Abbreviated Year in Review: Lacrosse
After being hit hard by graduation, BC was off to an up-and-down start through seven games as it attempted to maintain its national title-contending status.
No one knew what to expect from Boston College lacrosse this spring. The program was losing a pair of Tewaaraton finalists—including the reigning award winner—along with a first-team All-ACC defender, and perhaps the school’s most dynamic athlete to step foot on campus in quite some time. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
In addition to Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault, Elizabeth Miller, and Kenzie Kent, five other Eagles also graduated in 2019. It was a senior class that had piloted an incredible three-year run, which tragically ended in a third consecutive National Championship defeat.
To soften the blow that was BC’s roster turnover, head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein brought in two of the sport’s biggest transfers: Duke’s Charlotte North and Oregon’s Rachel Hall. North, the nation’s sixth-leading goal scorer in 2019, and Hall, who led the NCAA in saves as a freshman that same season, automatically boosted BC’s talent level on both sides of the field.
The question was, would the newcomers—star-studded recruits included—be enough to maintain BC’s national title contending status. Through one month, a free fall in the rankings, a 4-3 record, and an inconsistent offense indicated “no.” That said, the true answer will never be revealed.
After the ACC canceled all athletics activities for the remainder of the academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, BC, and every other program in the country, was forced to look ahead in a time of great uncertainty. But here, we’ll look back.
Below is a review of the Eagles’ abridged, and maybe soon-to-be forgotten, 2020 season:
Best Moment: BC’s offense finally clicks in 20-10 win over Hofstra
Heading into a midweek matchup with Hofstra, the Eagles had averaged a mere 9.7 goals per game in their past three contests. They were up against a Pride team that ranked third nationally in draw control percentage and was coming off an overtime victory at John’s Hopkins and a four-goal loss to reigning national champion Maryland.
But, in what ended up being the Eagles’ final game of the season, BC finally played up to the standard that the program had set these past few years. The Eagles won seven of the first 10 draws, jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and scored 13 first-half goals—BC’s previous season high was six. Despite an 11-minute drought to start the second period, Walker-Weinstein’s team eventually rediscovered its groove, piling on seven more goals in the final frame.
Seven Eagles found the back of the net in BC’s first 20-goal win of the year, and up-and-coming playmakers like Jenn Medjid, Jordan Lappin, and Cassidy Weeks were on full display, while Charlotte North was able to distribute a season-high five assists. It looked like BC was turning the corner after a surprisingly slow start.
Worst Moment: Eagles don’t stand a chance on the road against No. 13 USC
BC and USC have played some close games of late. In 2018, Tess Chandler’s heroics in Los Angeles delivered the Eagles a thrilling 13-12 overtime win, preserving their undefeated season. And last year, the Trojans drew within two goals of BC with 15 minutes and change left in the second half. But the teams’ 2020 matchup hardly followed the same narrative.
While BC and its Pac-12 foe went toe-to-toe for the first 15 minutes of play, a 3-3 tie soon transformed into a six-goal Eagles deficit. In the span of three minutes and 41 seconds, the Trojans—led by Emily Concialdi and Izzy McMahon—blew the game wide open.
The Eagles never recovered, failing to reach the 10-goal mark for the first time since their April 14, 2018 win over Virginia Tech. Being doubled up, 18-9, by their first ranked opponent of the season was a reality check and a hint that BC’s season-opening loss to Massachusetts wasn’t a fluke after all.
MVP: Charlotte North
All it took was two games for North to etch her name in the BC record books. At BU on Feb. 12, the Duke transfer racked up eight goals and four assists, totaling 12 points, the most of her career and more than any other Eagle in single-game program history. North led BC with 35 points—10 more than the team’s second-leading scorer—and ranked 38th nationally in goals per game (3.29). The junior had a lot of hype to live up to, but she didn’t disappoint.
Breakout Player: Jenn Medjid
Medjid came into 2020 as the Eagles’ fourth-leading returning scorer, but she soon emerged as the team’s second-biggest offensive threat. The sophomore from Garden City, N.Y. built off her 19-point rookie campaign with an explosive seven-game start to year two. Medjid registered 20 goals, including five in the Eagles’ blowout win over Hofstra, and logged at least a hat trick in all but two of BC’s contests.
Top-Three Storylines:
1) Eagles lose first regular season game since April 8, 2017
BC was ranked No. 5 nationally in the preseason Inside Lacrosse Poll. The Eagles had won 36 straight regular season games, were three-time national runner-ups, and hadn’t lost a season opener during Walker-Weinstein’s first seven years at the helm. But on Feb. 8, UMass shocked the lacrosse world by handing BC a 15-11 defeat.
2) BC protects home turf, but has a rocky start on the road
Of the Eagles’ 36 consecutive regular season victories, 21 were at home. BC continued its streak in Newton—its struggles, on the other hand, came on the road. The Eagles were just 1-3 away from Chestnut Hill and, save a 16-goal outing at BU, had a hard time establishing any offensive rhythm. BC averaged just 10.8 goals per game on the road, granted it did have to visit its two ranked opponents, and the Eagles’ early-season home schedule was certainly weaker.
3) At first, North and the BC offense are synonymous
North tallied the Eagles’ first two goals of the season, and it took close to 16 minutes of play for another BC player to get on the scorecard. In game two, she recorded four of BC’s five first-half goals, each of which was unassisted. Then, two games later at USC, she accounted for four of the Eagles’ nine goals. BC—which finished 2019 with four 50-plus goal scorers and the fourth-highest scoring offense—needed a more balanced attack. The Eagles got that against Brown and, again, versus Hofstra. In both games, seven BC players ripped twine.
Top-Three Plays:
1) Cara Urbank takes matters into her own hands in home opener against Vanderbilt
Urbank racked up a career-high six goals on Feb. 16, guiding the Eagles to a 15-12 victory over the Commodores. Her second strike resulted from a nifty dodge, which created space and allowed her to cut inside and rifle a top-shelf shot from the eight-meter mark.
2) Ryan Smith squeezes free-position shot inside the pipe in blowout win over Hofstra
Ryan Smith’s first career goal was inches away from never happening. The freshman midfielder sprinted toward the net while being swarmed by a pair of Pride defenders. She evaded them with her cradle and pushed off with her left foot to create enough space for a near-post shot that snuck into the net while Smith tumbled to the ground.
3) Charlotte North rips a free-position shot into to the top corner of the net versus Brown
It’s no secret that North has a knack for highlight-reel goals. She also has a reputation for whipping free-position shots from the eight-meter mark. After staring down Brown goalkeeper Erin Tucker, North sidestepped and sidearmed a shot into the top-right corner of the cage.
What’s Next?
The NCAA has granted spring sport athletes an extra year of eligibility. BC only has five seniors, but retaining the likes of Urbank, Sheila Rietano, and Jillian Reilly would significantly increase the Eagles’ national championship chances in 2021. Additionally, North and Hall will be back, as will Medjid and other potential rising stars, such as Jordan Lappin and Cassidy Weeks.
The Eagles’ growing pains were apparent throughout the first month of the 2020 campaign, yet there’s no denying BC was on the up. Now, Walker-Weinstein and her team will have even more time to get in sync—and make another run at a fourth straight title game appearance and, of course, the program’s first national championship.
Images Courtesy of Boston College Athletics