a bunch of inexperienced guys playing right now. Mental mistakes can put them in a position where they don’t have the experience or field knowledge [to recover from a mistake].”
“It’s never easy to have guys out,” Dynowicz said. “The younger guys are gaining experience, but it’s very frustrating.”
Eisen fears the inexperience and possible lapses in judgement that could take place when the young players are in the game.
BU recorded 17 penalties against New Hampshire on Wednesday, with many of the whistles for simple mental errors.
But there have been bright spots this season.
Eisen praised the two preseason All-Americans in Gustav Schmidt and Adam Krumbholz, along with sophomore Matt Lau for his offensive production.
He also defended Dynowicz’ performance in net, saying that many goals scored against BU were from 10 yards and in, not giving the sophomore much of a chance to make a save.
The game tonight against Connecticut is crucial if the Terriers want to amend Wednesday’s loss.
Saturday’s scheduled contest with the University of Rhode Island was pushed back to later in the week, meaning that after tonight’s game, the Patriots Day rematch with New Hampshire is next for BU.
Dynowicz seemed confident about the team’s chances in a rematch with New Hampshire next week.
“Our mental attitude is going to be better, and we will know what to expect,” he said. “I’m going to be a little more prepared and ready to play, especially on turf. Last game was a low point, and not enough of the veterans came to play, including myself.
“We can’t worry about the six games that we have already played. We have to worry about the four games coming up. It takes two sides of the ball to win.”
Meanwhile, Eisen stressed how important this weekend is for the team.
“We have to win two out of three to make the playoffs, or so it seems. Hopefully, we can get a player back here and there and get some momentum,” he said.
“The energy level needs to remain high,” Dynowicz said. “Hopefully this [Connecticut] game can be the turnaround to get us out of the slump.”
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