Most Boston University students will be relaxing and enjoying their time off during Spring Break, but the women’s lacrosse team will face its two toughest challenges of the young season. Two games into its season-long effort to collect its fourth straight America East title, No. 17 BU (2-0) head west for a difficult road trip includes No. 1 Northwestern University (3-0) and No. 11 Vanderbilt University (5-0).
For a Terrier squad with only five upperclassmen, the upcoming competition will be a litmus test for the team’s ability to work together and incorporate all that they’ve worked on in practice. A pair of road meetings with nationally-ranked teams would pose a threat to any group’s chemistry, but the western swing will be especially important for the youthful Terriers.
“They’re doing a good job of [working together] so far,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw after Monday’s practice. “It’s not where we need it to be. We’re still trying to get them to click a little bit more.”
There seemed to be no problem on the field Wednesday, when the Terriers took down Brown University, 16-4, to maintain their unblemished record. That victory included a dominant 30-minute stretch in which BU outscored the Bears 13-0. Consistent strength from the attack, coupled with clampdown defense, allowed the Terriers to take over the contest and bury the Bears. All facets of the game will need to be working to overtake Northwestern or Vanderbilt next week.
The trip begins with a duel against the top-ranked team in the nation Sunday afternoon in Evanston, Ill. BU is familiar with its first foe, suffering a setback against the Wildcats last March. In that game at Nickerson Field, Northwestern – then the No. 2 team in the nation, en route to its third straight national championship – defeated the Terriers 17-4 behind nine points each from sophomores Hannah Neilsen and Hilary Bowen. BU sophomore attacker Traci Landy, in the midst of her campaign for America East Rookie of the Year, registered three goals in the loss.
“We didn’t show the kind of attack that we could have,” Robertshaw said of last year’s outing against Northwestern. “We had a lot of opportunities and didn’t finish them and we want to have a better showing this year.”
After taking on the Wildcats, BU will head to Nashville, Tenn. to challenge the Commodores. The teams last met in March, 2001, when the Terriers recorded a 15-7 victory. This year’s Commodores figure to pose a much larger threat to BU’s early success.
Through five games, Vanderbilt has outscored its opponents, 78-37, through an offense led by a talented trio of double-digit scorers. Sophomore Sarah Downing leads the team in goals (17) and assists (10), while senior Margie Curran (16 goals, 8 assists) and sophomore Carter Foote (13g) have each shown a knack for scoring.
“It’s about how we can play our best against every single team. If we do that, that’s when we went on a nine-game winning streak last year,” Robertshaw said. “It’s because we didn’t worry about what happens later and against who and about what ranking. We literally showed up and said, ‘If we want to be in NCAAs, we have to win this game.'”
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Klein has been impressive through two games as the Terriers’ lone backstop. The netminder has recorded 17 saves while allowing 11 goals to start the season.
The Terriers are still learning to play together, with senior co-captains Lauren Morton and Molly Collins leading the team. After two games, the results have been positive, but if BU is going to compete against Northwestern and Vanderbilt, it will need a full team effort.
“If we win on Sunday, we have a chance later down the road,” Robertshaw said. “You have to set yourself up in the best position. You can’t worry about anyone else.”