With Sam Apuzzo’s single season–scoring record of 94 goals on the horizon, Charlotte North and Boston College lacrosse had to do two things to continue North’s chase of the record: keep advancing in the NCAA Tournament, and do so in convincing enough fashion that North could put together another prolific display.
The Eagles (15-3) succeeded on both fronts in their second-round clash against Temple (13-6) on Sunday, riding North’s eight-goal performance to crush the Owls 21-11. North’s performance gave her a total of 86 scores on the season, and she broke BC’s postseason single-game scoring record that she tied last week.
North and the Eagles set the tone early, as the BC star notched three goals in the opening 10 minutes to propel BC to an early 6-1 advantage. Belle Smith took advantage of a Temple turnover to run nearly half of the field uncontested and dish it off to North, who sniped the top right corner of the net for a hat trick.
The Owls tallied 11 turnovers in the first half, crippling their attacks in the Eagles’ offensive zone and giving BC prime opportunities to use its speed in transition.
BC continued to press its advantage after its hot start and closed out the first half leading 11-4. Goaltender Rachel Hall was spectacular in the period, notching six saves and setting up the offense with her clears.
Along with her prowess in the offensive zone, North was also dominant on draw controls and won 12 on the afternoon.
Abbey Ngai replaced Hall for the majority of the second half and was less successful, allowing five goals and failing to notch a save. Plus, a run of strong play from the Owls allowed Temple to hold the Eagles to just two goals in the opening 10 minutes of the second half and cut its deficit slightly to nine.
The Owls were much more secure with the ball in the second half, giving up just four turnovers, and they notched just one shot fewer than BC.
Despite the improvement from the Owls and BC’s slow start to the second half, the Eagles got back to their dominating ways in the later stages of the game. North scored back-to-back unassisted goals, and Courtney Weeks and Kayla Martello each chipped in a score to give BC a run of four unanswered that stretched its lead to 20-7.
On her second goal of the back-to-back effort, North faked a short pass to a cutting Cara Urbank before going to her right and threading it past goalie Olivia Martin with a low-angle shot. The score was her eighth of the afternoon, handing her the program record.
Urbank notched two goals and three assists on the day, making her the 11th Eagle to reach 200 points. Jenn Medjid added four goals, and Caitlynn Mossman also threw in a hat trick.
BC will face Notre Dame in the quarterfinals after the Irish defeated Virginia 13-8 in the second round and demolished Robert Morris 16-0 in the opener. The Eagles won both of their regular season games against the Irish in convincing fashion and racked up a 37-23 scoring advantage across the two contests.
Featured Image by Kristian Lamarre / Heights Staff
