Terriers staying optimistic after Connecticut loss

With its narrow loss Friday to the University of Connecticut, the Boston University men’s lacrosse team shifted the pressure of earning a playoff birth to Wednesday’s match-up against the Coast Guard.

The 8-7 decision to the Huskies did come with controversy. BU attacker Gustav Schmidt was ejected in the second half for unsportsmanlike conduct after a Connecticut player allowed his stick checks to roam too low. Schmidt, unhappy with the cheap play, swung at the player and was given an early exit from the game. The Connecticut player received a one-minute penalty for his language after play had stopped.

“I would have done the same thing, and I bet everyone else on the team would have too,” sophomore Brad Eisen said.

“He let his emotions get the best of him,” sophomore goalie Brad Dynowicz said. “We needed him in that game and his not being out there really cost us in the second half.”

Mirroring the fourth quarter disappointment of the loss to Northeastern University, Connecticut scored with 50 ticks remaining on the clock when a shot hit Dynowicz’s elbow and ricocheted into the net for the game-winning goal.

“They played better when it mattered [and] just like the rest of this year, our mental mistakes cost us,” Eisen said. “When we get up by a few goals we start to pour it on instead of playing [solid] defense.”

The defeat drops BU to 3-4 on the season and did not help battered emotions after the tough loss to the University of New Hampshire last Wednesday. The Patriots’ Day rematch was postponed until today, as New Hampshire called yesterday morning informing BU that it could not find a field to host the game.

Expect a more prepared BU team than the first meeting with New Hampshire, armed with better finishing experience and an improved feel for New Hampshire’s turf. BU has to keep its level of intensity high as the game progresses. But don’t expect the Terriers to dominate, as New Hampshire is currently fighting with Northeastern for the North Division Championship.

The Connecticut game proved BU is improving as a team, as the Terriers only took five penalties compared to their 15-per-game average. Dynowicz said the defense was outstanding, considering most starting defensemen are recovering from injury.

“It was a great defensive effort,” Dynowicz said. “UConn took a lot of penalties in the fourth quarter, we just didn’t score. We didn’t get very high quality shots.”

The absence of Schmidt late in the game made it difficult for BU to remain offensive-minded. On the injury front, the status of sophomore midfielder Zac Fermanis is still in question, but Eisen hopes his MCL will be healed in time for the playoffs.

Of course that comes as no consolation as BU fights for a playoff spot. They hold the tiebreaker over Bridgewater State College, while New York University and Stonehill College don’t appear to factor into the picture.

“We need to beat Coast Guard on Wednesday,” Dynowicz said. “We need one more win to secure a playoff spot. Six out of nine teams make it, with three spots going to the division winners.”

The University of Rhode Island looks to win the Central Division, while Connecticut holds strong in the South.

“It’s a game of inches,” Dynowicz said. “You take two inches or so, and we are 5-2 instead of 3-4.”