The Boston University women’s lacrosse team will aim to push its record above .500 Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field when Lehigh University comes to town.
The Terriers (5-5, 3-1 Patriot League), with a 14-11 victory over Colgate University this past Wednesday, have won three of their last four. Only six regular season games remain, and BU currently sits one game behind Loyola University Maryland for the top spot in the Patriot League standings.
Against the Raiders (3-6, 2-1 Patriot League), BU went down 5-3 early on, but its senior class came up big down the stretch. Attack Mallory Collins and midfielders Ally Adams, Jill Horka and Remy Nolan scored 10 of the team’s 14 goals, snatching victory when a loss seemed imminent.
“I’m extremely impressed with the work that all the seniors are doing,” BU head coach Liz Robertshaw said. “[Defender] Sofia Robins, [attack] Louisa Del Rio and [attack] Jenny Thompson don’t really come up in the stat sheet, but I think the senior class as a whole has made it their goal and their mission to make sure they have this team ready to play and that they compete for a conference tournament and a chance at the NCAA Tournament.”
Although the Terriers initially struggled as a unit against Colgate, Robertshaw noted her team’s ability to come together and put the game out of reach.
“After halftime, they came together and led by example, that being the senior class as well as the other players on the team,” Robertshaw said. “You saw a nice goal from [freshman midfielder] Katie Belval. You saw [freshman attack] Molly Kern step up, and I just think there were some great plays by a lot of players on the team, and it’s because they came together and they focused on what was important to them and they got rid of all the other distractions.”
All of those strengths will be tested when the Mountain Hawks (7-2, 2-1 Patriot League) take to Nickerson Field. They’re right behind the Terriers in the conference standings and have made their presence felt through top-notch defense. Lehigh is first in goals against average (7.56) and has saved a staggering 47.7 percent of its opponents’ shots.
In order to prevent Lehigh from controlling the game, Robertshaw said her team needs a strong showing from Horka and to facilitate possession.
“We need to get the ball on our sticks,” Robertshaw said. “That starts with Jill Horka, as well as the entire midfield unit, and doing what they have to get done to get the ball. She just did well at Colgate, and she’s done well all year, so I want her to continue that.”
Robertshaw also said she wants her team to play aggressively and focus on peppering goalkeeper Taylor Tvedt with shots.
“From an offensive perspective, we need to do a better job of making sure we go to the cage hard and that we have a game plan and that we play fast,” Robertshaw said. “The first half of the Colgate game, we were not playing at the speed that the coaching staff wanted, and our teammates were watching rather than attacking as seven scoring threats.”
The Mountain Hawks have five players with double-digit tallies in goals scored, with attack Allison LaBeau ranking as the most potent offensive player. The Mountain Lakes, New Jersey native is not just scoring, though, as evidenced by her team-leading 23 goals and 19 assists.
“We need to make sure we limit [Labeau’s] scoring looks and that we have a strong defensive day,” Robertshaw said. “I feel like we’re doing that overall, but we have to show up every single day because every single game in this conference matters.”
