The No. 11 Boston University lacrosse team clinched its fifth-straight America East regular-season title and its ninth-straight win Saturday with a 19-5 romp over Binghamton University at Nickerson Field.
The Terriers (11-3, 5-0 AE) struggled early in their previous game against the University of Vermont before coming back to win. But this time around, BU opened the game with nine straight goals and never looked back as 10 different players registered a point in the contest.
‘I asked for a sharper style of play to start off the game,’ BU coach Liz Robertshaw said. ‘We’ve started slowly the past few games and I wanted increased intensity. Everyone who plays for us is capable of scoring.’
Led by junior Traci Landy’s six goals ‘-‘- all coming in the first half ‘-‘- the BU attack was more than capable against the Bearcats (3-11, 0-5), with seven different Terriers finding the back of the net. Senior captain Sarah Dalton tallied four goals and an assist and continued to pace the team in points (73). She stands tied for first in the nation in goals (64).
Three juniors aided the attack. McKinley Curro accrued six points (3 goals, 3 assists), Erica Baumgartner chipped in five points (2g, 3a) and Jenny Taft also added two quick goals with five minutes remaining in the first half. In the second half, sophomore Rachel Collins added a tally and freshman Jordie Lopez tallied her first collegiate score on a free-position goal with under a minute left in the contest.
‘McKinley had a great game,’ Robertshaw said. ‘She made good decisions, and it was also her birthday, so it was a good day for her. [And] Traci obviously had six goals, but she also kept the tempo up, winning draws for us.’
In a study of contrast, Binghamton couldn’t sustain any momentum, failing to notch consecutive goals while the BU defense prevented any rhythm. Freshman Meg Brown scored twice for the Bearcats, but even sophomore Ali Castiglie’s goal early in the second half couldn’t bring Binghamton closer than 12 goals. The running-clock rule was in effect for the entire period.
‘ ‘The defense was playing great,’ Robertshaw said. ‘The situation was so that we wanted them to tighten up by being aggressive, playing well and working together.
‘[Sophomore] Corcoran Downey was fantastic. She played spectacular defense one-on-one and slowed down their attackers. She gets overlooked because she doesn’t get statistics, but she was great.’
In the cage, BU redshirt junior goalkeeper Rachel Klein and Binghamton goalkeeper Emily Miller both recorded four saves. However, the Terriers held a 32-12 advantage in shots and converted 4-of-5 free-position goals while Klein stopped all three Bearcat free-position attempts.
The teams could not be on more different paths. Adding to their winless conference campaign this season, the Bearcats have not won since April 8, dropping nine of their last 10, and have lost their last four games at Nickerson Field by at least 14 goals.
On the other side, the Terriers continue their undefeated conference play and can now look forward to hosting the America East Tournament. Yet Robertshaw realizes there is still work to be done before the postseason
‘It’s awesome,’ Robertshaw said. ‘It’s always our goal to host. We love to have our routine: to sleep at home, eat at T. Anthony’s and just to be around each other. We also love this field. But we know we’re not done yet. We still have to beat [Dartmouth College] and [the University of Maryland-Baltimore County].’
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