Boston University men’s lacrosse dominated conference rival Lafayette College en route to a 21-11 win in Saturday’s Patriot League matchup at Nickerson Field.
After suffering their first loss of the season to Harvard University on Tuesday, the Terriers (7-1, 4-0 Patriot League) shredded the defense of the Leopards (2-7, 0-4 PL), scoring a season-high 21 goals.
The Terriers were led by junior attack Vince D’Alto, who set a BU single-game record with 14 points on seven goals and seven assists. D’Alto also scored his 100th career point in Saturday’s matchup against the Leopards — cementing his name in the BU record books.
“Coach preaches to me that unselfishness is one of the better aspects to my game,” D’Alto said after his career day. “I try to get everyone involved.”
D’Alto accomplished his goal of spreading the ball — his passes led to goals from five different players.
BU head coach Ryan Polley credits the team’s unselfishness as a key factor to its offensive success.
“We shared the ball wonderfully,” Polley said. “We created some great shots.”
The effects of BU’s balanced offense showed on both the field and the box score. Only three of the Terriers’ 21 goals went unassisted.
“Credit to everybody on that offensive side for abiding to the game plan and making sure everybody got involved,” Polley said.
The volume of offensive opportunities for the Terriers was a symptom of consistently dominating faceoffs. Junior midfielder Conor Calderone won 32 of the 34 faceoffs, tying an NCAA record for most faceoffs won in a single game.
Calderone capitalized on those faceoff wins by collecting 21 ground balls, this time breaking BU’s record for most ground balls in a single game.
“[Calderone] was excellent. Really gave us possession,” Polley said.
Polley reflected on the Terriers’ ability to bounce back from their recent loss to Harvard.
“Tuesday was a tough loss, real emotional,” Polley said. “It was super important for us to flush Harvard and get back to what we do and play a really solid game.”
The Leopards were led by sophomore attack Kalman Kraham and sophomore midfielder John Mathes, who each scored a hat-trick.
Although the Terriers never lost their lead in the game, the Leopards put up a fight in the second half despite the large deficit.
“They never gave up,” Polley said.
The Terriers will next face off against Patriot League foe United States Naval Academy (6-3, 2-1 PL) next Saturday at Nickerson Field as part of Lax-A-Palooza — an event dedicated to showcasing both men and women’s lacrosse.
Polley believes Saturday’s win was a critical step toward accomplishing the team’s goals.
“We’ve never won a Patriot League title so that’s our ultimate goal,” Polley said. “We can’t win it without winning these types of games.”
While Polley is focused on bringing home a Patriot League title, D’Alto has higher hopes for the Terriers.
“This team is one of the best teams I’ve ever played for,” D’Alto said. “Obviously we want to win the Patriot League, but I think this team can absolutely go further.”
