The Boston University women’s lacrosse team will look to clinch first place in the America East with two big conference games closing out their season this weekend.
The women will be on the road for the final two games of the regular season. They take on the University of Vermont (3-8, 1-2 America East) on Friday and then travel to Durham to finish up the season against the University of New Hampshire (3-10, 3-0) on Sunday.
The squad has been mowing down its competition recently and is currently on an eight-game winning streak. During the eight games, the Terriers have taken first place in the America East Conference and ousted two ranked opponents. Their winning ways have also garnered them national recognition; they broke into the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Poll this week, where they are currently ranked 18th.
The America East recently recognized some individuals who have been key to BU’s success. Sophomore goalie Anne Sheridan, junior defender Sasha Lang and freshman attacker Mary Beth Miller were all selected for weekly awards.
Sheridan was named America East Player of the Week for her outstanding work in the three BU victories last week. She played a key role in the tightly contested upset of No. 11 Syracuse University on Easter Sunday. Sheridan is ninth in the nation with a 7.50 goals against average. That mark is also tops in the America East. She also leads the conference and is 11th in the nation with a .563 save percentage.
Lang was honored as America East Defender of the Week the second time this season she has received the honor. Lang had five ground balls and caused nine turnovers in the three wins. She is the leader on a defense that has been has stifled opponents all season.
Lang’s talent on defense, however, is matched by a knack for getting the ball in net. She scored three goals in last week’s victories. Her speed has wreaked havoc for the opposition all year, whether she’s blowing past defenders for a quick score or making up ground on an attacker for a defensive highlight.
Like Lang, Miller has been no stranger to the highlight reel this season. She was honored with the conference’s Rookie of the Week award. Miller paced the offense against Stony Brook University with a career-high eight points. She also had nine total goals in the three victories, giving her a team-high 34 for the season. She is third in the league in goals and fourth in points.
While she wasn’t singled out for an award this week, much of the success that BU has had on both ends of the field can be attributed to the sophomore sensation midfielder Alyssa Trudel. Adapting to a new position at the beginning of the year, Trudel has been a leader on the field all year in just her second season with the team. She is second in the nation in assists and sixth in scoring. She has already set the BU single season record for assists and draw controls.
While the individual accolades are well deserved, the key to BU’s winning streak has been teamwork. The defense and offense have picked each other up, goals are being assisted on a more regular basis and more players are contributing to the attack.
BU has four freshmen scoring in double digits. The Terriers boast the third best defense in the nation, and are first in the nation on draw controls. And the stats have been producing, as the Terriers are second in the nation in scoring offense and scoring margin. They are also 16th in winning percentage.
The team will look to break a record this weekend and extend their record-tying eight-game winning streak. If they can sweep the weekend games, they will clinch first place and host the America East Tournament next week. But whatever happens this weekend, it has been a very impressive regular season for the team. They have improved with every game and have shown the lacrosse world and themselves that they are a forced to be reckoned with for any opponent.
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