With 16 players registering a point across the 2016 season, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team often presents a perplexing puzzle to its opponents: try and shut down one attacker, and another — if not several more — emerges.
This was on full display Wednesday afternoon when BU (7-6, 4-2 Patriot League) defeated the University of New Hampshire 14-7 in non-conference play, as nine different Terriers nabbed a goal or an assist and made the Wildcats’ (6-7) early dominance an afterthought.
For BU head coach Liz Robertshaw, this was instrumental in her team’s victory over an opponent that was in the midst of a three-game winning streak and charging up the America East standings.
“The ‘who’s next’ mentality is something we’ve talked about, and they’re all capable,” Robertshaw said. “The freshman class is stepping up, as is [sophomore midfielder] Sarah [Andersen] and the other sophomores, and it just shows that they’re able to play at this level and they’re bringing that confidence.”
While the attack duo of sophomore Mickenzie Larivee and senior Mallory Collins have often carried the scoring burden, neither guided the scarlet and white’s performance yesterday. The former scored two non-essential goals, while the latter didn’t see the field for the first time all year.
One player who stepped up in Collins’ absence was senior midfielder Ally Adams, who now has 95 points across her four-year career. With BU holding a narrow 5-4 lead, and roughly five minutes remaining in the first stanza, the captain overcame every Wildcat effort to stymie her.
Adams twice powered through onto UNH goalkeeper Kate Clancy’s cage, and fired home after some nifty stickwork. It’s that sort of performance that has inspired confidence in players like freshman midfielder Kelly Mathews.
“Ally’s my wingman and I totally look up to her,” Mathews said. “I love playing with her, I love being her wingman, so I’m proud of her and happy to be playing alongside her.”
As essential as Adams was, junior midfielder Taylor Hardison compiled arguably her most thorough performance of the year. She finished with one goal and three assists, illustrating her well-documented ability to facilitate and often-overlooked ability to finish off a chance.
“Taylor has been doing an awesome job this season in stepping up and being a leader and being patient and really hitting the cuts when they’re there,” Mathews said.
The buck did not stop there, though. Mathews, who has played in all but one BU game this year, saw her name sprinkled throughout the box score. The 19-year-old earned U.S. Lacrosse All-American honors her senior year of high school, and that recognition is starting to become a mainstay of Robertshaw’s side.
Mathews tallied her second career hat trick, causing Robertshaw to remark that Wednesday’s performance is not an anomaly, but what’s been a long time coming.
“We expected that when we recruited [Kelly], and the same thing with [freshman midfielder Kaitlin] Belval stepping up really big,” BU’s 10-year head coach said. “To be honest with you, we told them in practice multiple times, but especially yesterday, that they’re not freshman anymore … They’ve done a good job stepping up.”
Now riding a surge of confidence, BU has lined itself up nicely for the tail end of its regular season. Three conference match-ups remain before the playoffs, and BU can rest easy knowing no single player will be leaned upon, no matter the opponent.
Add in the anchor that’s junior goalkeeper Caroline Meegan, senior midfielder Jill Horka’s dominance on draw controls and the fact that BU has won five of its last seven contests, and it appears as if BU is peaking at the best possible time.
“I credit it to the senior class and the team that they’re all holding each other accountable,” Robertshaw said. “I am not an easy coach to play for because I demand a lot of things, and I especially demand excellence … We still have a ways to go to be our best team, but we are trending in that direction, and that’s what I want to see as a coach.”
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.
