No. 1 Boston College edges SU women’s LAX
No. 1 Boston College edges SU women's LAX
The No. 15 ranked Syracuse women’s lacrosse (2-1) team fell to the nation’s top-ranked Boston College Eagles (2-0), 14-12. It was a very physical matchup from the opening whistle, but BC’s Sam Apuzzo was too much for the Orange to handle.
Boston College outscored Syracuse 9-5 in the second period, and that made the difference. In the second half, Boston College became the aggressor and had Syracuse on its heels, the complete opposite of the first period.
Both teams were on the attack early and often. Syracuse got on the board first with a goal by freshman Meaghan Tyrrell at the 24:50 mark, her fifth goal of the season.
Around three minutes later, Apuzzo scored her first of seven goals for the afternoon and got Boston College on the board.
SU’s junior goalkeeper Asa Goldstock was outstanding in net early in the match.
After Apuzzo’s goal tied tied the teams at one, Nicole Levy scored an outstanding backhand goal to give the Orange a 2-1 lead. This marked the first of four unanswered goals by Syracuse.
Sam Swart added a goal to the SU lead with 19:47 remaining in the first period to give Syracuse a 3-1 advantage.
Goldstock made a great save on a free position for BC that led to a goal for Emily Hawryschuk on the other end and extended the SU lead to 4-1.
Less than a minute later, Levy scored her second goal of the game to give the Orange a 5-1 lead.
At this point Syracuse was dominating the matchup and had complete control of the momentum.
The SU defense was playing well and was able to counterattack off missed opportunities by the Eagles.
Boston College temporarily stopped the bleeding with a goal from Dempsey Arsenault with 16:05 left in the first. That goal cut SU’s lead to 5-2.
Hawryschuk scored again on a strike off a nice pass from Tyrrell. Her goal extended the lead back to four for the Orange.
The support from the SU home crowd sparked the Orange early in this top-15 matchup.
Mary Rahal scored her first goal of the season for the Orange and Syracuse led 7-2, which was the biggest lead of the game.
Apuzzo scored her second goal of the first period and cut SU’s lead to 7-3.
Late in the first half Goldstock came out of the net and fired a pass downfield that was intercepted by Boston College. The Eagles were immediately able to capitalize, with Apuzzo scoring her third goal of the afternoon.
This was a turning point for BC, and the Eagles began to show signs of life late in the first. A goal by Taylor Walker with under three minutes left in the period made the game even closer.
The Orange gave up three consecutive goals at the end of the first period and didn’t create many opportunities of their own during that stretch.
SU had seven goals on 13 shots, 10 of those being on goal, in the first period. BC made five of its 16 first-period shots, 12 of which were on goal. Goldstock had seven saves for the Orange and Lauren Daly had three for the Eagles.
The second period would be much different for Syracuse.
Boston College scored a goal 47 seconds into the second period.
SU answered quickly with of goal of its own 25 seconds later, bringing the Orange’s lead to 8-6.
After two quick goals in under two minutes, the Eagles tied the game at eight.
BC came out aggressively in the second period. The SU defense looked like it didn’t come out of the locker room ready to play. BC attacked early and often in the beginning of the period. Goldstock’s playing dropped significantly from the beginning of the first period.
Apuzzo owned the game and the Orange in the second half.
She scored her fourth goal of the game and gave BC its first lead just under six minutes into the second period.
Two and half minutes later Apuzzo scored again. Boston College took a 10-8 lead and the BC fans who made the trip began chanting “We are BC,” fueling their players.
Daly did much better in net for BC in the second period.
SU was falling apart. It seemed as though the team had used all of its energy to jump out to that early 7-2 lead in the first period.
Apuzzo couldn’t be stopped. Her sixth goal of the game gave the Eagles an 11-8 lead with 14:32 left in the contest.
Hawryschuk scored her third goal of the game and ended a streak of five consecutive goals by Boston College.
Another strike by Hawryschuk closed the gap to one. This was the closest the Orange would come to taking the lead again.
With six minutes left on the clock, the Boston College defense made a huge defensive stand when it looked like Syracuse had a chance to tie the game. That defensive possession would prove to be pivotal to the outcome of this game.
The Eagles went on to score three straight goals and extended the lead to four, which was BC’s biggest lead of the game.
Syracuse added two late goals, but it was too little, too late for the Orange.
Apuzzo finished with nine points, on seven goals and two assists for Boston College. She took 10 shots; seven were on goal, and she managed to convert on all seven.
Hawryschuk led SU with four goals, and Levy added two goals and one assist.
The next game for Syracuse is at 5 p.m. on Monday at the Carrier Dome, where the Orange will host Coastal Carolina.
is an aspiring sports broadcast journalist with college sports reporting experience at Syracuse University and Wilmington College.
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