Lax plays UMBC

The No. 17 Boston University lacrosse team plays its second game within the America East Saturday at noon against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County at UMBC stadium.

The Terriers (6-6, 2-0) snapped their two-game losing streak on Wednesday and are coming off a 10-4 victory at home against the University of New Hampshire. The Retrievers (9-4, 2-1) are also coming off a 15-9 win against the University of Vermont.

Looking at records alone, one would have to give the advantage to UMBC, but the Retrievers haven’t been impressive against New Hampshire and Vanderbilt University, the team’s two common opponents.

Both the Terriers and the Retrievers lost to Vanderbilt this season. BU was defeated at Vanderbilt by a five-goal margin, while UMBC lost by a seven-goal margin at home. The Terriers recently defeated UNH, but on April 3 the Retrievers struggled against the Wildcats and lost a 16-8 contest.

UMBC, which finished 9-8 last season, owes its record to playing subpar opponents. None of the Retrievers’ wins this year have come against a team with a winning record.

Although the Terriers are at .500, they have played the cream of the crop. Five of the Terriers’ six losses have come against nationally ranked teams, and three of their six wins have come against teams with a winning record.

Senior goalie Rachel Klein had one of her best games of the season and possibly of her career Wednesday afternoon against New Hampshire. It took the Wildcats nearly 38 minutes to score their first goal, as Klein saved the first 11 shots on goal and led the Terriers into intermission pitching a shutout. The Forest Hill, Md. native finished with 15 saves and only let-up four goals.

Offensively, the Terriers continue to be led by senior captains McKinley Curro and Traci Landy. Curro has been the most consistent offensive weapon this season, as she has tallied three goals in each of the past three games, good enough for second on the team with 26 goals. Landy has scored nine goals in the past two games and leads the team with 30 goals.

While the two senior captains are almost always a reliable source for offense, the rest of the team, especially the underclassmen, has been inconsistent in producing goals. The Terriers hope that freshman Danielle Etrasco, who scored two goals Wednesday, can become a consistent offensive weapon.

Although the Terrier offense, 74th in the nation with 9.4 goals per game as of April 4, has struggled this season, the defense has stepped up to keep the team afloat. BU’s defense ranks 21st, allowing only 9.3 goals a game, and Klein’s 9.04 goals-against average ranks 18th nationally.

There are five players on UMBC with 20 or more goals. The BU defense has to pay special attention to junior Erika Braerman. Braerman leads the team in both goals and assists with 29 and 17, respectively, and is among the top in AE in both categories.

As long as the Terriers offense can continue to get nine or 10 goals per game, they should be able to leave Baltimore with a win, considering how strong their defense has played for most of the season.