Looking to bounce back from last weekend’s loss at the hands of the United States Naval Academy, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team got off to a much better start against the College of the Holy Cross, dominating in both frames en route to an 11-4 bounce-back victory.
Not only did the win put BU (8-7, 5-3 Patriot League) back above the .500 mark, it automatically clinched the team a spot in the Patriot League tournament.
The Terriers struggled early on in this one, though, as they let the Crusaders (2-13, 2-5 Patriot League) find the back of the net just three minutes into play off a goal from junior Maddie Ward. This would be the only lead of the night for Holy Cross, though, as it took the Terriers all of three minutes to counter.
In the 6th minute, freshman midfielder Kelly Mathews was able to shoot by Holy Cross goalkeeper Julia Maloney for her 12th goal of the season to tie the game at one apiece.
The Crusaders’ defense played better than what its record suggested, as it kept the game tied for most of the first half despite the Terriers controlling most of the possession.
However, the BU attack tandem of sophomore Avery Donahoe, sophomore Mickenzie Larivee and senior Ally Adams. Each scored to help put the Terriers up 5-2 at the end of the first half.
BU head coach Liz Robertshaw said the keys to breaking the tough Holy Cross defense were fast breaks and ball movement.
“Holy Cross’s defense is tough,” Robertshaw said. “They pack it in, and it’s a little bit scattered. They do a good job of frustrating attackers. We had to settle our team down. Push the fast break and look to score in those moments. We just tried to move the ball quickly. A lot more cutting and moving, and maybe being a little more selective with our dodgers.”
After halftime, the Terriers offense was firing on all cylinders.
Six different Terriers registered goals, and Adams and Larivee each finished with hat tricks. Winning the draw control late also proved to make the difference for BU in the second half, as it won that battle 8-1.
Unlike their opponents, the Crusaders could only beat BU goalie Caroline Meegan twice in each half. On the other end of the field, the Terriers’ defense stood tall. Their impressive outing featured a 35-minute shutout and Meegan gave up a mere four goals, eight fewer than Navy (10-5, 5-2 Patriot League) posted this past weekend against BU.
Both sides of the ball played well Wednesday night, but Robertshaw credits her team’s defensive unit for the great performance.
“Obviously, Caroline had a great game,” Robertshaw said. “I think the defensive unit as a whole did a really nice job of holding their main scorers to very limited points. That’s a credit to all of them down there from the midfielders to the defenders to our goalkeeper. They really just played lockdown defense.”
Robertshaw noted that her team’s performance Wednesday night is a promising glimpse of what a Patriot League tournament run could look like for her Terriers, who will end the regular season at home this Saturday versus the United States Military Academy.
“I just wanted them to play a game that’s a little bit more indicative of who we are,” Robertshaw said. “It’s grittier. We had more fight, and I think that gets us going in the right direction for the Patriot League tournament. But I’m excited that we’re getting wins going forward. I think it’s important.”
