Lacrosse falls after Towson blowout

The Boston University women’s lacrosse team has been going through some new experiences lately — namely in the form of losses.

The Terriers returned from their two-game road trip this weekend with a split after facing off against two conference opponents. After beating Towson University soundly on Thursday, 21-6, BU traveled to the University of Delaware, which promptly handed the Terriers their first America East loss in two years, 9-7.

In fact, BU hadn’t lost a conference game since Delaware turned the trick in the America East title game in 1999, beating the Terriers, 15-8. The loss to the Blue Hens is the third in the Terriers’ last four games, coming shortly after they lost back-to-back games last week for the first time this season: a 7-6 loss to Harvard University and an 8-5 defeat to Old Dominion University.

BU is now 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference. The Terriers were 10-2 and perfect in the America East at this time last year.

Its recent troubles at beating teams it normally handles easily is a pill that BU is having trouble swallowing, especially with the league championship game a little more than two weeks away.

“We’re definitely working to pull ourselves together now,” said BU junior goalkeeper Brooke Barrett. “The America East tournament is huge, and we still have time to achieve our goals. There’s a lot of season left.”

Not very positive talk from the reigning America East champions, but then again, BU has teeter-tottered through the season since opening with six wins in its first eight games.

Against the Blue Hens, the Terriers seemed a step slower from start. Delaware jumped out to a 2-1 lead before Ashley Moderacki scored her first of three goals on the day to push the lead to 3-1 just 7:24 into the game.

BU answered strongly, however, pumping in three unanswered goals to take the lead for the first time. Senior midfielder Kyle Rutkowski led the charge with two goals in the run, and BU led, 4-3, midway through the half.

Not to be outdone, Delaware one-upped BU with a streak of its own, beating Barrett four times in under six minutes. The run erased the Terriers’ slim edge, and it proved to be the last time BU would lead the game.

Junior defender Gabby Juocys tallied once before the first half ended to close Delaware’s lead to 7-5, but the Blue Hens notched back-to-back goals to start the second half and essentially seal the win.

With Delaware up, 9-5, with 16:50 remaining in the game, Juocys and senior midfielder Chrissy Lombard, the Terriers’ leading scorer this season, each hit the back of the net, but Delaware was able to hold off BU for the win.

The Blue Hens improved to 3-0 in the conference despite winning only its second of its last eight games, and strengthened its case as a bona fide contender for the America East title that the Terriers have had for two years running.

“We had a couple of lapses [Saturday] that resulted in that outcome against Delaware. They played with passion, and they played for home field advantage for the playoffs. They were a strong team that day; we had a game plan, but we didn’t stick to it,” Barrett said.

If BU thought it was cruising to, and maybe through, the conference playoffs this season, Delaware clearly made its case Saturday, and BU took note.

“It’s a big rivalry, we always want that game. It’s really a disappointing loss, and we’re probably going to see them again,” Barrett said. “Next time we know we have to go 100 percent for all 60 minutes.”

The Terriers must have looked rather apathetic after trouncing Towson two days earlier, 21-6, BU’s second-highest offensive output this season.

Lombard led the offense for BU, scoring four goals in the first half alone en route to a six-goal game.

Freshman attacker Polly Purcell continued her run at Rookie of the Year, finding the back of the net twice in the first eight minutes of play to help BU open a 3-0 lead. After junior midfielder Kristin Abruzzese added a goal, Lombard single-handedly torched the Tigers, running up three consecutive goals in just over four minutes to put the Terriers up, 7-0, with 16:09 left in the first.

Towson made a meek attempt at a comeback, scoring two goals, but BU added another four before closing out the half with a nine-goal lead, 11-2.

“We came out against Towson with a lot of fire and a lot of intensity,” Barrett said. “It was a big win for us.”

BU outscored Towson, 10-4, in the second half to seal the deal, earning its third straight league victory. Lombard’s six-goal game made her BU’s all-time leading goal scorer, as her 165 career goals surpassed the record of 163 held by Chris Fleming (1982-84).

But the Towson win is no solace for the loss that followed for BU, which now faces the home stretch of its season. The Terriers have just five regular season contests left, beginning with non-conference games this week against the University of Connecticut Wednesday and Syracuse University next Saturday.

In the meantime, BU will have to deal with its newfound respect for its opponents and swallow its pride.

“We have to stay positive and look ahead. We need to put the past behind us and play one game at a time, and there’s definitely room for more improvement,” Barrett said. “We need to focus on playing for each other, and we have to play the way that every other team plays against us.”