All season long, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team has searched for ways to make a statement.
Chances to do that previously came against the likes of No. 18 Johns Hopkins University and Dartmouth University but fell short in their endeavors to send a message throughout the college ranks. However, the Terriers (4-4, 2-0 Patriot League) made their ambitions a reality Tuesday afternoon by knocking off Vanderbilt University 14-13 in dramatic fashion.
“It is a statement win that we’ve been looking for,” BU head coach Liz Robertshaw said. “We came up short against Hopkins and Dartmouth, and I think this was a win the team really wanted.”
The heroes came from unlikely and expected sources, with late heroics ultimately getting the best of the Commodores (4-5). Senior midfielder Ally Adams, who found net four times, scored the game-winner with 16 seconds left in regulation. Before then, freshman midfielder Kaitlin Belval knotted the proceedings at 13 with 1:40 remaining in the second half.
Sophomore attacks Avery Donahoe and Mickenzie Larivee also showed strong outings, as each recorded a hat trick, and junior goalkeeper Caroline Meegan’s 12 saves were a steadying presence. With no single player young or old leading the charge, Vanderbilt had no answer for BU’s momentous comeback.
“It’s something our staff has been preaching to the team — to believe in themselves that they are good enough to play at the highest levels, that we believe in them and trust them to make decisions,” Robertshaw said. “The fact you see a defender scoring a goal, Kaitlin scoring a goal, Avery Donahoe having a great game, it shows anyone can step up in a big moment. They felt their team has their back and so does the coaching staff, and when you have that, you get to play a little more fearlessly.”
Before it was Adams’ chance to shine, the Terriers found themselves in a hole early and often. Vanderbilt scored four of the contest’s first five goals, and BU went into the locker room with an 8-4 deficit looming. There was also no answer for the attack trio of Kelly Chandler, Jill Doherty and Mallory Schonk, as they combined for six strikes before the contest was 30 minutes old.
That sort of slow start had a logical explanation, though, Robertshaw said. The affair got underway at 1:30 p.m. so Vanderbilt could catch a flight back to Tennessee, and there were signs in warm-ups that the home side might struggle.
“I think they felt a little bit of pressure because they weren’t a ranked team and they were so similar that there’s a possibility of winning it or losing it,” Robertshaw said. “That’s tough as an athlete to deal with. All things considered, I could tell during pregame that we were a little bit flat, a little bit shaky, and as a coaching staff, it took as a while to pump them out of it.”
Robertshaw also added that BU and Vanderbilt matched up particularly well, and that declaration was evident throughout. Thanks to senior midfielder Jill Horka, BU is normally dominant on draw controls, but the Terriers only beat the Commodores 15-14 in that regard. The shot total was also narrow, as Vanderbilt fired 31 toward goal in comparison to BU’s 28.
Despite that, BU edged its non-conference foe in the end and has set itself up nicely for what lies ahead. Seven conference contests remain, and Robertshaw said the Terriers now have an aura of confidence about them.
“This win says a lot about this team,” Robertshaw said. “They wanted a win [in which] anyone could step up in a moment and do what is necessary, be it a draw control, a caused turnover, a goal or a save.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
