The Boston University women’s lacrosse team lost 11-8 to the United States Naval Academy Saturday in a Patriot League matchup of teams unbeaten in league play.
The Midshipmen (10-1, 4-0 Patriot League) have begun the 2015 season on a tear, with their only loss coming on the road to No. 4 Duke University. Navy boasts the first-ranked offense and defense in the Patriot League, and it made it evident Saturday, smothering the Terriers (4-4, 2-1 Patriot League).
Despite Navy’s aggressive defense, the Terriers (4-4, 2-1) came out confidently with a tactical offensive approach and opened up a three-goal lead by the 16:21 mark of the first half.
“Attacking the cage and winning draw controls were key,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw, of her team’s fast start against Navy.
The high-octane offensive attack for the Midshipmen answered quickly, pouring in six straight goals to end the first half. The Navy offensive attack has been dangerous all season long, averaging 14.8 goals per game.
Navy’s offensive attack is led by senior Loren Generi, who leads the country in points with an average of 5.27 per game. Generi netted four goals for the Midshipmen, and also led the team in draw controls with five.
“She is a strong player, really good from the draw control,” Robertshaw said. “She is bigger and physical player. She is a dodger and she can muscle her way into the cage.”
Generi is not the only star on the offensive end as attack for the Midshipmen Katie Gallagher scored three goals, extending her hat-trick game-streak to four. Gallagher and Generi are the two centerpieces for Navy, as they scored the team’s first six goals against BU.
“I think they did their job, but we need to take more accountability to stop them,” Robertshaw said. “We didn’t limit that.”
Once Navy captured a three-goal lead heading into halftime, it never looked back and relied on its stingy defense to force turnovers. This style frustrated the Terriers, especially in the second half as BU committed 51 fouls, almost twice as many as Navy.
“It comes down to wanting and fighting for it. Too often we are in position to get the ball, but Navy came up with it. It is about getting it done and not making excuses,” Robertshaw said.
The ninth-year coach for BU said her team needed to do a better job if it wants to compete at a high level in the Patriot League.
“We can’t lose games like that if we want to win the conference,” she said.
BU was able to keep it close in the second half and had a great opportunity to trim the lead to two goals, but junior midfielder Ally Adams’ false start on a free position looked costly with just 10 minutes left in the second half. However, Adams came right back two minutes later, scoring her third of the afternoon on a beautiful move, going hard to the right side and beating the Navy goaltender high and to the short side.
On the ensuing possession, BU made another turnover, which sealed the deal for the Terriers, handing them their first loss in Patriot League play this season.
Despite allowing 11 goals on the afternoon, one of which she was pulled out of the net for, sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Meegan was terrific all day long for BU. The second-year Terrier made an impressive 13 saves.
“She had some really nice saves,” Robertshaw said. “She limited their scoring opportunities, really comforting for a defensive unit knowing she has their back.”
In the loss, redshirt junior attack Mallory Collins made history with her second-half goal, which gave her 100 points in her Terrier career. Robertshaw said she knows Collins is always more than capable of just one goal, even against Navy.
“Mallory is great,” Robertshaw said. “She makes other people better. She is fun to watch and she is fun to coach. She is such a power player for us and she should be scoring three or four goals a game.”
Despite the individual accolade for Collins, Robertshaw said she saw come concerning things about her team’s performance.
“I think we lacked on-field leadership and who will step up,” she said. “From a coaching standpoint, we can put the plays in, but we need on field leaders who will get on board with our game plan and execute.”
