The Boston University women’s lacrosse team broke its three-game losing streak with a 10-9 overtime victory against Fairfield University on Wednesday afternoon at Nickerson Field.
After two tough losses to San Diego State University and University of Southern California on the road over spring break last week, the Terriers (2-4) found themselves in a neck-and-neck contest with the Stags (2-4) back in Boston.
Neither team led by more than one goal the entire game, and it was not until a goal in overtime from freshman attacker Kailey Conry that the Terriers secured victory.
“I enjoy that battle,” BU head coach Liz Robertshaw said of the back-and-forth affair. “It keeps things exciting and it keeps the team energized.”
Senior attacker Elisabeth Jayne began the offensive momentum, scoring the first goal for BU. The first of Jayne’s two goals was assisted by senior Taylor Hardison, who recorded three assists.
Sophomore midfielder Kelly Mathews and junior attacker Mickenzie Larivee both recorded two goals each. Junior midfielder Caroline English contributed a crucial goal at the end of the first half, tying the game 5-5 and giving her team the necessary momentum for the second half.
Freshman midfielder Lexi Lewis, who recorded her first career goal against San Diego State (6-2) last week, accompanied Conry as one of the two freshman to score against Fairfield.
“Liz Jayne set the pace, Mickenzie Larivee had some good looks and we had Caroline English with a stellar goal,” Robertshaw said. “We had a lot of different looks and I think that’s important for us moving forward.”
Contrary to past games this season, the upperclassmen received help offensively from underclassmen. Both the attack and the midfield were crucial in scoring, but also defensively on Fairfield’s transition.
“We told our attackers we really wanted them to focus on the ride, and I think the defenders did a great job of locking up their attackers that wanted the ball,” Robertshaw said.
The attack and midfield put defensive pressure on the Stags in transition, making it a struggle for them to clear the ball and consequently creating difficulty for Fairfield’s top players to maintain possession.
“I think that’s a credit to our defense of trusting our attackers to work hard, of trusting our middies to get in, and then I just think they did a really good job defensively of shutting down some of [Fairfield’s] big time players,” Robertshaw said.
Meanwhile, the underclassmen who make up the Terrier midfield, including sophomores Kaitlin Belval and Mathews, are putting in an extra effort after an injury brought an end to junior midfielder Sarah Andersen’s season last week.
In response to the loss of Andersen on the field, Robertshaw says she needs all of her underclassmen to step up and be confident like they were on Wednesday when the team begins Patriot League play.
“The freshman had to step up, and in today’s game we saw a freshman score the winning goal,” said Robertshaw.
The Terriers even won the draw control battle 13-8, an area in which they struggled mightily in earlier games. Again, it was the underclassmen that stepped up. Mathews won six of the draw controls, while Belval and freshman Mackenzie Howe each won one and Conry won two.
Despite the past two losses in California, the Terriers have returned with a newfound confidence in their young team.
Offensively, one underclassmen who stood out specifically was Conry.
Against USC (5-1), Conry had a hand in each of the goals scored by the Terriers, as she recorded three assists and one goal in the 15-4 loss.
Robertshaw’s confidence in Conry was apparent, as the Needham native was the only freshman attacker that was in the starting lineup.
She continued her success against the Stags, recording a team-high four assists in the game before scoring to win for BU in overtime.
“That’s great for a freshman, and I think she can do even more,” Robertshaw said. “[Conry] is playing with more confidence and she’s getting comfortable.”
