The scoreboard at Nickerson Field pitted the Youngins against the Old Dogs Saturday — not exactly your ordinary nicknames illuminated in those little red LEDs.
That’s because this was no ordinary game… Twenty-six lacrosse alumni came back to take on the current Terriers in the largest turnout ever for the annual Alumnae game. The youngsters won the game 13-5.
“It’s fun to come back and see your friends. This team’s like your second family,” said Lindsay Lewis, a captain on the 2006 team. “You get to see eight years of friends at this game. There are girls who were seniors when you were a freshman and girls who were freshmen when you were a senior.”
The Youngins jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first 12 minutes, getting two goals from junior Sarah Dalton that were set up by quick passes around the net. The Terriers controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, but only managed one more goal before halftime. Even when the Old Dogs did gain control, they failed to get set up on offense, but did manage to sneak one past senior goalie Jenna Golden.
The teams went into the half with the Youngins leading 6-1. Golden, who didn’t play in the second half, saved three of the four shots she faced. The pups came out flying again in the second half, as senior Molly Collins scored her second goal of the game just a minute into the action.
As they did in the first half, the Youngins scored off quick passes, with sophomores McKinley Curro and Traci Landy and freshman Mandy Rogers tallying their second strikes of the game.
After playing out of sync in the first half, the alumnae’s offense pulled it together in the second to score four goals on seven shots against sophomore Rachel Klein. But they just couldn’t keep up to speed with the younger, faster current Terriers, who outshot the alumnae 18-11.
“These girls just keep getting faster and faster every year,” said Caroline Kelleher, a captain of the 2003 team, who has been slowed by three knee surgeries since that year.
The former Terriers had nothing but praise for the play of the current squad after the game.
“This team looks good. They’re all good sports and they all have sharp skills, even the freshmen,” said Tiffany Mullan, another captain from the 2003 team.
“We played well today. Our goalies were great,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “One of our goals for this game was to improve our defense and communication, and we were able to do both. We want to work on our attack this week in practice. We haven’t really set up any plays in the offensive zone yet.”
The game also gave a chance for the Terriers to catch up on the accomplishments of their predecessors. Lewis took a year off from playing last year to coach at James Madison University, but is now one of three captains on the US Developmental Team and is playing in a tournament in Oregon this week. Kelleher still plays for a club team but has been limited by the knee surgeries. She works for Pyramid Advisers, a hotel company in Boston.
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