When the Boston University lacrosse team attempts to end its four-game losing streak today, it will be going up against a surprisingly unfamiliar opponent.
The Terriers (2-4) will travel to Chestnut Hill at 7 p.m. tonight to take on Boston College, ending a three-year spell during which BU did not face its rival on the lacrosse field.
A three-year scheduling gap is virtually unheard of for BU athletics when the hated Eagles (4-4) are concerned, but the Terriers have faced BC only 10 times in the entire 17-year history of the lacrosse program.
BU will seek to regroup after the team opened the season with two quick victories against the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Monmouth University, and then proceeded to enter a four-game tailspin, falling out of the coaches’ top-20 poll after being ranked as high as 10th.
The Terriers have been outscored in the second half of three of their four losses, including the loss to fourth-ranked Loyola College, when BU failed to capitalize on a 6-4 halftime lead and scored only one second-half goal while allowing eight en route to a 12-7 defeat.
Some individuals have stepped forward with outstanding performances as the team tries to fight its way out of the skid.
Earlier in the season, junior midfielder Alyssa Trudel moved into sixth on the all-time scoring list, and against George Mason University on Saturday, the All American from last season notched three assists to put her at the top of the all-time assists list with 68 in her career.
Sophomore Lindsay Lewis also put her name in the BU record book, extending her goal-scoring streak to 21 games.
But those breakout performances have not been enough to lift the Terriers out of their funk, although there have recently been some positive signs for the team.
After Saturday’s loss to the Patriots, coach Liza Shoemaker said she was pleased with her team’s overall effort, and the club has had a much-needed four-day break before Wednesday’s matchup against BC.
The loss to George Mason marked the end of a four-game-in-eight-day span, three of which were against foes ranked in the top 20. This schedule would be a daunting uphill task for any team, especially a young group like BU.
The Terriers won their last meeting with the Eagles way back when in 2000 by a score of 11-6, and they lead the all-time series by a count of 6-3-1. A win would be a welcome sight for BU and its fans, since the team is slated to play its first conference game Saturday against the University of Vermont.
And the Terriers certainly won’t mind starting conference play. They have not lost a game against an America East foe since falling to the University of New Hampshire, 13-9, on April 17, 2002.
The team has since posted a perfect 11-0 mark, including two conference championships, and is the unanimous coaches’ choice to earn a third straight title this season.
But before jumping the gun on league play, Alumni Stadium will serve as that springboard on which the Terriers are certainly looking to pounce. Besides, the Eagles have lost four straight themselves – and that’s prime pouncing material.