The Boston University women’s lacrosse team celebrated six graduating athletes in its Senior Day game against No.15/16 Loyola Maryland Saturday.
The Terriers (7-6, 2-4 Patriot League) honored senior attacks Raegan Bailey and Hannah Tillier, senior midfielders Abby Cotraro and Avery Jones, senior defender Avery Waters and graduate student midfielder Kendall Sims.
The celebratory energy from pregame would be dampened by the end of regulation time as the Greyhounds (10-5, 7-0 Patriot League) defeated the Terriers 20-14, led by Loyola senior Chase Boyle’s seven goals and 22 draw controls.
In the early minutes of the period, junior midfielder Jayne Feeney scored to give BU a 1-0 lead, but less than a minute later, the Greyhounds leveled the score.
Loyola junior Elisa Faklaris soon put the Greyhounds ahead 2-1 as a part of Loyola’s seven-goal first quarter that ended with a last-second tally just 13 seconds after junior midfielder Elle Stevenson got a second for BU.
BU’s defense did better to control the Greyhounds in the second period, allowing just two goals before a man-up opportunity allowed Tillier to find the net on her way to a Senior Day hat trick.
“We’ve definitely leaned on [Tillier] all year,” said head coach Lauren Morton. “It’s a special day to honor the seniors, and I think that this is definitely a really strong performance from her.”
Loyola added two more to go up 11-3 by the end of the second period.
The Terriers struck first in the second half of the game as Stevenson scored, junior midfielder Leah Hodgins credited with the assist.
The third period looked more competitive, as the Terriers outscored the Greyhounds 7-5 despite Greyhound Boyle completing a hat trick and adding another three goals in her league-leading campaign.
By the end of the third period, the Terriers were trailing by six, and were looking for a comeback in the fourth period.
The Terriers were able to match Loyola’s four fourth-period goals as Stevenson scored her fourth and fifth goals of the afternoon and Tillier found a hat trick, but that would ultimately leave them short.
“I was proud of the way we fought,” Morton said. “We were able to buckle down and put ourselves in a position to compete in that second half, [but] the first quarter putting us in a hole was a little bit tough.”
BU will look to bounce back from three-straight losses Wednesday evening when they take on Colgate in Hamilton, New York with just three games left in the regular season.
