The No. 19 Boston University men’s lacrosse team secured its fifth win of the season on Tuesday night against Bryant University at Nickerson Field. However, what the 12-9 score does not show was the overwhelming impact of the Terriers’ (5-0, 1-0 Patriot League) formidable defense.
In close wins such as the 8-7 double overtime victory against Providence College and its recent 8-7 win over the United States Naval Academy, in the last seconds of the game, BU’s defense has remained a strong presence on the other end of the field.
The defense, led by senior Cam Pincus, senior Dominick Calisto and sophomore Quintin Germain, has been key in keeping the Terriers’ opponent from netting goals, and it did just the same against the Bulldogs (2-3).
“Our offense got a little sloppy tonight, but the defense takes a little bit of that pressure off,” junior attacker Jack Wilson said. “Obviously, it allows us to make a few more risky plays, but they’re bailing us out big time.”
Senior goalkeeper Christian Carson-Banister stood out as an essential asset to BU once again and kept Bryant at bay with 12 saves on the night.
Unsurprisingly, the Dallas, Texas native was named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season earlier this week.
“He’s just been the backbone,” said BU head coach Ryan Polley. “He’s hasn’t had an average game [or] a good game, he’s had five great games and he’s really been the key to our great start. So having him back there and the defense is doing a great job limiting the shots, he’s just making all the saves we need him to make.”
While the Terriers’ offense started the contest off strong, scoring four unanswered goals within an eight-minute span and maintaining possession for most of the quarter, the defense did not lag behind.
Bryant remained unable to score until attacker Cam Ziegler notched his 10th goal of the season, but Carson-Banister kept BU ahead with great goalkeeping in opening quarter.
Senior Tucker James capitalized on the Bulldogs’ first man-up opportunity of the night, but the Terriers held a strong 6-2 lead going into the second half of the game.
In the third quarter, the defensive end was hemmed in as Bryant gained momentum after two early goals. However, the defense remained steady as BU’s offense was unable to find the back of the net.
“I think the fact that they never were able to tie the game gave us confidence, and that way, once [sophomore attacker] James [Burr] scored and got [the lead] to two, then we got it to three, everybody can relax a little bit,” Polley said. “So, I think it was important that we got some key stops when they had the opportunity to tie it and that we were able to extend the lead.”
The Terriers found themselves with a 6-5 advantage going into the final 15 minutes, but Carson-Banister and the rest in front of the net kept BU at one until Burr and Wilson reignited the offense for the team’s fifth straight win.
However, a low-point of the defensive play was the fact that Bryant went four-for-five on its man-up opportunities. The Terriers have allowed nine man-up goals this season and Polley noted it is something the team must work on moving forward.
To round off the defense’s strong performance, though, they were nearly perfect on clearing the ball (16-17).
“[The clears are] great because it gives our defense a break,” said Carson-Banister. “I think that’s huge because those guys are running around so fast and pushing themselves so hard out there every possession, so [when] we can have the offense possess like they did tonight, it does wonders for our defense.”
