After dropping its first three Patriot League contests against the United States Naval Academy, Colgate University and Bucknell University, the Boston University men’s lacrosse team will look to establish some much-needed momentum in its final non-conference game.
The Terriers (4-4, 0-3 Patriot League) will take a trip across the Charles River Tuesday night to face off against Harvard University.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 16-9 loss to Bucknell (5-2, 3-1 Patriot League), BU head coach Ryan Polley said his team will need to get back to its roots as an aggressive, attacking team.
“[We need to] continue to keep our attacking nature,” Polley said. “When we’re aggressive and we’re playing with pace, I think we’re a really tough team to guard.”
Through the first quarter of last Saturday’s contest, Polley’s words rang true. BU outscored the Bison 7-4 in the first quarter, cycling the ball effectively and hitting perfectly-timed cuts for easy opportunities at the net.
On his way to matching a program-record seven points, freshman attack Chris Gray contributed to the first five Terrier goals, assisting on three and notching two goals himself. Gray currently leads the team with 31 points.
Despite Gray’s performance, BU’s offense sputtered as the game drew on. The Terriers were shut out from the 12:01 mark in the second quarter onward as Bucknell went on a 10-0 run to close the contest.
“When we’re not scoring at the rate we’re comfortable with, sometimes we get a little bit stagnant and we don’t move quite as much and we don’t play quite as fast,” Polley said.
Moving forward, Polley noted that the team will need to stay poised and not overreact when the game begins to get out of hand.
“We have to just make sure that regardless of how the game is going — we stay with our game plan, stay efficient and the guys continue to play with confidence,” Polley said.
This need for confidence and poise translates not only to the attacking end of the field, but on the defensive side of the ball.
The Terriers will be up against a similar challenge to Bucknell Tuesday night.
The Crimson (5-1) boast a high-volume attack that has produced six-straight games with nine or more goals and are in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
For BU to find success against Harvard, Polley stressed that the Terrier defense needs to do a better job of protecting sophomore goalkeeper Joe McSorley and limiting the Crimson’s opportunities close to the net.
“They’re very explosive on offense and they’re a pretty senior-laden team,” Polley said. “For us, [we need to] keep shots to the outside and give [McSorley] a chance to see the ball and make saves.”
Too many times on Saturday, the Terriers allowed Bucknell to dictate the offensive tempo, as Bison senior attack Will Sands lit up BU defense for three goals and seven assists.
Sands was able to consistently pick apart the defense and find teammates close to the net, as well as roll around the goal and find his own shot when the defense overcommitted.
“We broke down a few times against Bucknell and allowed shots to get right on top of [McSorley],” Polley said. “… Re-watching the film, we just didn’t do a good enough job in … not allowing high-percentage shots.”
Harvard possesses a similar offensive weapon as Sands in senior attack Morgan Cheek, who has racked up 16 assists and seven goals this season.
Last season, the Terriers secured a 13-8 win over the Crimson at Nickerson Field after the defense limited Cheek to one goal and one assist and junior attack James Burr put up four goals. Burr is currently second on the team with 25 points, consisting of a team-high 19 goals and six assists.
Though Tuesday’s matchup will present challenges for Polley’s squad, it will also be a time for the Terriers to show their mettle and head into Patriot League play on a high note.
