The Boston University women’s lacrosse team will face the University of Massachusetts Amherst in its home opener on Wednesday afternoon at New Balance Field.
The Terriers (1-1) kicked off their season Feb. 13 with a 13-9 win over Siena College. Following a disappointing 16-9 loss at Vanderbilt University on Friday, the Terriers will be aiming to stop the Minutemen’s (3-0) early winning streak.
The Minutemen are undefeated after swiftly defeating the University Massachusetts Lowell on Feb. 14, the University of Connecticut on Feb. 18 and the University of New Hampshire on Saturday. BU coach Liz Robertshaw said the Minutemen’s success, while perhaps intimidating, is not a concern for the Terriers.
“We’re focusing on ourselves right now,” Robertshaw said. “[We’re] trying to get ourselves ready for the next contest.”
UMass has been on a hot streak, outscoring its opponents 37-17. In its opening three games, the Minutemen have documented 74 shot attempts, while their opponents only registered 45. UMass isn’t shooting out of desperation. Of its 62 shots on goal, 83 percent have resulted in a goal.
Sophomore Hannah Murphy leads the Minutemen offense with 10 goals. Robertshaw said shutting down the UMass offense is a key objective for the Terriers in Wednesday’s contest.
“We need to limit the amount of shots they get on cage,” Robertshaw said of her strategy going into Wednesday’s game.
BU has a similar offensive weapon in redshirt junior attack Mallory Collins, who leads BU with nine goals.
While she described Collins as a “skilled, smart” player with “quick hands,” Robertshaw said she isn’t pressuring Collins to continue scoring at her current pace.
“I don’t think it’s fair to expect that from her,” she said.
Collins may lead in goals, but the Terriers boast a diverse offense. BU has outshot its opponents 52- 45. Those 52 shots are spread amongst 10 players.
Despite the loss in their last game, junior midfielder Ally Adams picked up two assists on Friday for the Terriers. Adams has six points this season including four goals against Siena (0-2). Senior attack Kelsey Marafioti scored twice against Vanderbilt (3-1), while junior midfielder Jill Horka and senior attack Lindsay Weiner each earned one.
Robertshaw said the Terriers succeed when they stick to a disciplined game plan. When they stray from their plan, she said, they struggle.
“When things aren’t going as expected, we need to be faster getting back to our game plan,” Robertshaw said.
Halftime has proved to be a valuable time for the Terriers to reset and focus on their initial game plan. Through BU’s first three games, opponents have outshot the Terriers 24-22 and outscored them 14-10 in the first half. However, in the second half, BU has outshot its opponents 30-21, and outscored opponents 12-11.
“There’s a lot of fight in this team,” Robertshaw said.
After losing to Loyola University Maryland 18-7 in the 2014 Patriot League Championship, BU is back and eager to earn its way back to the finals.
Unfortunately, the team has had trouble getting back to its home turf. Inclement weather has kept the team from leaving Tennessee until Monday following its game in Nashville.
In addition, all of the Minutemen’s games have been outside, whereas BU has only competed indoors. The battle against UMass at New Balance will be the first played outdoors for the Terriers.
“We need to get comfortable playing outside in New England weather,” Robertshaw said.
Despite anticipated 30-degree weather and a chance for precipitation, Robertshaw said she isn’t worried.
“In my brain, it shouldn’t affect us at all,” she said.
Robertshaw acknowledged that playing in the cold will be a challenge and require more focus but said she would not tolerate the weather influencing her team’s playing abilities.
“Am I going to allow for those excuses?” she said. “No.”
Great job, Shelby! Go Terriers !