Boston University women’s lacrosse fell to Colgate University 15-13 in the Patriot League quarterfinals at Crown Field in Hamilton, New York, Monday.
The game marked BU’s second straight playoff loss to Colgate, as the teams had previously faced off in 2019. The Raiders (5-5, 3-4 Patriot League) will advance to Thursday’s conference semifinal against top-seeded Loyola University Maryland (9-2, 5-0 PL).
The Terriers (4-6, 3-2 PL) put up a fight and led by as many as four goals, but the Raiders secured the win with a decisive 3-0 run at the end of the second half. Head coach Lauren Morton said she was proud of her team’s effort despite the loss.
“Unfortunately, things didn’t fall in our favor,” Morton said in a postgame interview Monday. “I think we really played well in some key moments, but I think … they converted on a couple more plays than we did.”
BU opened up the scoring with an unassisted goal from senior attackman Makenzie Irvine, but Colgate quickly answered with two goals, leading 2-1 after nearly five minutes of play.
The Terriers then dominated possession, winning 11 straight draw controls en route to a 5-0 scoring streak. Senior attackman Michelle Seger scored twice during the run, which put BU up 6-2. Morton said converting draw controls to offensive possessions and production has been important for the team this season.
“Being able to win the draw has given us a lot of possessions,” Morton said. “One of the things that’s plagued us this year is some of our turnovers.”
BU had 17 turnovers Monday, 11 of which created immediate scoring opportunities for Colgate. The Raiders got back in the game following a failed BU clear attempt when Colgate sophomore midfielder Cara O’Reilly converted a free position shot to snap the Terriers’ streak. Freshman midfielder Eliza Farriss scored soon after to bring Colgate within two goals of BU.
Irvine scored two more times for a first-half hat trick, which brought the score to 8-5 BU with just over eight minutes remaining in the half. Colgate then went on a 6-0 run that lasted through the beginning of the second half, in which freshman attack Kyra Lucey scored twice and O’Reilly completed a hat trick.
Junior goalkeeper Kennady Smith entered the game for sophomore Arielle Hammer after Colgate tied the game 8-8 in the first half. She allowed three goals before settling down to earn 10 saves, nine of which came in the second half.
Morton said Smith stepped up as soon as she entered the net and brought consistency to the Terrier defense.
“She’s a phenomenal goalkeeper,” Morton said, “and I think she came in, and she did everything she could to give us a chance to win.”
With Colgate leading the game 11-8, BU began mounting a comeback. The Terriers went on a 5-1 run — including a converted free position shot by Seger, who completed a hat trick and set a personal season high for goals — to take a 13-12 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Sophomore attackman Eliza Soutter, who leads Colgate with 32 goals, tied the game about a minute later on her only goal of the day. Farriss found the back of the net for the fifth time to score the game-winner for the Raiders, who then picked up an insurance goal on a shot from freshman midfielder Catie Lang, bringing the final tally to 15-13 Colgate.
The Terriers were outshot 34-29, and Colgate freshman goalkeeper Amelia Cunningham locked down the net with seven saves on 20 shots on goal, including two in the final two minutes. The Raiders were also able to stifle senior midfielder Emily Vervlied, who leads the Terriers in points but notched just one assist and two shots in the game.
Morton said her offense stepped up its production, but they had some trouble getting the ball in the net.
“We were getting good looks,” Morton said. “Whether we were hitting pipes or she [Cunningham] was making saves, I think that they weren’t necessarily falling.”
BU has 11 seniors on its roster, and Morton said she was proud of their efforts to “keep the team positive” during a challenging year. She said though it’s disappointing to see the season end in a loss for the seniors, Morton said she thinks they have represented the program well and paved the way for their younger teammates.
“It’s tough to see it end this way, especially with how strong they played in the beginning of the game, but I think they’ve left a legacy on the program,” Morton said. “I’m really optimistic for the future.”
