While beginning a season with four consecutive road games is a tall task, finishing the trip with an unblemished record is an even more substantial feat. This is exactly what the Boston University men’s lacrosse team will seek to accomplish on Saturday afternoon, as their February tour of the East Coast drops them in Annapolis, Maryland for a bout against the No. 17 United States Naval Academy.
Despite missing third-leading faceoff winner Sam talkow, The Terriers (3-0) were not fazed against the NCAA’s most lethal faceoff man, Dylan Protesto of University of Hartford.
Junior midfielder Joe Stucky turned in a remarkable performance at the faceoff, going 12-for-21 on the day to pace an offensive explosion from BU in a 12-5 victory.
Senior midfielder Cal Dearth emerged for an astounding tally of five goals against the River Hawks (0-2), pushing his point total to 11 over the past two BU victories. Freshman midfielder John MacLean burst onto the scene as well, earning Patriot League Corvias Rookie of the Week honors with a two-goal, two-assist performance.
BU’s offensive firepower has been measurable over the past two games, as the team has recorded 30 goals in a pair of wins after netting just eight in a double-overtime triumph over Providence College on Feb. 4.
BU head coach Ryan Polley credits his team’s effort and unselfishness for the recent offensive explosion.
“We’ve cut down on our turnovers,” Polley said. “I think we’ve cleared the ball at a pretty high clip, just having more possessions and our guys are doing a great job sharing the ball. They’ve been very unselfish. Most of our goals have been assisted, so we’re willing to make one more extra pass to get a better look, and the guys have just been playing unselfish ball.”
The Terriers currently rank just outside the top 25 in goals per game with an average of 12.67, a figure which could improve against the Midshipmen (1-2), who stand just 45th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing 11.67 goals per outing.
However, this statistic could have been inflated by the formidable opponents that Navy has been charged with facing thus far in the 2017 campaign. Playing the lacrosse hotbed of Maryland, the Midshipmen opened their season with a 15-8 loss to No. 8 Johns Hopkins University before nearly upsetting No. 1 University of Maryland in a narrow 15-12 loss at home on Feb. 11. Navy entered the halftime break trailing by just one goal against the Terrapins (3-0), however, a 5-3 advantage in the third period created some separation for Maryland, allowing them to eke out the victory.
A major reason for this outburst was sophomore attacker Ryan Wade. After receiving just one shot opportunity all season in 2016, Wade has become a force to be reckoned with for opposing defenses. The Southern California native experienced his coming out party against the Terrapins, piling up four goals and three assists for Navy.
After netting a goal and an assist in the Midshipmen’s 11-5 win over the University of Delaware in their last appearance, Wade leads the team with 13 points.
Wade and Massachusetts native attacker Drew Smiley, who notched a hat trick in the victory over the Blue Hens (1-2), pair for a challenging tandem at the attack position. However, the squad has yet to face a defense as stout as that of the Terriers.
Polley spoke highly of Wade and Smiley.
“They’ve been playing really well together, Smiley has been running midfield with [the Midshipmen] and it’s been causing problems going behind the cage. We’re just going to stick to our game plan.
BU has allowed just 6.67 goals per game this season, the eighth-lowest average in the country. The Terriers defensive intensity has been spearheaded by senior goalkeeper Christian Carson-Banister, who is enjoying a stellar start to his final collegiate season. The senior currently ranks sixth in the NCAA for saves, with an average of 14 per game and a save percentage of .700 is remarkably the fourth-highest in the nation.
Polley has been pleased with his team’s play thus far, and he welcomes the challenge that Navy will pose in both team’s Patriot League opener.
“They’re just a great team — it’s going to be a huge challenge for us to go down there and play a great team with tradition,” said Polley. “But, I think we’re going to be up for the challenge. We’ve had a good week of practice and I think our guys are just focused on us and making sure that we’re doing all the things we need to do to play a really strong game. I feel good about the steps that we’ve taken and the improvement that we’ve shown in the first three weeks.”
