The Boston University lacrosse team returns home to Nickerson Field this Saturday looking to extend its eight-game winning streak and its undefeated conference record against Binghamton University. The draw is set for 12 p.m.
The Binghamton Bearcats are just 3-10 on the season and 0-4 in America East and are coming off a 16-10 conference loss to Stony Brook University. The Terriers (10-3, 4-0 AE), on the other hand, have recently recorded big wins against the then-No. 18 University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont.
While Binghamton may seem like a team that could be overlooked, BU coach Liz Robertshaw has stressed all season long that her team must not overlook any opponent.
‘This is a conference game, which is always an important game for us,’ Robertshaw said. ‘If we can win this weekend, it will give us a better shot to host the tournament, and that has been a goal for this team the entire year. I think that’s great motivation.’
Despite the lackluster results, Binghamton does have a strong offense. The Bearcats have scored 10 or more goals in three of their last four games and have six different players with points in double-digits, the same number as BU.
‘They’re going to show us an aggressive attacking style,’ Robertshaw said. ‘They’ve brought in some nice young players that are playing well for them and are scoring a bunch of goals. We’re expecting an aggressive style of play on the attacking front, a lot of shots, and for them to take it to the cage hard.’
This week, the Terriers had Wednesday off for the second time in the past three weeks. Robertshaw has used this time to rest her players and get them refocused for the final stretch of the season.
‘We’ve got to focus on ourselves,’ Robertshaw said. ‘Players have been nursing some sprains and some soreness, so we’ve got to sit them out and rest them. We’ve gotten more people an opportunity to play and really get a better understanding of our team, which is going to help us.
‘We have yet to play our best lacrosse in the conference and really show the America East what we’re all about. We want to take this opportunity this weekend and see about doing that.’
The Terriers have recently been winning big games as well as close games. The Terriers had to come from behind to win, 12-9, over Vermont last weekend, withstand a back-and-forth battle to beat Stony Brook, 17-13, on April 4 and rally from a four-goal deficit to overcome New Hampshire at the beginning of April.
‘I’d love to win games by 15 goals or 10 goals every single time, but it’s not a characteristic of this team,’ Robertshaw said. ‘It doesn’t mean we’re any less of a team. It just shows that we like to keep it a game. It pays dividends because you know how to play in those games. You know how to handle the stress and the tight competition.’
The Terriers have been able to win these games thanks to the standout efforts of redshirt junior goalkeeper Rachel Klein. The league recognized Klein’s play this week with Defender of the Week accolades.
Klein enters Saturday’s game with a .461 save percentage and a 10.55 goals against average. The Terriers will need to rely on her to backstop their game this weekend and carry that momentum into the postseason.
‘She’s gotten more comfortable back there as the years progress,’ Robertshaw said. ‘She is feeling better with the defense in front of her as well as coming up with big saves herself. We’ve really looked for her to do that, and I’m excited that it’s coming on now when we really need it.’
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