The Boston University women’s lacrosse team will look to build off its win against Lafayette College when it faces off against conference rival Lehigh University on Saturday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
This will be both teams’ fifth conference matchup this season. While the Terriers (5-5, 3-1 Patriot League) have fared pretty well in Patriot League contests, Lehigh (7-5, 2-2 Patriot League) will look to improve to over .500 in conference play for the first time this season.
BU coach Liz Robertshaw stressed the importance of winning Patriot League contests.
“Every game put on our schedule is important, especially when looking at the non-conference rivalry games we have on there with Boston College, Dartmouth [College], UNH [University of New Hampshire] and UMass [University of Massachusetts Amherst], but there is something to be said for conference games and what they mean,” she said. “A team goal is to win a conference championship every year so these games mean just a little bit more because they impact our ability to achieve a team goal.”
After failing to score in double digits in their prior four games and only tallying up one win before the Lafayette (3-10, 1-4 Patriot League) game, BU went on the offensive against the Leopards, notching 14 goals while getting the much-needed victory.
Robertshaw said she hopes her team can bring forth another scoring effort against Lehigh, who has held opponents to eight goals or fewer in the last four games.
“It’s huge for us to be able to look to players and feel confident that they are going to have multiple point games because in some contests, it’s going to take 14, 15, 16 or more goals to get the win,” she said. “I feel we need that confidence in ourselves that we can do that going into this game against Lehigh, a team who likes to take a lot of time in their possessions.”
BU will have its work cut out for it, as the Mountain Hawks are the second hottest team in the Patriot League after winning four straight. In addition to holding its opponents to eight goals or fewer on its current winning streak, Lehigh has taken good care of the ball, ranking second in the conference in turnovers per game, averaging just under 14 a contest.
In addition, Lehigh’s attack Carli Sukonik and midfielder Allison LaBeau have scored 15 and 12 goals, respectively, during its four-game winning streak, and both rank in the top 10 in goals and points in the Patriot League. Between Sukonik’s 32 goals on the season and Labeau’s 27, the Terriers’ defense and sophomore goalie Caroline Meegan will have their hands full on Saturday.
Robertshaw said it will take a team effort to limit Sukonik and LaBeau.
“Those are two very strong players, and when you add in a confident sophomore in Lauren Beausoleil, you have a dangerous attack,” she said. “We need to play solid team defense, limiting their one verse one scoring looks and instead making them feel the pressure of trying to score against an eight-person unit.”
While Lehigh has its high scorers, the Terriers have their own scoring threat in redshirt junior attack Mallory Collins, who has 29 goals in 10 games. Even though Collins is facing a dynamic duo in Sukonik and LaBeau, Robertshaw said Collins doesn’t look into the individual matchups and she looks at this game like any other.
“I feel Mallory looks at every game as an opportunity to play well for her teammates. She doesn’t think she has to outperform an opponent’s leading scorer. She just wants to do her job and what the team asks of her,” she said.
Although the team will need Collins to make her mark, Robertshaw said Saturday’s game will come down to defense.
“While I would like to say it’s going to be more offensive, and I’ll push for that to happen, Lehigh traditionally likes to take longer possessions, which means more time on defense,” she said. “So I feel it may be geared a little towards that end of the spectrum.”
