Lax completes 6-0 AE season

The No. 12 Boston University lacrosse team completed its second-straight undefeated conference regular season with a come-from-behind 15-10 victory over the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday at Nickerson Field. Powered by four goals each from senior Sarah Dalton and junior Traci Landy, the Terriers were able to rally from a 5-3 deficit to get their 11th-straight win.

The Terriers (13-3, 6-0 America East) had the first possession of the game, but then allowed the Retrievers (9-8, 3-3 AE) to hold the ball at their end of the field and score two goals with 21:09 and 18:47 left to go in the half. The Terriers got one back on a Landy goal, but the Retrievers kept the pressure, notching another goal to answer Landy’s tally.

BU scored the next two goals, but UMBC answered right back, scoring two more times before BU coach Liz Robertshaw called a timeout with 10:42 remaining in the first frame.

‘I knew [the girls] were tired, so I wanted to give them a rest and get them to calm down,’ Robertshaw said. ‘Defensively, we talked about getting backdoor too often, and we had to limit that. Attack-wise, I just told them to get the attackers the ball.’

Robertshaw’s words of wisdom proved effective, and the Terriers rattled off five-straight goals to close the first half, putting them up 8-5 going into halftime. In the comeback, Dalton broke her own regular-season record for goals scored, netting her 72nd and 73rd goals of the season. Landy and classmate Erica Baumgartner also aided the attack with two goals apiece in the first half.

Baumgartner finished the day with five points, matching her career high. Junior McKinley Curro recorded two goals and three assists, and sophomore Corcoran Downey and freshman Hannah Frey closed the scoring with one goal each.

‘[Landy and Baumgartner] have done a really good job of picking up the slack,’ Robertshaw said. ‘Dalton has been getting double-teamed, and everyone knows that McKinley wants to go to the goal. So Traci’s in the right spot at the right time, and Erica’s a great feeder. She’s showing right now why she is one of our best feeders, and it’s great.’

The teams traded goals in the second half, but the Terriers were able to hold on for the victory thanks to a heightened defense.

‘[The defense] figured out how to play different players better,’ Robertshaw said. ‘We had better one-on-ones, and we limited our fouls a little bit. I was just happy overall that they picked up their game.’

The Retrievers’ top scorer, senior Kara Dorr, accrued three goals within the first 18 minutes of the first half, but she was unable to score again in the game. The Terrier defense also held the Retrievers’ second-best scorer, sophomore Amanda Pappas, to just two goals for the afternoon.

The Terriers also had to control the draws in order to complete the comeback. In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Terriers were unable to get the draws and were therefore unable to hold possession of the ball. Later in the first half, the Terriers began to control the draws and the possession, resulting in their five unanswered goals to close the half.

‘The draw controls were essential for us,’ Robertshaw said. ‘Once we started winning them, we were able to get into our attacking end. The first half, we weren’t getting them, and that hurt us. They were taking possession time, and I think that was smart for them, but we had to fight to get it back.’

Robertshaw said she thought this game was helpful for the Terriers, especially before they begin their postseason run on Thursday against the University of Vermont.

‘[This game] was very humbling for this team,’ she said. ‘Every now and then, they need a reality check. I don’t think they came into this game thinking they were going to have a cakewalk, but we were slow to start. We need to know that you have to start strong from the very first whistle.’