The Daily Free Press sports section voted for their top-10 moments during the 2013-14 year at Boston University. Ranging from thrilling performances to the start and end of certain programs, the 2013-14 season was a very eventful year for BU athletics.
10. Men’s lacrosse gets first win
After coming close in several contests, the Boston University men’s lacrosse team finally earned the program’s first ever victory with a 12-7 road win over Lafayette College onMarch 15.
Redshirt freshman attack Sam Tenney was a force to be reckoned with, tallying four goals on the afternoon. Not to be outdone, freshman midfielder Cal Dearth set a program-record for points, scoring two goals and dishing out four assists. Freshman attack Adam Schaal also contributed two goals and three assists. “It means a lot to everybody,” Polley told the Daily Free Press after the win. “We’ve been very close, and we’ve done a very good job outside of our first game of being very competitive in all of our games and today we just kind of put it all together and made plays when we needed to.”
9. Agboola and Morris surpass 1,000-point mark
Senior Rashidat Agboola of the Boston University women’s basketball team and classmate forward Dom Morris of the Boston University men’s basketball team further bolstered their BU legacies this season, as each eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their respective careers.
Agboola first reached the milestone in a Jan. 25 home contest against Bucknell University. Needing just four points to reach the mark, she scored a team-high 25 points in the 86-58 win to become the 22nd player in program history to surpass 1,000 points.
Just six days later, Morris also entered the 1000-point club with a 17-point performance in an 82-80 overtime defeat at the hands of Lehigh University. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the loss. The Newark, Del., native is the 33rd player in program history to reach the mark.
8. Rich Peters, Monica Adler, named First Team All-Americans
Thanks to their stellar performances in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month, seniors Rich Peters and Monica Adler were named First-Team All-Americans by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association of America.
Peters, who finished fourth in the men’s mile at the NCAA Championships, set an NCAA record for the 1,000m earlier in the season at the BU Last Chance Meet. Thanks to first-place finishes in both the mile and the 1,000m at the Patriot League Championship meet, he earned Patriot League Male Track of the Meet honors. At the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in February, Peters broke his own school record in the mile with a time of 3:57.27. The All-American selection was the fifth of Peters’ illustrious career.
Adler earned All-American honors after her eighth-place finish in the women’s mile at the NCAA Championships.
7. Mo Watson dishes out 17 assists
With a trip to the Patriot League Championship game on the line, sophomore point guard Maurice Watson Jr. put on an absolute show in the Boston University men’s basketball team’s nationally televised semifinal matchup against the U.S. Military Academy.
Watson energized both his team and the Agganis Arena crowd with his stellar play, leading the Terriers to a commanding 91-70 victory. The Philadelphia native broke a 50-year old school record and set an NCAA season-high with his 17 assists on the night to go along 10 key points and two steals on the night. His showing was no fluke, as Watson ended the season ranked third in the NCAA in assists, averaging 7.1 dimes per contest.
While the game turned out to be one of Watson’s last as a Terrier — he transfered to Creighton University shortly after the conclusion of the season, his performance cemented his legacy for years to come.
6. M. Hockey defeats Cornell at Red Hot Hockey
Just 11 shots were taken on goal, but that was all that was needed for the Boston University men’s hockey team in the 2013 edition of Red Hot Hockey against then-No. 14 Cornell University. BU’s 3-2 win allowed the team to take claim to the new Kelly-Harkness Trophy.
Cornell came out in the first period and controlled the flow and the shot advantage at 10-3. One of BU’s three shots hit the back of the net though, courtesy of the stick of sophomore forward Mike Moran.
Freshman forward Robbie Baillargeon extended the lead 2-0 with just less than five minutes remaining in the second. His classmate, forward Nick Roberto, made it a 3-0 game at the beginning of the third.
The Big Red made a frantic comeback in the final minutes, cutting the lead to just one. Cornell’s offense made it close, but sophomore goaltender Matt O’Connor stood tall in the end and made 37 saves to preserve the victory.
5. Women’s cross country takes conference title
The Boston University women’s cross country team made history, capping off a successful season by becoming the first BU program to capture a Patriot League title Nov. 2 in Easton, Pa.
Senior Rosa Moriello led the way for the Terriers with her first-place performance, running the six-kilometer course in 21:09.93, 38 seconds better than her next closest competitor. Junior Monica Adler took third (21:52.37) and sophomore Shelby Stableford’s time of 22:26.05 was good for sixth place.
Coming in close behind were sophomore Michelle Sumner (22:40.32) and senior Nikki Long (23:02.67), whose top-25 performances helped distance the Terriers from second-place Lehigh University.
For their efforts, Moriello was named Patriot League Runner of the Year and coach Bruce Lehane received Patriot League Coach of the Year honors. Moriello continued her strong senior campaign at the NCAA Northeast Regionals, where she placed 25th.
4. Jack Parker honored at Agganis Arena
Disappointing might be the first word that comes to mind when discussing the 2013-14 season for the Boston University men’s hockey team, as the Terriers finished the year with a 10-21-4 record.
While a trying transitional season did not muster many highlights for the Terriers, one bright spot occurred on Feb. 28, as the team honored long-time coach Jack Parker during the first intermission of BU’s home game against then-No.9 Northeastern University.
During the ceremony, the team retired Parker’s No. 6 that he wore during his playing days at BU from 1965-1968. Parker’s No. 6 joins Travis Roy’s No. 24 as the only retired numbers in program history. The Terriers, who also honored their seniors prior to the game, defeated the Huskies 4-1.
3. Women’s Soccer wins Patriot League Title
The Boston University women’s soccer team stormed through its conference opponents this season. Coach Nancy Feldman’s squad put up a nearly unblemished 8-1-0 record in league play and defeated the U.S. Naval Academy, 1-0 in the Patriot League Championship Game to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament and a No.25 national ranking.
In the first round, the Terriers preserved their undefeated home record, downing crosstown rivals Harvard University 1-0 on a clutch goal from freshman striker Erica Kosienski. BU almost made program history in the second round, but narrowly fell at No. 9 Santa Clara University, 2-1.
2. Women’s hockey wins Hockey East
The Boston University women’s hockey team had won two consecutive Hockey East Championships coming into this season, but injuries to defenseman Shannon Doyle and forward Kayla Tutino led to a season filled with adversity for the Terriers.
The team had to press through a four-game losing streak near the start of the second half of season to make it to all the way the Hockey East championship game in Hyannis. The only thing standing in the way of the conference title was then-No. 4 Boston College — a team BU had lost to four times during the regular season.
The Terriers fell behind early and saw themselves down a goal going into the final period. However, senior captain Louise Warren scored the tying goal less than three minutes in and freshman forward Maddie Elia followed with a wraparound goal to give BU the lead. Senior goaltender Kerrin Sperry sealed the deal with 13 saves in the final period, one of her 40 on the day, and the Terriers upset BC to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season.
1. Wrestling dominates in emotional final home match
The Boston University wrestling team, competing in its final contest at Case Gym in program history, handily defeated Sacred Heart University by a score of 47-0.
After the final buzzer sounded, BU coach Carl Adams hugged all of his wrestlers and their families in an emotional embrace. Despite receiving word from the University that the wrestling program would be cut after the season, Adams kept his team focused and prepared during their final campaign, as three Terriers — senior Nestor Taffur and juniors Tyler Scotten and Michael Wightman — all made appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m going to have to digest it first but if it’s going to be the last match, this was the best way to go out,” Adams said after the match.
Jackie is a sports reporter for The Daily Free Press and has previously served as Managing Editor and Associate Sports Editor of the FreeP. At this moment, she's probably watching Shark Tank and thinking of ways to work, "and for that reason, I'm out," into casual conversations. Please send all inquiries in the form of a box combo from Cane's with no coleslaw and extra fries or follow her on Twitter at @jackie_bam
