Coming off a crushing 13-12 season-opening home loss to University of Massachusetts, the Boston University lacrosse team will look to right the proverbial ship as it travels south to take on Brown University Wednesday afternoon in Providence, R.I.
Picked to capture its seventh consecutive America East Conference title, the Terriers (0-1) kicked off their season by battling the Minutewomen throughout the game, as each team took a lead of no more than two goals at one point or another.
However, BU was not able to take down its in-state rival, losing in heartbreaking fashion as UMass fought back from a 12-10 deficit with less five minutes left to take the lead, and ultimately the game, with a goal from attacker Katie Ferris with just five seconds remaining.
“I was happy overall,” BU coach Liz Robertshaw said after the game. “Obviously, I was not happy with the outcome, but I think for the first game, this is going to happen every now and then. So we just have to move on.”
For this Terrier team, being able to put such setbacks behind them will be absolutely critical as they face the Bears (1-0).
Brown is on the other side of the emotional pendulum from BU, coming off a commanding 21-8 road win over Sacred Heart University on Feb. 26.
In that game, the Bears’ high-powered offense was led by two five-goal performances from attacker Kaela McGilloway and attacker/midfielder Bre Hudgins, along with a hat trick from midfielder Paris Waterman.
Coming into this season after a 7-8 campaign in 2010, Brown is led by McGilloway, who finished in a three-way tie for the team lead in points with 29, as well as midfielder Alexa Caldwell, who recorded 13 points for the Bears last season.
Isabel Hardy was part of a three-player platoon in goal last game for the Bears in the win over Sacred Heart, leading the trio with just under 43 minutes between the pipes, allowing six of Sacred Heart’s eight goals.
Meanwhile, the Terriers, ranked No. 18 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association preseason poll, will look to use a talented roster – albeit one that lacks experience at several key positions – to get back on track in this early juncture in the season.
In the loss to the Minutewomen, BU was led by three-goal performances from both senior midfielder Rachel Collins and junior attacker Hannah Frey. Senior attacker Erica Baumgartner paced the Terrier attack with a game-high four assists to go along with a goal that she tallied with 12:32 left in the first half.
Goalie Kim Elsworth, who is filling the void in net left by the departure of three-year starter Rachel Klein to graduation, allowed all 13 UMass goals, but recorded five saves, four of which came in the first half.
“I think she did a couple good things, especially on the free positions,” Robertshaw said of Elsworth after the loss to UMass.
“I think she just needs to get back into handling the jitters and do a little bit better job of seeing the ball all the time.”
On the defensive end of the field, the Terriers will need consistent strong play from a relatively inexperienced unit that returns only two upperclassmen – Courtney Bard and Kate Cipolletti – from last season’s squad.
Additionally, big contributions are expected from BU’s midfield, a unit that, going into the season, looks to be the Terriers’ most experienced and star-studded. Against Brown and throughout the rest of the season, Collins and fellow senior Corcoran Downey will need to pace and propel the BU offense if the Terriers hope to contend this year.
The game is set to start at 4 p.m. at Berylson Family Fields on Brown’s campus.
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