After a spectacular regular season, No. 3 seed Boston College lacrosse (12-2, 8-2 Atlantic Coast) enters the ACC Tournament with a chance to reach its third straight tournament final and begin its postseason crusade against Virginia (8-7, 3-7) on Wednesday. Streaks of a different nature have been the story of late for the two opponents, as the Eagles secured a nine-game win streak before dropping their regular season finale. Virginia, on the other hand, has been freefalling down the ACC standings after closing out its regular season with five straight losses, and the Cavaliers hold the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
Who is BC playing?
Virginia
When is BC playing?
Wednesday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.
Where is BC playing?
Dorrance Field, Chapel Hill, N.C.
How to Watch?
The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
Series History
While Virginia leads the all-time series 13-6, BC has been the stronger team in recent years. BC defeated Virginia in each of the teams’ matchups since 2016, including a 20-11 win early in the season. The Cavaliers last beat BC in 2016 by a narrow 15-14 margin. Virginia has been particularly strong in neutral-site contests between the two teams and holds a 3-0 all-time advantage.
What to Expect from Virginia:
Offense
The Cavaliers have a decent attack and score just under 13 goals per game, a mark that ranks sixth in the ACC. Taylor Regan leads Virginia in points with 20 goals and 15 assists, while Ashlyn McGovern is the Cavaliers’ highest goalscorer with 29. Lillie Kloak has also been a threat with 28 goals and five assists. While the Eagles hold a more prolific offense on the whole, averaging 16.5 goals per game, the Cavaliers spread their attack around much more. Six Virginia players have over 20 points on the season, and 16 players have found the net on the year. Virginia is fairly selective with its shots in the offensive zone, notching just 28.5 shots per game.
Virginia’s offense has also struggled in April, as the Cavaliers have scored 12 goals or fewer over their past five games, although two of those contests came against the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels.
Defense
While Virginia’s attack has struggled during its losing streak, its defense has been particularly porous, allowing 16.5 goals per game during that stretch. Overall on the season, the Cavaliers have allowed an average of almost 13 goals per game. Only Louisville—with just one win in conference play—has allowed more among ACC teams. Charlie Campbell starts between the pipes for the Cavaliers, and, much like BC’s Rachel Hall, has started every game this season. Campbell is a three-year starter and holds a .429 save percentage on the year.
Outlook
While the Cavaliers have historically dominated the Eagles, the two programs are in very different places at the moment. BC has hung among the ACC’s best in recent years and has won nine of its last 10 games, while Virginia has been stuck in consistent mediocrity as of late and has not been able to reach the Eagles’ success over the latter portion of this season. The Eagles’ potent offense matches up well against the generous Cavalier defense. BC should welcome an easier battle after its past two games against a stingy Syracuse defense. BC has the potential to show out deep in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, and the current state of the Cavaliers has shown little hope of getting in the way of that mark.
Featured Image by Jess Rivilis / Heights Senior Staff
