The fourth-seeded Boston University women’s lacrosse team edged out a tight 8-7 victory Tuesday over fifth-seeded Lehigh University in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.
The Terriers (8-8, 5-3 Patriot League) completed the season sweep of the Mountain Hawks (9-8, 4-4 Patriot League) at Nickerson Field with the win over Lehigh.
BU never trailed in the contest, but the Mountain Hawks were on the Terriers’ heels all game long as Lehigh never trailed by more than two goals in the second half.
BU came out strong in the opening minutes, thanks to junior midfielder Jill Horka. Off the opening draw control win, she made a hard dodge to the cage and scored an unassisted goal just 33 seconds in to open the scoring.
Horka proved why she was recently selected to the All-Patriot League First Team for the second consecutive season. Horka’s four-goal performance was decisive in the Terrier one-goal victory. One reason for her Patriot League personal selection stems from her consistency on the draw control where she has led the Terriers this season. Tuesday, Horka punched her name into the BU record books, setting a single season record with 60 draw controls on the 2015 season.
“That kid is all heart and hustle. She wants to win. She is so passionate about this team,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “I couldn’t be happier with what she is doing right now.”
Goalkeeping was the difference in the first half at as sophomore Taylor Tvedt stole the show for Lehigh, making six saves and keeping the Mountain Hawks in the game before heading to the locker room. A last minute surge by the Mountain Hawks, including two goals just 25 seconds apart, trimmed the lead down from three goals to a manageable 5-4 margin.
“She is a fantastic goalie, she really is. She is a lights-out goalie,” Robertshaw said.
Tvedt’s success in 2015 is partially due to the trio of senior defenders who have all played every game in their careers for Lehigh. Two of these defensive specialists, senior Lauren Willcox and senior Michelle Abramczyk, found themselves in the scoring column Tuesday in the loss. The pair of seniors had only one goal between the two of them entering the Patriot League Tournament. The senior defenders have provided great protection in front of Tvedt as the Mountain Hawks have allowed just 8.06 goals per game, third best in the Patriot League.
In the second frame, however, BU sophomore goaltender Caroline Meegan out-dueled Tvedt, making five second-half saves. The sophomore also had an impressive eight groundballs, which was a game high.
Meegan made a great save and left her crease looking for an outlet pass, but she turned the ball over when trying to secure the ball back in the crease. The ball bounced out in front where a diving Mountain Hawk tried to hit the ball in, but Meegan was able to dive back into the cage to secure the ball.
After the game, Robertshaw laughed about the aggressive play from her goaltender.
“We’re going to talk about that one,” Robertshaw said. “I told the players, my favorite part about it is that we saw all of the players. I saw every one of our BU girls diving for it to make sure that ball did not go in the cage.”
Horka said aggressiveness represents Meegan’s playing style, which she admires.
“She is definitely our most valuable player. She really steps up big for us,” Horka said. “She is the one to step up and make the big play. She is our rock. She is emerging into an amazing player as a sophomore.”
Lehigh was able to tie it up in the last 10 minutes, but BU fought off the comeback, and junior midfielder Ally Adams netted the game-winner with 2:25 remaining.
BU defeated Lehigh for the second time in 2015, a difficult feat according to Robertshaw, who is impressed with Lehigh’s gritty style of play.
“I thought we did a better job on groundballs in the first half,” Robertshaw said. “I think we battled them better in this game than last time.”
Despite an unpredictable season, full of inconsistencies at times, the Terriers are headed to the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament for the second consecutive season.
“Even though it hasn’t been easy, it shows that they are willing to keep believing and keep fighting,” Robertshaw said. “It would have been easy for a team to crumble when Lehigh tied the game.”
