Getting on the southbound bus to Virginia, Boston College lacrosse knew it was in for a fight, as it is with most conference adversaries. This week’s opponent: the Virginia Cavaliers, a team that, like BC (6-5, 1-4 Atlantic Coast), has struggled to find conference wins this season. As the season begins to reach its final stretch, this was a great opportunity for both teams to notch a conference win. No. 10 BC had its opportunity to add its second conference win of the season on Saturday, but failed.
The Eagles came into the game fresh off of a loss at home in a barnburner to the UNC Tar Heels, and looked to regain some momentum against No. 15 Virginia (6-6, 1-4) in Charlottesville, Va. Winning in Klockner Stadium is a tall order under any circumstances, and BC had to fight hard to keep the game close. In this high-scoring shootout, BC found itself playing catch-up from the beginning, as the Cavaliers struck early and often in each half to extend their lead. And while the Eagles battled back fiercely, UVA held on just enough to seal the victory, beating the Eagles by a score of 15-14.
The scoring started very early on in this matchup, with UVA drawing first blood a mere 13 seconds into the game with a goal from Maggie Jackson. Seven minutes passed before Jackson notched her second goal of the game for the Cavaliers, giving UVA a 2-0 lead. Caroline Margolis responded for BC three minutes later, scoring her first goal of the game. UVA and BC then exchanged goals, keeping the score close at 3-2. BC also posted two more goals in the half, but only to be outdone by three UVA goals that brought an end to the half with a score of 6-4.
The second half featured an offensive breakout by both teams. UVA again struck first, posting the first three goals of the half. But the Eagles broke the Cavalier 4-0 run with a goal by Kenzie Kent. This didn’t disrupt the UVA offense, however, and the Cavaliers poured on another three goals to lengthen their lead to 12-5.
But BC came alive, and began its response with three goals, two of which came off the stick of Kate Weeks. Jackson scored again for the Cavaliers, but the Eagles then went on their biggest run of the game, scoring four straights goals. Sarah Mannelly scored two unassisted goals during the streak to bring BC within one goal of tying the game, setting the score at 13-12.
But two more UVA goals followed, the second following the first by only 51 seconds, and the latter goal would prove to be the game winner for the Cavaliers. But BC also posted two more goals before the end of the game, courtesy of Tess Chandler and Mannelly to set the score at 15-14. BC couldn’t notch an equalizer goal to send the game to overtime.
BC has had some trouble winning conference games this season, posting a 1-4 record on the year. ACC competition is tough annually, and so the Eagles will need to work on starting games off with more intensity to find success. The team has also struggled when playing away from Newton, with a current road record of 3-4. The Cavaliers have struggled in conference play as well, and the win over the Eagles is their first ACC win of the year. Though BC put together a solid comeback bid in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Cavalier lead that they had built early in the game.
