The Boston University women’s lacrosse team surprised No. 12 Old Dominion with a 14-12 non-conference win at Temple University on Saturday.
The win improved BU to 3-4 on the season and dropped Old Dominion to 6-3. The BU women also snapped a three-game losing streak and recorded their first win against a ranked opponent this season.
‘It was just awesome,’ said BU coach Liza Shoemaker. ‘The team played with a lot of fire and intensity.’
The contest was delayed a half hour due to thunderstorms, and BU was slow out of the gate once the game was underway.
After letting Old Dominion jump out to a 2-1 lead early in the game, the BU offense kicked into gear. The biggest lead of the game came in the first half when the Terriers went up 8-4. At one point in the second half, Old Dominion managed to narrow the gap to 11-10, but that was as close as BU would let them get.
Sophomore midfielder Alyssa Trudel led the offensive charge for the Terriers. She scored four goals on the day to go along with three assists. Trudel showed a lot to her coach with her stellar performance.
‘Alyssa played an amazing game today,’ Shoemaker said. ‘She’s been struggling with a new position since we moved her to midfield, but she really proved she could score and be effective.’
Trudel wasn’t the only BU player with an exceptional game on Saturday. It took a solid team performance to beat a quality opponent. Freshman attacker Mary Beth Miller continued her outstanding play with three goals and assist in the effort. It was Miller’s third straight three-goal game for BU. Her recent scoring outburst (seven points in her last two games) earned her America East rookie of the week honors for the first time this season.
BU got another multi-point effort from junior attacker Caroline Kelleher who scored two goals and handed out two assists. Junior midfielder Kylie Wagenet also scored a goal for BU.
The younger players really stepped up for BU on Saturday. Along with Miller’s performance, BU got a goal each from freshman midfielder Keely Anderson and freshman attacker Lindsay Lewis.
It wasn’t just the offense that led to the victory; BU had a great all-around game on Saturday. Sophomore Anne Sheridan made nine saves in goal for the Terriers to just five for Old Dominion goaltender Michelle Gannon. And just like last week, BU was strong on the face-offs.
‘We really did a great job on the draws Saturday,’ Shoemaker said. BU won 10 draws in the first half and eight in the second half. They held Old Dominion to just 10 overall.
The Terriers also had the advantage in shots on goal, 24-19, and were whistled for fewer fouls on the day.
‘We just controlled the entire game, and it was really fun to watch,’ Shoemaker said.
BU will be back home this week for the first time in almost a month when two Ivy League teams come to town. The Terriers will face Harvard University on Wednesday and Dartmouth College on Friday, before they begin conference play Saturday against Binghamton University.
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