Members of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell women’s lacrosse team threw up their hands in celebration. Taylor Sokol, standout rookie for the Riverhawks, had just gotten a goal, shooting it past Boston College goalie Lindsey Reder. Sokol’s shot finally got the Riverhawks on the board with 17:51 left in the second half, already the third of the season for the Hopkinton, Mass. native in only two games.
Unfortunately for the Riverhawks, they would have needed 18 more goals to tie up the game.
Once again, the No. 6/7 Eagles (2-0) showed flashes of their early season brilliance in this one, taking down UMass-Lowell (0-2) at the country’s best named stadium—Wicked Blue Field at the Cushing Field Complex—by a whopping margin of 24-4.
Head coach Acacia Walker’s team got off to a fast start from the get-go, with four goals in the first five minutes, including three from star senior midfielder Mikaela Rix. The Eagles never looked back from that, using an unbelievable 30 shots to jump out to a 16-0 lead at the end of the first.
BC’s defense starred in this one as well. The Riverhawks didn’t even get possession in their own zone until five minutes into the first half. Additionally, the Eagles held UMass-Lowell to only one shot, giving sophomore goalie Zoe Ochoa an easy half.
The Eagles cooled slightly in the second half after putting in the reserves. Each of BC’s substitutes saw considerable playing time in the second half—even Ochoa got the second half off as Reder manned the net. Nevertheless, the Eagles still tacked on another eight points, including the first career goals for freshmen Gieriet Bowen, and twin sisters Tara and Emma Schurr.
Rix and junior Sarah Mannelly shined in this one by mirroring each other’s efforts, leading the team with six points, four goals, and two assists each. The performance, however, was an all-around effort: 13 different Eagles found the back of the net against UMass-Lowell goalies Courtney Barrett and Olivia Wisner.
Credit the Riverhawks for not giving up on this one. Despite the 19-0 deficit 40 minutes into the game, UMass-Lowell put up four goals on Reder and outshot BC 12-10 in the second half. After all, this game was only the second in the history of UMass-Lowell women’s lacrosse—the team lost 18-4 in its opening game at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on Valentine’s Day.
But it will take a long time for the upstart Riverhawks to catch up to the level of BC.
As for Eagles fans, start getting your hopes up: this lacrosse team may be cooking up something special.
Featured Image by Christopher Tran / Connector
