The last time Boston College lacrosse played Jacksonville was in 2010, when the then-No. 21 Eagles defeated the Dolphins 18–6.
Sunday morning’s matchup 14 years later told a similar story, as BC dominated Jacksonville 17–3. The No. 2 Eagles (3–0) trampled the Dolphins (0–3) in their first away game of the season in Jacksonville, Fla.
It wasn’t until 8:03 into the first quarter when the first goal was scored. On the first four possessions of the game, Jacksonville had stopped BC from attacking the net. Then BC’s offense began to heat up—starting with draw control.
“I was really impressed with Ryan Smith on the draw,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “I attribute that a lot to our scout team … and when our defense gets into gameday, they are equipped and ready for the moment.”
Rachel Clark was the kick-starter the Eagles needed. After receiving a pass from Mckenna Davis, Clark juked by her defender and fired a shot past Jacksonville’s goaltender Paige Pagano and into the upper right corner of the net. Clark’s first goal set the pace for a dominant performance, and she finished the afternoon with five goals.
The other leading scorers for BC were Kayla Martello, who scored four goals, and Belle Smith, who picked up three.
“Those guys shot very well today, but those points are a product of the team’s offense,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I was really happy with how we moved the ball and shared the ball, and I think those guys when they had those opportunities, they were able to finish and capitalize on the entire play.”
After the opening score, the Eagles continued to increase their lead over Jacksonville. Following two late first quarter goals by Belle Smith and Martello, the Eagles extended their lead to three goals by the conclusion of the first frame.
BC’s attack struck early in the second quarter as Cassidy Weeks caught a pass from Davis and nailed a shot into Jacksonville’s net.
But the Eagles were not done yet. They picked up two more goals and secured a 6–1 lead going into halftime.
Throughout the first half, the Eagles posted nine shots on goal compared to Jacksonville’s three shots on the net, only one of which went in. Shea Dolce tallied three saves within the first 30 minutes of play.
“I think our defense was really aggressive, and they were competing at a high level and following our game plan,” Walker-Weinstein said.
In the next 15 minutes of play, the Eagles delivered three more goals. BC’s relentless defense limited the Dolphins to one goal on three shots on net, and Jacksonville committed five turnovers in the period.
The Eagles’ dominance only intensified in the fourth quarter. Less than a minute in, Clark launched the ball into the left-hand corner of the net for a man-up goal.
Less than 30 seconds later, Clark scored again on a free-position shot. The Eagles added six more goals to their lead before the game was over.
BC players embraced each other in a sea of maroon and gold as the Eagles celebrated their first road win of the season and third straight win overall.
“I think one takeaway is continuing to put all of the pieces together,” Walker-Weinstein said. “There is so much that goes into putting a winning product on the field, and I think it starts with our defense and with Shea in the net, and then improving on our ride, improving on the clear, and then playing a really good cohesive team offense.”
Walker-Weinstein described what the first road win meant for the Eagles.
“I think it was great,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We go on a stretch of away games here, and I think we set the tone the way we would have liked to.”
