The No. 19 Boston University men’s lacrosse team defeated Harvard University 13-8 on Tuesday night at Nickerson Field behind a balanced attack led by senior midfielder Cal Dearth.
Coming off their first loss of the season to Bucknell University, the Terriers (8-1, 2-1 Patriot League) appeared more confident and poised in the matchup against the Crimson (4-3).
BU head coach Ryan Polley stressed after the loss last weekend that the team needed to regain composure. A frenzied and anxious performance was certainly put behind them, as the Terriers executed well on both offense and defense.
Particularly notable was the difference in play from BU’s leader in points, Dearth, and Harvard’s leader in points, attackman Morgan Cheek. Both players are two of the most dynamic offensive players in the country, and they were each named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List earlier this season.
Dearth has been an instrumental part in BU’s success this season, leading the team in both goals and assists. Similarly, Cheek leads Harvard in those two categories as well.
However, Tuesday night’s game saw an underwhelming performance from Cheek, as he was only able to score one goal the whole game. Polley was confident in his defense’s ability to restrain Cheek from scoring.
“We were concerned about [Cheek], but they also have great midfielders,” Polley said. “[Senior defenseman Dominick] Calisto has played outstanding all year. He can guard really any type of attack that comes at him. We just played some really good defense.”
Polley praised Calisto and his defensive squad for limiting the Crimson to only eight goals in the game.
The defense’s competence was further highlighted as the Crimson only scored four goals in the second half. Harvard’s prolific scoring performances throughout the season have come from aggressive play in the second half.
Dearth, however, has been less explosive in goal scoring in the latter half of the game.
Additionally, Cheek outperforms Dearth in total points this season, 37-31. However, this stark difference in offensive performance stems perhaps from the fact that the Terriers share offensive production between several players, unlike the Crimson.
“Six hands is one of our big key points we talk about,” Dearth said. “Sharing the ball, getting everyone involved. We’ve been focusing a lot on getting goals that are assisted.”
The Terriers spread out their point scoring, as three players have amassed 20-plus points this season while Harvard has only one, Cheek, who has eclipsed 20. Additionally, BU has another six players with 10-plus points this season while the Crimson only have two.
“We try to focus on either shooting to score or to shoot and hit the cage so that we can get the ball back,” Polley said. “I thought we were more patient on offense. We waited more for some shots unlike in the game against Bucknell.”
Furthermore, the Terriers’ dispersed offensive scoring strategy proved more fruitful, as Dearth tallied three goals and four assists, while sophomore attacker James Burr and freshman midfielder John MacLean combined for seven goals as well.
Team play and poise have been instrumental facets of the Terriers’ game that Polley emphasized. Both the offense and defense bounced back from disappointing performances on Saturday.
The Terriers’ eight wins thus far have already equaled the previous season’s total. The Terriers’ balanced attack will be key as they take on Lafayette College on Saturday and move deeper into the conference slate.
“I was very pleased with the way the team responded today,” Polley said. “Now we just have to stay loose.”
