Having faced five straight top-25 teams to begin its 2023 campaign, it would have been easy for Boston College lacrosse to overlook unranked Brown.
But via a streak of 12 unanswered goals, the No. 5 Eagles (4–2, 1–1 Atlantic Coast) topped the Bears (2–2, 1–0 Ivy) by a final score of 17–5. BC’s 12-goal margin of victory marked its largest of the season.
Beyond just knotting up the all-time series between BC and Brown at 11 wins apiece, the win also moved the Eagles to 20–0 since 2016 in games following a loss in the regular season.
“I think the girls did a really good job of getting themselves back on track and being focused on the game plan and doing what we need to do to improve,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “I liked that focus. And I think for the first time all year they really showed and demonstrated that focus on doing what we need to do to be better.”
Though Brown neutralized BC’s early 55-second three-goal scoring spree to tie the game at the first quarter’s 2:58 mark, the Eagles responded with 12 straight goals. Eight of those goals came in a dominant 8–0 second-quarter performance.
“I think our team really, I think, tied all the units together,” Walker-Weinstein said of BC’s second-quarter performance. “From goaltending to defense, midfield to offense, through transition. And I think everyone felt very much a part of it.”
The Eagles’ scoring frenzy began in the final 90 seconds of the opening frame, when Belle Smith completed her first-quarter hat trick to restore a 4–3 BC lead.
“I just think she was firing on all cylinders today,” Walker-Weinstein said. “But I think it stemmed from, like, a very urgent leadership role that she took this past week to get our team on track and ready to have a rebound game.”
The Eagles carried the momentum generated by Smith’s late first-quarter goal into the following period, when Andrea Reynolds got the scoring started with a goal just over two minutes into the period. Jenn Medjid, who entered the game averaging the ACC’s fourth-highest goals per game, followed up 48 seconds later to extend BC’s lead to 6–3.
Sophomore attacker Mckenna Davis found herself in the middle of the action, assisting on all three of those goals. Though Davis eventually tallied a goal of her own later in the quarter, she primarily impacted the game as a facilitator and finished the contest with a team-high four assists.
“She was back to her normal self today,” Walker-Weinstein said. “Very cool and calm and connecting everyone as the feeder and as our lefty quarterback back there with Jenn Medjid. And I just really liked her demeanor and her calm attitude.”
The Eagles notched six more goals in the quarter, the last of which came from Medjid, who joined Smith in recording a hat trick.
With a comfortable 12–3 lead heading into the second half, Walker-Weinstein replaced goaltender Rachel Hall with Shea Dolce, allowing the heralded freshman to gain more valuable experience between the pipes. Dolce held Brown scoreless in the third quarter and finished the game with five saves—a new career high.
BC added three goals in the third which extended its lead to 15–3 heading into the final quarter.
The Bears’ Annie Burton logged her second goal of the game at the fourth quarter’s 13:16 mark to end Brown’s two-period scoring drought.
Mallory Hasselbeck joined in on the scoring at the 8:45 mark, and less than three minutes later, Kit Arrix scored her first goal of the season and BC’s last of the game with a top-shelf rocket. Brown’s Nathalie Ahn added a late goal with 37 seconds remaining to make the score 17–5.
“Every win is critical to the success of the team,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We don’t weigh them any differently until ACC Championships. So this win is equally important as any other win, and we’re looking forward to the next one.”
