In the first home game in over a month, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team (6-3, 1-2 Patriot League) dropped a 1-15 decision to the University of Loyola Maryland (7-2, 2-0 PL) on Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field.
The Terriers only got one goal in the contest and spent the rest of the game struggling to break down the Greyhounds backend. The Loyola defense was stifling, holding BU to single digits in shots per quarter and just 20 shots through 60 minutes compared to Loyola’s 38.
“[Loyola] played a little bit of a different defense that we didn’t necessarily expect,” BU head coach Lauren Morton said. “We just have to play our game at a higher intensity and a faster level. We got shots off. We just needed to be able to finish them and execute on them.”
Loyola opened up the scoring with 10:53 left in the first quarter. Senior attack Anna Ruby deked out BU’s junior defender Ellen Monahan before lasering a shot into the net below junior goalkeeper Reilly Agres’ stick. Otherwise, BU’s defense remained spotless until 3:00 in the first, after which the floodgates opened for the Greyhounds.
Loyola scored four times in three minutes on a run spurred by graduate student midfielder Jillian Wilson’s two goals while the defense continued to shut down the Terriers’ attack. BU remained scoreless to close the quarter.
The Greyhounds started the second quarter off strong with an early marker by junior attack Sydni Black for her second of the game. Loyola scored three more, including a free position awarded during a crosschecking penalty to junior midfielder Kendall Sims, before BU finally made its way on the board with 26 seconds left before halftime.
Senior midfielder Claire Gola scored BU’s lone goal for her 22nd tally of the season and the 46th of her career. She was assisted by Sims, who recorded her first assist of the season.
Ruby collected her second goal of the afternoon at the halfway point of the third and was shortly followed by Wilson, who completed a hat trick in the closing minutes of the quarter.
It was much of the same for the last 15 minutes of the game. Loyola added three more tallies to the score sheet, with the first coming off a free position shot for freshman attack Sofia D’Angelo. The Terriers were unable to muster a response to end the game down 14 goals.
BU struggled on all fronts throughout the game. Offensively, only nine of their 20 shots made it on goal while the defense allowed 28 opposing shots to reach their goalkeeper Agres. The teams were top two in draw control percentage in the entire country, but the Greyhounds dominated, edging the Terriers 17-3.
Despite the team’s defensive struggles, Morton gave high praise to sophomore midfielder Kaylee Munster for her performance in the back end.
“[Munster] had a really big matchup heading into this game with one of the best players in the country,” Morton said. “She did a really good job for us defensively.”
Although the Terriers have improved their record compared to last season, their matchup against Loyola is their third loss in four games.
“[We need to be] able to play a complete game [and] make stops on the defensive end and turn them into productive offensive possessions,” Morton said. “We didn’t do [that], and they capitalized on a lot of our mistakes, which good teams are gonna do. We have to be better moving forward.”
The Terriers will host the College of the Holy Cross on Wednesday, March 29, for a Turnpike Trophy match. The opening draw is scheduled for 5 p.m.
