WLAX: No. 6 BC's Offense Too Much for 'Cuse in 10-9 Loss

I hate to break it to you, but this will not bode well for Syracuse's score in the OrangeEagle Trophy standings, you guys. Lacrosse is a game of runs, with highs and lows for both teams involved. Syracuse got out to a 3-0 lead within the span of less than two minutes of game time. It looked as though the Syracuse Orange were firing on all cylinders and wouldn't have all that hard of a time coming out with a win. It certainly looked more promising than the last two games, against UVA and UConn, anyway.

There's a reason why they play the full 60 minutes, or two 30-minute halves. The Eagles scored three consecutive goals of their own to tie the game at three. Kelly Cross broke up the BC run with a goal on an assist from Halle Majorana with 15:24 to go in the half. BC tied it again on a goal by Mikaela Rix before Syracuse went back ahead on Majorana's second goal of the game. For the next 12 minutes, neither team seemed to be making any moves to score. BC's slow tempo affected the pace for both teams. It wasn't until the last minute of the half that BC's Covie Stanwick ended the scoreless drought with :23.5 to go. The score was tied at five going into the half.

The second half saw a back-and-forth battle, with the Eagles scoring the first goal on a nice sideways move by Rix, her second of the game. Taylor Gait answered almost three minutes later with her second goal of the game, the score tied 6-6. The pattern would extend with a BC goal followed by a Syracuse goal twice more. Caroline Margolis broke the mold by scoring a second-straight goal for the Eagles with 1:28 left in the game. This put all of the pressure on the Syracuse offense, especially Kailah Kempney on the draw, to make things happen and score quickly. Riley Donahue scored with :43.7 to go, leaving plenty of time for her team to score again. Unfortunately for Syracuse, things didn't pan out, and BC was able to control the ball until the clock ran out.

Key Players

Margolis was the star for the Eagles, as she scored four goals, including the final one that ended up being the game-winner. Sarah Mannelly, Stanwick, and Rix all had two goals to contribute, as well. Gaolkeeper Zoe Ochoa had three saves, all in the first half of play. Many of the Orange's goals were shot wide, thanks to the defense around her.

For Syracuse, Gait and Majorana each scored twice to lead the team in goals. Five others scored one goal. In goal,Kelsey Richardson had four saves, three of them in the second half. Tewaaraton Award watchlist member, Kayla Treanor, was a non-factor with one draw control and one turnover. When one of your star players barely shows up on the stat sheet, it probably isn't going to go all that well. Head coach Gary Gait had this to say:

"She needs to learn and grow from this.... She usually does pretty well against the face guard, I think she just got frustrated and that kinda took her out of the game a little bit."

Boston College's First Win Over Syracuse

This game marks the first time in the history of BC Women's lacrosse that they came out victorious against the Orange. They had lost all of their 12 previous meetings. After the game, 3rd-year head coach Acacia Walker was very proud of her girls. "They've been on the brink of some of these big wins for the last two years and it marks history for Boston College lacrosse." Walker went on to talk about how wins like this play a big part in the team's pride in playing for their school and how there have been several individual records set by the team, but "we only care about the wins, and today was a big day for us."

Up Next...

Syracuse will face defending National Champion Maryland next Saturday, March 7th in College Park, MD. It's a rematch of May 25th, 2014. Maryland also happens to be the No. 1 team in the country, at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the Orange respond, especially after a loss like this one today.