The Boston University men’s lacrosse team defeated the United States Naval Academy 8-7 on the road in a thriller Saturday afternoon. The win gave the Terriers (4-0, 1-0 Patriot League) their fourth consecutive win, all of which have been on the road.
The Terriers and Midshipmen (1-3, 0-1 Patriot League) engaged in a heavy defensive battle in the early moments of the game. The first goal did not come until late in the first quarter by BU’s junior attackman Jack Wilson. Wilson would continue to prove his dominance throughout the game, finishing with three goals, one assist and the eventual buzzer-beater.
Navy evened the score a couple minutes later, but was unable to penetrate BU’s resilient defense. Senior goalie Christian Carson-Banister stifled the Midshipmen with six saves in the first half alone. Stout defense from the Terriers wore down Navy’s offense, which contributed positively on the other end of the field.
The Terriers scored three goals in the second quarter to end the half with a 4-1 lead, but the sizable cushion proved insufficient to fend off the aggressive Midshipmen in the second half.
Coming out of halftime, the Midshipmen played with more energy. Although it allowed the Terriers to score again, broadening its deficit, Navy soon responded with six unanswered goals to get right back in the game.
The second half showcased much of Navy’s skill, as the team’s attackers found ways to evade an increasingly tired Terrier defense, leading to easy scores. The Midshipmen successfully converted many of their shots midway through the third quarter and early in the fourth.
“Navy wasn’t going away,” said BU head coach Ryan Polley. “They’re a great team. We turned the ball over a couple times, and they capitalized on those opportunities.”
Although Navy was the aggressor in the second half, BU was still able to get off a collective 17 shots in the second half, but was unable to convert many of them.
Trailing by two goals, the Terriers needed to find a way back into the game after being heavily outshot and outscored in the last several minutes.
Not too long after Navy’s last goal, sophomore attackman Brendan Homire netted one, closing the gap. Yet, BU’s efforts to tie the game were unsuccessful for a while, as the two teams neutralized each other’s efforts. However, the Terriers kept after it and junior midfielder Greg Farris scored a game-tying goal in the penultimate minute of the game.
Having regained momentum, BU maintained its composure. The team continued to play strong defense to try to send the game into overtime. The last-minute strategy proved more productive than planned.
BU forced a Navy turnover with 13 seconds left, cleared the ball quickly up the field to senior attacker Cal Dearth, who faked a shot and passed to Wilson, who netted a game-winning goal to secure a win with one second remaining.
“It wasn’t really a change in mindset,” Polley said of his team’s comeback. “We just told our guys to play better defense and we got some clears and scored some goals. We executed much better in the fourth quarter.”
The team will host Bryant University this Tuesday at Nickerson Field, where they look to extend their winning streak to five after the home opener of 2017. For the first time in the team’s history, BU men’s lacrosse is 4-0.
“We’re only as good as our last game,” Polley said. “We’re going to get back to work on Sunday and look forward to a good game on Tuesday.”
For now, the team will enjoy a well-deserved and exciting win.
“The offense found a way to score timely goals and get us that win,” Polley said. “We played a great game today.”
