The Boston University women’s lacrosse team’s regular season is gradually coming to a close, as it will host the College of the Holy Cross on Wednesday night.
The stakes are high for the Terriers (7-7, 4-3 Patriot League), who hope to win their last two contests and host a quarterfinal game in the 2016 Patriot League Tournament. BU currently ranks fifth in the Patriot League, but two more wins will give it an opportunity to move up in the standings.
“We’re really trying to keep focused on the fact that winning tomorrow could lock us into the Patriot League Tournament,” BU head coach Liz Robertshaw said. “That’s something we are excited for, and it’s something that the team is really ready to showcase. They want to be in the tournament, so going into it, there’s an added incentive to go out and play a great game.”
While Saturday’s loss against the United States Naval Academy was a disappointment for Robertshaw’s squad, history is in its favor, as BU holds an 8-1 record against the Crusaders (2-12, 2-4 Patriot League) since 1984.
“We had a tough loss this past weekend,” Robertshaw said. “It took some work to get over that. Right now, we’re focused on who we want to be and how we can continue to play a better lacrosse game.”
Last season, the Terriers went into overtime with Holy Cross, where current junior attack Taylor Hardison scored a game-winner in what surmounted to a 9-8 comeback victory.
According to Robertshaw, history is not on the team’s mind.
“[Holy Cross] has a new coach and a lot of new players that are on the team now,” Robertshaw said. “I think we are a different team than we were last year, so we’re really just focused now on trying to be a more consistent and more aggressive team.”
This season, the Crusaders have had a difficult time stacking wins, especially on the road, where they are winless. They are also looking to end a three-game losing streak.
However, when victorious, multiple Holy Cross players have carried the offensive burden. Senior Kaitlin Concilio leads the team with 30 points and 17 assists. Midfielder Maddie Ward’s 16 goals lead the team, and goalkeeper Julia Maloney has posted a .379 save percentage in each of the Crusaders’ 14 games.
In draw controls, defender Anna Johnson leads Holy Cross with 24 this season. On the Terrier side, senior midfielder Jill Horka ranks second in the Patriot League in draw controls and became BU’s draw control leader on April 5.
“It’s just a credit to [Horka] and how much work she’s done during her four years,” Robertshaw said. “Sarah Dalton set the record back in 2009, and it was one that I didn’t know how long it would take to break. The fact that Jill has done it is a huge credit to her. She definitely deserves it, and she works for it. That’s the biggest thing.”
Safeguarding BU’s defense is junior goalkeeper Caroline Meegan, who has stood tall in net all season long. The Lutherville, Maryland native has the highest save percentage in the Patriot League at .498 and also leads the league with 9.91 saves per game.
Robertshaw emphasized that earning a win is imperative for BU, as her squad is focused on realizing its season-long goals.
“They set goals at the beginning of the year, and we’ve had a bit of a bumpy road,” Robertshaw said. “So far, what the team has centered around itself is that ‘Let’s make sure we get back on track and go as hard as we can to have a successful year’ [mentality].”
Ranya currently covers field hockey and women’s hockey for the Daily Free Press. As a Biology major at BU, she spends much of her time buried in her Chemistry textbook with the occasional trip to the piano practice room to rehearse her favorite piece, Debussy’s "Claire de Lune." She is an avid ice hockey fan and a proud supporter of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
