After clinching its first Patriot League victory against Bucknell University last Sunday, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team will face Loyola University Maryland, another Patriot League opponent, in Baltimore this Saturday.
The Terriers (3-4, 1-0 Patriot League) beat the Bison (5-3, 0-1 Patriot League) by a score of 13-8, with an impressive performance from freshman midfielder Mackenzie Howe, who scored a team-high four goals. Howe’s performance marks the second game in a row that a freshman has led the Terriers in points, after attacker Kailey Conry recorded six points against Fairfield University last Wednesday.
“After graduating [the senior class] we did last year, we really look to this freshman class to come in and make an impact right away,” said BU head coach Liz Robertshaw. “Obviously, we have a lot of upperclassmen that we expect to score and do well also.”
Senior attackers Elisabeth Jayne and Taylor Hardison and junior attacker Mickenzie Larivee each added two goals against Bucknell. The upperclassmen attackers have been consistent in scoring for the Terriers this season. Meanwhile, the younger midfielders added to the scoring momentum, with two goals from sophomore Kaitlin Belval and one goal from sophomore Tonianne Magnelli.
“The purpose of this [freshman] class, and especially players like Mackenzie Howe and Kailey Conry, is to come in and make an impact, and they’re starting to feel good about their game,” Robertshaw said. “They’re starting to make that impact that we’ve been looking for.”
After going on a three-game losing streak earlier in the season, the Terriers have recovered with two straight wins over Fairfield (3-4) and Bucknell with the help of their freshmen.
Loyola (2-6, 1-0 Patriot League) has been less successful this season, while facing different non-conference teams than BU.
The Greyhounds faced the United States Naval Academy last Saturday, earning their first win of the season, as well as their first Patriot League win of the season. In a 13-9 victory, goalie Kady Glynn led Loyola with a career-high 18 saves. Glynn was named Corvias Patriot League Defender of the Week following her impressive performance and has recorded double-figure saves in three of Loyola’s last four games.
“[Glynn’s] a solid goaltender,” Robertshaw said. “We’ve watched a lot of her game film. We need to be good shooters. We’ve been a little inconsistent in that respect, so we’re working on that right now.”
However, BU senior goaltender Caroline Meegan is also vital defensively. She recorded 12 stops in BU’s last win over Bucknell, which was her fourth game with double-digit saves.
Loyola’s offense stems from a solid attacking core made up of junior Frankie Kamely, senior Cami Whiteford and sophomore Hannah Powers. Kamely led Loyola offensively against Navy (5-3, 0-1 Patriot League) with five points, three goals and two assists. Whiteford and Powers each contributed three goals.
Powers recorded a team-high of five goals and one assist in Loyola’s victory against Georgetown University on Wednesday, while Whiteford added two goals and three assists.
After Loyola won its first Patriot League game of this season, it is now on a 26-game regular season winning streak in the Patriot League, stemming from last season.
For both teams, a win will be crucial in establishing their respective dominance in the Patriot League.
In terms of beating Glynn, BU needs to continue making use of free position shots. The Terriers only had five free positions against Bucknell, but it remains a focal point of its offense.
“It’s something I told the players they need to take to heart and they have been,” Robertshaw said. “We’ve been improving. We need to be finishers and we need to be confident going against [Glynn].”
