LACROSSE: Eagles Get Back On Track With Win Over Terriers

After suffering an eight-goal loss to ACC powerhouse Maryland over the weekend, the Boston College women’s lacrosse team sought redemption in their matchup with rival Boston University yesterday afternoon.

Thanks to a five-goal performance by sophomore Mikaela Rix, the Eagles held on to snatch a 12-9 victory on their home turf and returned their overall record back to the .500 mark. 

Head coach Acacia Walker’s squad was poised to leave its offensive woes behind and create more opportunities to score, as freshman Sarah Mannelly sparked the Eagles with a goal from inside the arc less than three minutes into regulation. Yet BC’s defense was quickly put to the test by an awakened Terrier offense. A game-tying score from Danielle Etrasco catalyzed a 4-0 Terrier run that lasted for nearly 16 minutes of the first frame. On the other side of the ball, goalie Christina Sheridan and BU’s defensive unit did an effective job of slowing the Eagle advance.

Just when it seemed as if BC was going to be mired in another low-scoring effort, Covie Stanwick led the charge toward an offensive resurgence. The sophomore tallied two free-position scores to cut the visiting team’s lead to one. Before the half came to an end, the Eagles drew even with their crosstown rival thanks to Rix’s first of five goals. A closely contested half in which both squads nearly posted the same number of shots on goal was about to give way to an Eagle-dominated offensive outburst.

After finishing the first frame on a 3-0 scoring run, BC picked up right where it left off. Junior Moira Barry fired a shot past Sheridan to regain an Eagle lead. Mannelly continued the home team’s momentum on offense with a score of her own less than a minute later.

From there, Rix broke out with one of the Eagles’ most dominant individual performances of the season. The sophomore tallied three consecutive goals for the team within a three-minute span, capping a relentless 8-0 Eagle run. After the dust cleared, BC found itself with a commanding 9-4 lead with 20 minutes to play.

Yet the Terriers refused to go down without a fight. BU’s Elizabeth Morse went on a solo scoring rampage, tallying four of the game’s next six goals en route to a five-goal effort of her own. The Eagles’ opponent had actually come as close as two goals to tying the contest at 11-9. Despite the Terrier offense’s attempts to wear BC’s defense out, sophomore goalie Emily Mata’s six saves along with insurance scores from Rix, Stanwick, and Mannelly enabled the Eagles to leave with a timely three-goal victory.

Notably, the Eagles posted 28 shots yesterday after mustering only eight attempts at the goal against Maryland on Saturday. If yesterday’s win against BU is any indication, BC’s renewed ability to attack the net is a recipe for success moving forward into the heart of the season.