The Boston University women’s lacrosse team earned its first win of the 2018 season Wednesday afternoon, defeating the University of Massachusetts Lowell 14-10 on the road.
After last Saturday’s 18-6 defeat to then-No. 4 Boston College, the Terriers (1-1) were eager to get back on the turf and and rebound.
Their matchup against the River Hawks (0-1) is the first of four consecutive road games for BU.
Last season, the team struggled slightly on the road, going 4-6.
However, the Terriers got off to a good start this season with an offensive outburst.
Junior midfielder Kendyl Finelli opened up the scoring for Lowell just under four minutes into the first half.
Just two minutes later, BU senior attack Avery Donahoe tied the score up with her second goal of the season, assisted by sophomore attack Kailey Conry.
Donahoe was one of three players for the Terriers who scored a hat-trick Wednesday afternoon and BU head coach Liz Robertshaw commented on her team’s ability to score.
“We have a good handful of goal scorers,” Robertshaw said. “It wasn’t just one person doing it. I was happy with that fact that we found open looks. I thought we had more people going to the cage confidently. And even a lot of our players who didn’t necessarily score had better shot looks and that was great.”
Later in the half, the Terriers went on a 4-0 run, increasing their lead to 6-2. They would not relinquish that lead for the remainder of the game.
In the second half, BU maintained its offensive pressure.
Goals from freshman attack Bridget McCarthy, Conry and Donahoe extended the Terriers’ lead to 10-5. McCarthy and Conry also finished with three goals apiece.
The River Hawks came within two goals of tying the game up with less than seven minutes remaining, thanks to a successful shot from senior attack Austin Trasatti and Finelli’s second of the contest.
However, sophomore goalkeeper Bianca Smith was able to make key saves for the Terriers to prevent the River Hawks from tying the scoreline, making three crucial saves in the final seven minutes of the game.
On the day, Smith recorded seven saves, and has a .450 goal save percentage to start the season.
“I thought she did a great job in cage,” Robertshaw said of Smith. “I think she really showed confidence. She made some really big saves at crucial times. She was seeing the ball better especially as the game went on. In the second half she was able to settle in.”
BU’s offense was the story of the day.
The Terriers led in almost all offensive categories. They had at total 32 shots, 28 of which were on goal, led 14-11 at the faceoff dot and collected 25 ground balls.
Seven different players scored for BU, compared to only four players who scored against BC (4-0) in its season opener.
Conry also tallied six assists, giving her nine points on the day. She now leads the team with 13 on the season. McCarthy and Donahoe both follow behind tied for second with four.
“She’s a composed player,” Robertshaw said of Conry. “She sees the field very well and she is constantly looking for her teammates and I think when the ball is in her hands good things happen. Her teammates are making great cuts and reading their defenders well and finishing well. It was fun to see the offense pick up a little bit today.”
Junior attack Jane Dudley, Lowell’s leader in points last season, was limited to only one goal and one assist on the day, as BU’s 14 faceoff wins allowed it to maintain offensive possession for much of the game.
The River Hawks were further prevented from seeing consistent offensive opportunities, only getting 17 shots on goal.
The Terriers are now 2-0 against the River Hawks in the short history between the two teams, and will hope to maintain its offensive momentum when they take on Duke University next Sunday.
“We just need the players to remember what it feels like,” Robertshaw said. “We need to remember what we’re doing when we’re playing well. That we’re battling and competing for ground balls, draw controls and scrapping for rebounds. If we can remember how that feels, that’s how we’re going to mimic it and go from there.”
